Another Great Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Found this recipe in a magazine and though it has multiple steps in preparation it is so worth it. i found the ancho chilis in the mexican section of my grocery store and i am told they are the sweetest of all the dried chilies. hope you like this as much as my family did.

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Steps

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Place chili in small , heatproof bowl , pour boiling water over and let soak for 30 minutes.

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Drain , remove stem and seeds and slice into 1 / 2 inch strips and set aside.

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In heave dutch oven or soup pan , heat olive oil over medium high heat.

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Add chicken , season with salt and pepper , brown both sides , about 10 minutes total.

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Add onion , carrots and celery and continue to cook about 8 minutes , stirring often.

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Add garlic and cumin and cook an additional 2 minutes.

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Add broth , reserved chili , tomatoes and cilantro and bring to a boil.

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Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes.

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With your hands , tear 3 tortillas into 2-inch strips and add to soup.

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Continue to simmer about 15 minutes.

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With slotted spoon , remove chicken to a cutting board , take soup off heat.

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With an immersion blender , puree soup until smooth (or puree in small batches in a food processor.

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With tow forks , shred chicken , return to soup.

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Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

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Slice remaining tortill.

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Ingredients

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dried ancho chile, boiling water, olive oil, boneless skinless chicken thighs, kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, onion, carrots, celery, garlic cloves, ground cumin, chicken broth, chopped tomatoes, corn tortillas, vegetable oil, avocado, monterey jack cheese, sour cream, salsa, lime wedge, cilantro