Chicken Tortilla Soup

There seems to be an endless variety of versions of tortilla soup...the only common denominators are chicken broth and crispy tortillas, and some even puree the tortillas and blend them into the broth! My favorite takes a rich chicken broth and adds pureed tomatoes, pours the warm broth/tomato mixture into each bowl on top of the tortillas strips, shredded chicken, crumbled cheese, and sliced avocado, then finishes with a generous squeeze of lime.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

for the broth and shredded chicken:

1 small whole chicken (you can use chicken pieces, but the whole chicken gives more flavor)
1 onion, quartered
1 or 2 carrots, cut into large pieces
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, crushed

Place the chicken in a large pot with water to cover. Add other ingredients and bring to a boil. Skim off the scum that rises to the top and add more water if needed. Simmer for 1 hour. Allow chicken to cool for at least 1 hour in  the broth.
Remove the chicken and discard skin, fat and bones. Strain broth. Shred  the chicken meat with your fingers and reserve in a bowl, adding a little broth if the meat begins to get too dry. You will have more chicken than you need for the soup...use the rest for chicken enchiladas, chicken salad or chicken taco salad, chicken chalupas, or chicken spaghetti.

for the soup:

vegetable oil
4 corn tortillas, cut into strips
1 cup shredded white Mexican cheese (I like Chihuahua cheese or queso fresco) or mozzarella
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/8 inch strips
1 medium white onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5 ounce can whole tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/ 2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 avocado, peel, pittted, and sliced
shredded chicken
(1/4 cup sour cream)

Heat the vegetable oil to 345-350 degrees and fry tortilla strips until golden brown, then drain on paper towels.
In a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add ancho chile strips and fry until they begin to turn dark and become crisp -- 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from pot and reserve.
Add onion slices to pot and fry in the oil (adding more oil if needed) until they are golden brown -- about 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is soft -- 1 or 2 minutes.
While the onions are cooking, blend the tomatoes with their juice. Add chicken broth and enough water to make 6 cups.
When the onions and garlic are done, add the tomato/broth mixture to the pot. Add thyme and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add salt, lime juice, and cilantro. Simmer for 1 more minute.
Arrange in each bowl tortilla strips, shredded chicken, shredded cheese, chile strips, and avocado slices. Ladle the soup on top of these ingredients and give each bowl a generous squeeze of lime. Top with a dollop of sour cream is desired.