Chicken Tortilla Stew
Now that it's officially fall, it's soup season. Yay! I love soup - especially on crisp fall days. So, I kicked off October with one of my favorites: Chicken Tortilla.
I want to call this a straight-up soup, but it's not. It has more of a stew consistency. Not that I'm complaining. This was absolutely delicious and incredibly easy to make. Yes, there are a few steps, but it flows so naturally that you don't even realize it.
And, if you don't feel like roasting your own tomatoes, just buy a can of fire-roasted tomatoes and use that! That will cut down on the cook time, too.
So good - and perfect for leftovers!
Enjoy!
Chicken Tortilla Stew
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes (includes roasting time for tomatoes and peppers)
Total Time: 1 hour and 55 minutes
Yields: 6-8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
For the Chicken:
1-1.5lbs chicken breasts
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp hot New Mexico chili powder - or
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
olive oil
For the stew:
64oz low-sodium or no-salt added chicken stock
1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
4-5 medium tomatoes OR 1 can of fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 sweet onion, minced
1 poblano, roasted + chopped + keep seeds
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
salt + pepper
Garnish: sour cream, diced avocado, tortilla strips, cotija cheese
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450-degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prep the tomatoes by removing stems and cutting them in half. Place the tomatoes, flesh side up, on the baking sheet along with the poblano pepper. Drizzle olive oil over all produce. Place in oven and roast for 40-45 minutes. Make sure to flip the poblano about half way through.
While tomatoes are cooking, whisk together chili powders, oregano, cumin, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside until read to use.
Once tomatoes and pepper are done roasting, remove from oven and set aside. They should all be charred and dark. Remove stem from poblano pepper and then give it a rough chop - including the seeds!
Lower temperature on the oven to 425-degrees.
In a large pot, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add minced onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes - just until it starts to brown. Add garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Add tomatoes, poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper, and 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and then simmer the ingredients for 4-5 minutes. You want the jalapeno to soften.
While the ingredients are cooking in the pot, line a baking sheet (you can use the same one) with parchment paper and then place the chicken on it.
Rub a small amount of olive oil all over chicken breasts and then sprinkle the seasoning on both sides until the chicken is well-coated. Push seasoning into chicken.
Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Start on your rice. Cook per the instructions on the packaging.
While chicken and rice are cooking, add all of the chicken stock to the pot with the tomatoes, onion and peppers. Stir to combine, making sure to scrape up at of the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne. Stir to combine.
Bring the stock mixture to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, reducing slightly. You don't want the liquid to reduce too much at this point. Taste it. Add more salt, pepper and other seasoning as you see fit.
Transfer stock/tomatoes/peppers/onion mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, making sure all of the produce is broken down. Transfer mixture back to pot and continue to cook/reduce on a medium-low temperature.
By now, the chicken should be cooked through. Remove from oven and shred it. Add to the pot with the chicken stock mixture and stir to combine.
Add the cooked rice to the pot and stir to combine. The rice should help absorb some of the liquid, creating a stew-like consistency.
Cook the strew for an additional 5-10 minutes, just so that all of the flavors can blend together. Taste and season with salt, pepper and any of the other seasonings you feel are necessary.
Divide into bowls, and serve with fried tortilla strips, sour cream, avocado and cotija cheese.