South of the Border Chicken Soup Recipe

Cilantro, corn, limes, and avocados give a Mexican flair to traditional chicken soup. Potatoes are used as a thickener. This filling soup is quite easy to make.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 medium all-purpose potatoes (2-1/2 pounds)
• 1 chicken (4 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
• 3 large stalks celery, each cut into thirds
• 3 carrots, peeled and each cut into thirds
• 2 medium onions, not peeled, each cut into quarters
• 10 cups water
• 10 sprigs plus 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 can (15-1/4 to 16 ounces) whole-kernel corn, drained
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 large limes)
• 2 ripe medium avocados, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Tortilla chips
• Lime wedges

Preparation:

Peel 3 potatoes. In 8-quart Dutch oven, combine chicken, peeled potatoes, celery, carrots, onions, water, cilantro sprigs, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until chicken loses its pink color throughout and vegetables are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer chicken and potatoes to separate bowls.

Strain broth through sieve into large bowl; discard vegetables. Skim and discard fat from broth; return broth to same clean Dutch oven. Mash cooked potatoes with 1 cup broth; stir mashed-potato mixture into broth in Dutch oven.

Peel and chop remaining 5 potatoes. Add potatoes to broth; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, discard skin and bones from chicken; cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir chicken, corn, and salt into broth; heat through.

Just before serving, stir lime juice and chopped cilantro into soup. Serve with avocado, tortilla chips, and lime wedges.

Yield: about 16 cups or 8 main-dish servings

Recipe Source: The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook (Hearst Books)
Reprinted with permission.