Mexican Chicken Soup

I'm shaking my head as I start this recipe post because can I be honest with you? I don't like soup. Never have. I like the things in soup, but I don't like the broth. If the broth is at all watery, it makes me gag. True story. So if I put a soup recipe on my blog, you know it has to be good. 

This recipe is not my own. My dad introduced it to us. For years he traveled to Mexico for work. After a trip, he came home and added pico de gallo, avocados, and lime to his chicken soup. We thought he had lost his mind until we tasted it. And I swear to you, we cannot eat chicken soup these days unless it has these toppings on it. There's something about the sweet and spicy pico, the cool creamy avocado, and the tangy lime that makes the flavors of the soup come alive. Serve it with some slightly blackened corn tortillas with butter and salt and oh my soul, your life will be changed I promise. Okay, let's cook! 

Chicken soup 

1 chicken carcass 

1 gallon of water 

4-5 large carrots: washed, with the skin on, and cut in half or thirds 

1 large white onion: peel on and cut in quarters 

15 garlic cloves or one head of garlic cut in half with the skin on 

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Put these ingredients into a big stock pot and let them simmer for 4-6 hours until the broth is a rich golden color and the meat is falling off of the bones. Leave the peels on the food because that's where a lot of the nutrients are! You won't be eating these vegetables so don't worry, you won't be eating the peels!! The apple cider vinegar (I've read) helps break down the collagen of the chicken bones and makes the broth more rich. 

Once the broth is finished, strain the bones from the broth (put the broth back into the pot). Pick through the bones and get the little pieces of meat. Put the meat back into the broth. Now add: 

4-5 finely chopped carrots

1 finely chopped white onion

3-4 finely chopped stalks of celery

3-4 chicken breasts cut into 1.5" pieces

1/4 cup chicken bouillon (the paste not the cubes)

Pepper to taste (you don't need to add more salt here because the bouillon is salty enough)

Let these ingredients simmer until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables still have a bite to them. No one likes mushy vegetables! 

Toppings: 

Avocados diced 

Pico de Gallo

3 cups cut cherry tomatoes 

5-6 thinly sliced green onions 

1/2 cup chopped cilantro 

1/2 of a jalapeño- seeded and finely diced

1/3 cup *fresh* lime juice (please don't use store bought juice, it just doesn't taste right)

Kosher or pink Himalayan salt to taste 

Corn Tortillas

Warm corn tortillas in a pan or if you have a gas stove- place them directly over the fire until they are slightly blackened on both sides. Slather them generously with butter and sprinkle with salt. Roll them up into tiny little cigars. 

Noodles

We like thin noodles that we get from the Hutterites up here in Montana, but look for thin German noodles at the grocery store and cook them accordingly. Cook the noodles separately from the soup. That way the noodles don't get mushy in the leftovers and people can control how many noodles are in their soup! This helps our gluten free friends and family out too! 

Place the noodles in the bowl, ladle the chicken soup over the top, and then top with avocados, pico, and a squeeze fresh lime juice. Dip the tortillas in the broth and there you have it! I hope you love this recipe as much as my family has!