Chicken Tortilla Soup

An alternative for cooking this soup is to put all the ingredients except the lime juice, tostada, and cilantro in a slow cooker, cover, and cook on low setting for 8–10 hours.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

1 whole chicken (precooked)

1 medium white onion

4 garlic cloves

1 red bell pepper

3 medium red tomatoes

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin

¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground red pepper

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 cups canned (and drained) or frozen corn

6 cups chicken broth

¹⁄₄ cup lime juice

4 Tostadas (see recipe in Chapter 2)

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1. Remove the skin from the chicken and cut into 1" cubes, discarding the bones.
2. Remove the skin from the onion and garlic. Chop the onion into ¹⁄₄" pieces. Mince the garlic. Remove the stem and core from the red bell pepper and chop into ¹⁄₄" pieces. Chop the tomatoes into 1" pieces.
3. Combine all the ingredients except the lime juice, tostadas, and cilantro in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Stir in the lime juice right before serving.
4. Break the tostadas into small pieces. Cut the stems from the cilantro. Sprinkle the tostada pieces and cilantro leaves on the soup before serving.