Why Poach chicken?
Poaching is one of many great ways to prepare chicken, however, for soup, it is a particularly good method. Poaching allows the protein in the chicken to cook without losing moisture. Thus you are guaranteed to have juicy and tender chicken as your end result. And because the chicken will be so tender, it will be much easier to shred.
As the chicken cooks, it will get infused with the rich flavours of garlic, red chilli, coriander and cumin. And this flavour won’t get lost once the chicken is cooked, as the liquid will be added to the soup.
If you are not a fan of spiciness, feel free to leave the chilli out of the recipe.
Traditional Mexican flavours in a soup
For the rest of the soup, traditional Mexican flavours and ingredients will be added, such as corn, beans and lime juice. These ingredients will also thicken the sauce and give it a creamier texture.
The flavours of the garam masala, cumin, and whole pepper bring warmth and a rich taste to the soup that blends beautifully with the flavour of the chicken.
And to top it all off, serve this deliciously fragrant dish with fresh and crispy tortilla, and garnish the soup with feta and coriander.
Mexican Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
For the Poached Chicken
- 150 g Chicken Drumsticks
- 0.5 g Red Chilli
- 2 g Garlic Chopped
- 3 g Coriander Stalks and leaves seperated
- 2 g Ground Cumin
For the Soup
- 5 ml Olive Oil
- 30 g White Onion Finely chopped
- 1.5 g Garam Masala
- 1.5 g Whole Cumin
- 1.5 g Whole Pepper
- 100 g Tomato Paste Tinned
- 2 g Butter Bean
- 40 g Frozen Corn Thawed
- 20 ml White Vinegar Drained
- 5 ml Lime Juice
For the Garnishes
- 0.5 Tortilla Wraps
- 25 g Feta Cheese Crumbled
Instructions
For the Poached Chicken
- Place the chicken, chilli, garlic, cinnamon stick & coriander stalks in a pot. Cover with cold water. Cook for 5-10 minutes at 170°F.
- Remove from heat & leave chicken to cool in the liquid for 20 minutes.
- Remove chicken & strain the liquid, pour liquid into a pot & reduce by 1 quarter.
- Shred the chicken & set aside.
For the Soup
- Heat oil in a pot, add onion & cook until soft. Add spices, tomatoes & sugar. Stir.
- Add the reduced poaching liquid to the onions, leave to simmer for 15 min.
- Add shredded chicken, corn, beans & lime juice to the pot. Continue cooking for 15 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning.
- To finish serve with crisped tortilla, crumbled feta & coriander leaves.