roasted tomatillo chicken tortilla soup.

Well, I’m coming to you from a weird time in the world (and my life actually) where I’ve never been more grateful for the comfort that food can bring. The Bay Area is basically locked down, it kind of feels like no one really knows what’s going on with this virus. My wedding has been cancelled, I’m moving in a few days, and I’m living in cluttered cardboard chaos. I’m also feeling worry about the people in my life who are at high risk for respiratory diseases. Like my dad who smokes a lot of cigarettes on the daily…cooking has been a big stress reliever.

I know that it’s not ‘fun’ being stuck inside or isolated from other people, but use this time to get to know yourself better. Do something for you with that commute time that has been eliminated, write your thoughts and feelings down, read a book (might I recommend Wine Girl?), play fetch with your dog, watch a movie with your kid, video chat with old friends, make this recipe. We’ll never get this kind of time again.

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Anyway, I tried to make a white chicken chili and I failed pretty miserably twice. What I created instead was another happy accident: a flavor-packed chicken-tortilla soup with a really insane roasted tomatillo cream base. I know that groceries aren’t readily available for everyone during this epidemic. I tried to use pantry items and ingredients you can find canned, frozen, or * swallows pride * dried.

As usual, I’ll break this one down into a few major steps so you can plan easier:

Roasted tomatillo cream: I roasted my tomatillos on a cast iron grill pan in the oven for 35 minutes and then broiled them (because of course I did). Then I popped them into my Vitamix with 1 cup of half and half and 1/4 c. of chicken stock.
Simmered vegetables: While the tomatillos are roasting, you’ll get the other vegetables going in your dutch oven so that we have time to give the base a little love. This base is made up of onion, green chiles, jalapeno, serrano pepper, garlic, corn, adobo seasoning and a little broth. You’ll pour your tomatillo cream into this simmering mixture of goodness.
Shredded chicken, beans, + herbs: Two chicken breasts is really all you need. I was able to snag a rotisserie chicken via takeout since the grocery store was out. If you don’t have a local rotisserie, try Boston Market! No judgement. You can really use any beans of your choice. I chose black beans and black-eyed peas. For herbs, I just went all in on cilantro.
Toppings: Go wild. I used blue corn tortilla chips, shredded Mexican cheese, shredded jalapeños, and cilantro. Yes people, in this case I’ll give you a total pass on using dried herbs if it’s all you’ve got during the apocalypse.

Recipe

chicken tortilla soup

Servings: 4-6 | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 1 hour

Recommended Wine Pairing

A Californian Sauvignon Blanc (but let’s be real - it’s a tequila on the rocks kind of time in the world…)

INGREDIENTS

SOUP

4 whole tomatillos, peeled
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 oz. canned green chiles, diced
1/2 serrano pepper, diced
1/2 jalepeño, diced and seeds removed [leave this out if you don’t like a lot of spice]
1/2 juice lime
1/2 tbsp. Goya adobo seasoning
1 tsp. cumin, ground
36 oz. chicken stock
2 shredded rotisserie chicken breasts
1/4 c. sweet corn, frozen
1/2 c. fire roasted corn, frozen (if you can’t find this - just use frozen sweet corn!)
1 c. heavy cream (or half-and-half)
1 - 2 tbsp. cilantro, depending on your love for it
8oz. black beans, canned
8 oz. black eyed peas, canned
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Toppings

Blue corn tortilla chips
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Avocado, peeled and cubed
Jalapeño, sliced thin
Cilantro, chopped

VEGETARIAN SUBSTITUTES

Remove chicken
Vegetable stock for chicken stock
Cashew cream for heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450-degrees F.
Place the peeled tomatillos on a cast iron grill pan. Drizzle the tomatillos with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper before placing pan into the oven.
Roast for 35 minutes or until the outside of the tomatillos wrinkle or char. If you prefer a more charred flavor (yas!), turn your broiler on for the last 3-5 minutes of roasting.
While the tomatillos are roasting, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium-high heat in your soup pot or dutch oven.
When the oil is hot, turn the heat down to medium. Add the chopped onion, garlic, serrano pepper, jalapeño, green chilis, and lime juice.
Season the onion-pepper mixture with adobo seasoning, cumin, and black pepper. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until onions are translucent.
Turn the heat down to low, add the frozen corn and 2 cups of the chicken stock to the soup pot. If you love chicken flavor, add a spoonful of chicken bouillon.
Let these flavors meld by simmering together on low heat for ~20 minutes while your tomatillos finish.

When your tomatillos are ready, remove them from the oven and place them into a blender with a handful of cilantro, heavy cream, and 1/4c. of chicken stock. Blend until smooth.
Take the contents of the blender and slowly incorporate it into the soup pot with a spoon or ball whisk. Turn up the heat to get the liquid until it reaches a slow and steady bubble. This is low-medium on my stovetop.
Add the shredded chicken, black beans, black-eyed peas, and cilantro. Keep on a slow simmer for about 15 minutes. If you want a soup with more broth, add the remaining chicken stock.
To serve, top with your favorite fixings. I used blue corn tortilla chips, shredded Mexican-blend cheese, avocado, jalapeño, and cilantro.