Hatch Green Chile Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
A healthy "kicked up" chicken, black bean, and vegetable soup with southwest flavors...
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. cumin powder, or 2 if you like cumin!
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cubed
- 6 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 cup corn kernels, fresh, frozen, or canned
- 1 cup green chile, preferably Hatch, chopped
- 1 can black beans
- 1 tsp. Mexican oregano, dried leaves, not ground
Toppings
- 4 corn tortillas, cut in strips, fried in hot oil, and drained
- ½ cup sharp cheddar or cotija, grated or crumbled
- cilantro, stems removed
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 lime, cut in wedges
Instructions
Soup
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, add oil. Add garlic and onion; stir until onion begins to soften. Add cumin. Stir for another minute.
- Add butternut squash and chicken to the pan. Stir occasionally until chicken begins to brown.
- Add chicken stock, corn, green chile, and black beans to the pot. Cover and turn heat to a low simmer. Simmer approximately 30 minutes (until butternut squash is tender)
- While soup simmers, prepare the toppings.
Toppings
- Cut tortillas in half. Slice in strips ¼"-½" wide. Fry in hot oil in a small fry pan, until brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Grate cheese if necessary.
- Stem cilantro if necessary.
- Chop scallions.
- Cut lime in wedges.
To serve
- Ladle soup into soup bowls. Top with tortilla strips and a sprinkling of grated cheddar.
- Place bowls under the broiler to melt cheese (optional.)
- Top with cilantro and scallions, and serve with a wedge of lime.
Notes
This would be an awesome use for your leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
Fresh Mexican oregano is wonderful in this soup if you can find it or grow it. Use 1 tbsp. (or more) finely chopped. Mexican oregano has a different flavor than Mediterranean oregano and is preferred in this recipe.
Cumin is another strong flavor. Feel free to adjust for your own taste.
I often use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breast. Obviously, that changes the macros.
I love to use my own stock in soups, but I always keep good stock in my "well-stocked pantry" for quick weeknight meals.
Hatch green chile from New Mexico is unique. You can substitute chopped canned green chile, but it won't have quite the same flavor. Look for Hatch green chile in the freezer section of some markets as it is commercially available.
Sweet potatoes and carrots are a good substitute for the butternut squash. I use them interchangeably. Use about 2 cups peeled and cubed.
Avocado is another awesome garnish!
Macronutrients (approximation from MyFitnessPal): 361 calories; 36 g protein; 37 g carbohydrates; 6 g fat.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 361Total Fat: 6gCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 36g