Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken Thighs
• 6 corn tortillas — 4 sliced into strips, 2 torn into the pot
• 1 onion + 3 cloves garlic
• 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 chipotle in adobo (or 1 tsp smoked paprika + cayenne)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp cumin + 1 tsp oregano
• Toppings: avocado, lime, cilantro, cheese, more strips than seems wise

Method

1. Crisp the tortilla strips in a little oil (or a 400°F oven) until golden; salt them and guard them from snackers.
2. Soften the onion and garlic, add the cumin and oregano, then the tomatoes, chipotle, stock, the TORN tortillas, and the Chicken Thighs.
3. Simmer 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked (165°F); the torn tortillas dissolve and quietly thicken the broth — the insider move.
4. Shred the chicken back into the pot and season.
5. Ladle into bowls, then bury under avocado, cheese, cilantro, lime, and the crispy strips. The strips-to-soup ratio is a personality test; there are no wrong answers above 'many'.