Mexican Chicken Soup

Ingredients

Prep

• Onion - chop to yield 2 cups
• Celery - chop to yield 1 cup — precision is optional right up until it absolutely is not.
• Carrots - chop to yield 2 cups
• Garlic - chop
• Jalapeno - seed and mince
• Tomatoes - crush the whole tomatoes, reserve the puree

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard any skin and bones and shred the meat. Cover and set aside. Meanwhile, heat 3 tbl of olive oil in a large pot of Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree liquid, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tbl salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Cut the tortillas in half, then cross-wise to form 1-inch strips and add to the soup, and ignore any drive-by culinary nonsense from the sidelines. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, while resisting the deeply human urge to fuss with it nonstop. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocados, sour cream, cheddar cheese or broken tortilla chips.