Ingredients
- 6 corn tortillas, preferably a little old and dried out
- high smoke point oil to fry corn chips and cook onions
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can green chili's or 1 medium roasted Anaheim, poblano or jalapeño chile
- 4 cups chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3/4 lb uncooked chicken, chopped into 1" pieces
- 1 ripe avocado
- Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or mild cheddar)
- Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)
Method
- Cut tortillas in half, and then cut the halves into 1/4 inch wide strips. Put 1 inch oil into a frying pan. Heat oil over medium high heat until a small piece of tortilla begins bubble.
- Working in three batches, fry the tortilla strips in the oil, until lightly browned and crisp. Remove the tortilla strips from the pan and let drain on a paper towel lined plate (You can salt at this point if you want, but not necessary, but makes them yummy).
- Spoon a few tablespoons of the frying oil into a dutch oven or a 3 quart pot, add the onions and chicken (I like to salt & pepper the chicken at this point). Cook until chicken begins to get nicely browned.
- Add chopped pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Then add the chopped garlic, cook for another minute.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, and salt. Increase the heat to high, heat until the soup begins to boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Pit, peel, and cut the avocado into 1 inch pieces. Divide half of tortilla strips among 4 individual serving bowls; ladle in soup. Top with avocado and cheese; garnish with remaining tortilla strips and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.