Chicken Tortilla Soup

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the vegetables

   Finely dice the onion and dice the carrot. Mince the 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves for the soup.

2. 2

   Cook the vegetables

   Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Cook the tomato paste and spices

   Stir in the tomato paste, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. 4

   Simmer the chicken

   Add the tomatoes, green chiles, chicken broth, minced cilantro, and bay leaves. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the chicken into the broth. Cover and cook until the thickest part of each breast reaches 165°F, 15 to 20 minutes depending on thickness.

5. 5

   Prepare the chips and toppings

   While the chicken cooks, finely crush enough tortilla chips to measure 1 cup. Squeeze the half lime to yield about 1 tablespoon juice, and cut the serving lime into wedges. Shred the Monterey Jack cheese and chop the cilantro for serving.

6. 6

   Remove the chicken

   Transfer the chicken to a clean sheet pan to cool. Discard the bay leaves. Reduce the heat to medium-low to keep the soup warm.

7. 7

   Thicken the soup

   Ladle 3 cups soup into a blender and add the 1 cup crushed tortilla chips. Let stand for about 2 minutes to soften the chips. Blend until smooth, venting the lid as directed for hot liquids. Pour the blended soup back into the Dutch oven and stir to combine.

8. 8

   Shred and warm the chicken

   Shred the chicken with two forks and return it to the soup. Cover and warm for about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, then taste and add more salt as needed.

9. 9

   Serve the soup

   Slice the avocado. Top the soup with Monterey Jack cheese, avocado, tortilla chips, and cilantro. Serve with the lime wedges.