Recipe adapted by Maureen Gualtieri, from Charbel Barker’s My Latina Table
This light, simple soup bursts with flavour — even more so if you score the freshest ingredients for both soup and superstar toppings. (The fresh-fried tortilla chips, in particular, are worth the effort!) What is better, not fresh, however, is the leftover chicken, originally prepared with DFC’s Original Spicy BBQ sauce, that makes up the protein centre of this dish. Any leftovers — grilled or roasted, dark or light meat —will do. If it comes off a whole bird, you can even plan ahead and use the carcass to make the stock! Either way, this economical soup, with its rich flavour and variety of textures, will warm the chilliest of fall days.
“Leftover” BBQ Chicken Tortilla Soup
(Yield: 4 servings)
Ingredients:
For soup:
4 medium Roma tomatoes
2 jalapeño peppers
1/4 white onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Olive oil
Salt
For toppings:
3 tortillas (wheat or corn), cut into strips
Approx. 1 c. frying oil of preference
Fresh sliced avocado
Chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
1 c. leftover chicken, originally grilled with DFC’s Original Spicy BBQ Sauce
Grated sharp cheddar
Sour cream
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F; while waiting, cut the tomatoes and jalapeñopeppers in half. (Remove jalapeño seeds as desired to control for spiciness.) Arrange the tomatoes, peppers, white onion, and garlic cloves on a foil-lined sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and salt to taste, then roast for 20 minutes, turning vegetables over halfway through.
When roasted, pile your veggies into a blender and blend until smooth. Heat your stock in a large pot to a high simmer; carefully pour in your blitzed veggies and stir until combined. Lower the heat, and simmer for 25 minutes.
Assemble your delicious toppings: Grate the cheese, slice the limes, etc.; and tear last night’s DFC’s-BBQ-Sauce-grilled chicken into shreds. Then, in a heavy-bottomed pan, heat your frying oil to about 375 degrees F. Sprinkle a handful of tortilla strips in the oil, and shallow-fry to your desired level of golden and crispy. Drain the strips on a crumpled paper towel, and repeat until all the strips are fried.
Dish out the soup and top with whatever combination of condiments you like — but don’t skimp on the DFC’s BBQ’d chicken shreds or the ultra-crispy fresh tortilla chips! Serve and enjoy immediately.
