Even though I’m a big football fan and I love a good game (especially when my team wins), when it’s over, it’s over. Â Whether the outcome of the game is favorable or unfavorable, life goes on and so do I. Â So football is finished until next year, but eating happens multiple times a day everyday. Â And today I am much more focused on what to do with Super Bowl leftovers!
Quinoa cornbread became breakfast. Â Chili went into thermoses for lunch. Â And topping bar items can make their way into frittatas, quesadillas or soup for dinner. Â This particular soup was not my brain child, but as often happens in my life, my kids leave the house and are amazed by what they’re “missing.” Â A while back my mother-in-law took them to Cafe Rio, a “fast casual dining establishment,” and they went bonkers for the Tortilla Soup. Â It’s is a brothy and flavorful chicken stock-based soup with some vegetables and whatever add-ins you choose. Â Whereas the younger two kids asked me if we could go there for dinner some night and have it again, my older daughter knew me better than that and suggested I try to copy the soup at home. Â Great idea!
So one day my friend Cheryl and I went on a secret reconnaissance mission to the local Cafe Rio to check out the famous soup and see exactly how they do this thing. Â Truthfully, their method is pretty genius and it’s the perfect soup to make at home for a family or a group. Â The server adds into a cup your choice of chicken, guacamole, salsa, cheese, cilantro, and tortillas, and then ladles a flavorful chicken soup on top. Â Yep, that’s it. Â And except for being unbelievably salty, the soup was rather tasty. Â You know how much I love a do-it-yourself situation (less work for me!) Â Can you picture how easy this is if you have cooked chicken and salsa already made? Â This comes together in minutes, I tell you, and everyone makes it the way they want. Â You want it to be vegetarian? Â No problem! Â Just sub a great vegetable stock for the chicken stock and add in some pinto beans for protein.
Even though my intent was to copy Cafe Rio’s soup, I ended up making a couple of my own tweaks, such as using chopped avocado instead of guacamole (but definitely use the guac if you have it) and adding a squeeze of lime at the end. Â I used poached chicken the day I took these photos and give you directions for that in the recipe, but I have used leftover grilled chicken or the meat from a whole roasted chicken, too. Â And sometimes I add quinoa to mine if I’m not in the mood for chicken, and I love that, too. Â But the method behind this soup is giving me all sorts of ideas for how to use up some tasty leftovers. Â If you make the soup base as directed here, I have chopped up leftover enchiladas and added them for an “enchilada soup,” but I bet you could add in taco meat and some tortillas for a “taco soup.” Â I’m excited by the possibilities, plus I think I just made my meal plan for the week!
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- 1 or 2 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (depending on how much chicken you want in your soup)
- ½ large onion, peeled
- 1 Tablespoon additive-free kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- A few peppercorns, crushed
- A few garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
- ½ large onion, diced
- 3-4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded (if you don’t want too much heat) and diced (optional)
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (double this if you use unsalted stock)
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup pico de gallo (fresh tomato salsa)
- 1-2 avocados, peeled and cut into chunks or guacamole
- 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges (my favorite part!)
- Other possible add-ins: tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, shredded cheese
- Poach the chicken: Place the chicken breast, onion half (halved again), salt, pepper and garlic into a medium saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil over high heat and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer chicken for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow chicken to sit in the liquid until cool enough to handle.
- In a large pot, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, scallions, carrots, celery and jalapeno. Sauté until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until carrots are tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Pull chicken from liquid and remove skin and bones. Shred chicken into bite-size pieces. You can divide chicken amongst the 6 individual bowls or add it all to the pot.
- Put a heaping spoonful of pico de gallo and avocado chunks/guacamole in each individual bowl and ladle soup on top. Squeeze lime on top and sprinkle with corn tortilla chips and fresh cilantro, if desired.