Restaurant Recipes
El Pollo Loco Chicken Tortilla Soup
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
Soup
- 2 (1 1/2 pound) roasted chickens, meat shredded, skin and bones discarded
- 2 quarts chicken broth, no salt or low sodium
- 1 corn cob, kernels cut from cob, or 1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 fresh poblano pepper, roasted and diced
- 1 cup fresh pico de gallo from El Pollo Loco or grocery store
- 1 cup carrots, small dice
- 1 cup celery, small dice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 bag corn tortilla strips, or make your own
Homemade Chips
- 8 corn tortillas cut into 1/4-inch strips and fried in 2 cups corn oil for about 1 minute or until crispy and lightly browned.
Garnish
- 1/2 cup queso cotija (Mexican cheese), grated
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped and thickest stems removed
- 2 avocados, sliced into sixths and added to finished soup (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare chicken by skinning and slicing off the meat, then shredding. Place meat in a 5 quart soup pot.
- Wash and dry the poblano pepper. Lightly cover with oil and roast under broiler, turning so that all sides are charred. Right from oven, place poblano in a paper bag, close the bag and allow the pepper to steam for a few minutes. Remove skin, slice flesh and remove seeds. Dice into small pieces and place in soup pot.
- Add the chicken broth to the pot and turn on heat to medium.
- Chop the carrots and celery and add to the pot.
- Add the corn, pico de gallo and dried spices. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.
- Ladle hot soup into bowls and top with generous portion of tortilla strips.
- Sprinkle with the grated cotija.
- Add avocado slices, if desired.
Nutrition
Per serving: 522 cal., 31g fat (6g sat), 149mg chol., 10g carb., 52g pro., 1g fiber, 939mg sodium
Attribution
El Pollo Loco, Denver, Colorado