Jimtown Chicken Sopa Recipes

CHICKEN SOPA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 6 (2 1/2-cup) individual baking dishes (ramekins) or oven-proof bowls with shortening or cooking spray.
• In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook onion in oil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in soups, broth, chiles, garlic powder and chicken. Remove from heat. Stir in tortilla pieces and 1 cup of the cheese.
• Spoon mixture evenly into baking dishes. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 cup cheese.
• Cover; bake 45 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until golden brown.

CHICKEN SOPA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Put the chicken into a mixing bowl. Add the chicken soup, mushroom soup, green chiles and broth. Mix well.
• In a 9x13 inch baking dish place a layer of corn tortillas to cover the bottom, then a layer of the chicken mixture, then a layer of cheese. Continue to layer, like you would lasagna, until all of the chicken mixture is gone. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and brown. Let cool and serve.

CREAMY CHICKEN SOPAS

Steps:

• Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the broth simmers.
• Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the broth and poach until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the broth for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and shred it into bite-size pieces with your fingers or 2 forks. Reserve the chicken and broth separately.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the carrots, celery and onions and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the ham and garlic and cook until the garlic is slightly softened, about 1 minute. Stir in the fish sauce. Continue cooking until the flavors meld, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Stir in the reserved chicken broth plus 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and reduce the heat so the soup simmers. Cook, stirring frequently, until the macaroni is tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the cream of chicken soup until smooth. Add the shredded chicken and cook until heated through. Serve garnished with scallions.

SOPA DE LIMA

Steps:

• Combine the orange juice, (regular) lemon juice, oregano, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the chicken, place in a resealable bag or a covered bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Add the canola oil to a large Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin-side down in batches and cook until the skin is crispy and brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, turn the chicken and continue to cook and turn until the skin is well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large plate and reserve.
• Add the onion to the chicken drippings in the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have released most of their juices, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the pot and add the broth, lemon zest, Meyer lemon slices and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board or plate. When cool enough to handle, shred the meat off the bones and return it to the pot.
• Meanwhile, make the tiritas de totopos (alternatively, you can use store-bought tortilla chips). Add the peanut oil to a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in 4 batches, fry the tortilla strips in 4 batches until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer each batch to a bowl using a slotted spoon or a spider and season with salt, about 1/4 teaspoon per batch, tossing to coat. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil and repeat with the remaining batches.
• Divide the soup and chicken among bowls. Garnish with the crispy tortilla chips and Meyer lemon wedges if desired.

CHICKEN SOPA

Steps:

• Combine chicken, onions, soup,chilies, and broth, and mix well.
• Spread about 1/4 cup mixture in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish.
• Top with 1/2 of the shredded tortillas.
• Top this with half the soup mixture, and 1/2 the cheese.
• Repeat, topping with remaining cheese.
• Bake uncovered in a 350 oven for 35-45 minutes or till bubbly.
• Garnish as desired.

SOPA MARQUIS

Steps:

• Make the broth and strain it. Pluck the chicken pieces out and set them aside until they are cool enough to handle.
• When the chicken is cool, pull off the skin and discard, then shred the meat coarsely, getting rid of any fat, gristle, etc. as you go. Set the chicken meat aside. The broth may be made and the chicken shredded up to 2 days before preparing the soup.
• Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Bring the strained broth, celery, and carrots to a boil in a large pot on medium heat. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Adjust the heat so the broth is simmering and cook until the vegetables are tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir the fideos into the boiling water, crushing each handful to break the noodles up as you go. Cook until tender but with a little bit of a bite, about 4 minutes. Drain the noodles and put them in a bowl. Add the olive oil and toss well.
• When the vegetables are tender, stir the shredded chicken, avocado, cilantro and lime juice into the soup. Bring the pot of soup to the table, along with the noodles and lime wedges. Spoon some of the noodles into each bowl and ladle some of the soup over them. (Stir the soup with a ladle so you're sure to get some of each ingredient into each bowl.) Pass the lime wedges separately.
• Homemade Chicken Broth:
• Put the chicken, onions, and red pepper in a large stockpot. (Mine is 16 quarts.) Rinse the garlic heads in cold water, then peel off the papery skin. Break the garlic head into individual cloves. Rinse and cut the roots off the cilantro. Cut a piece of cheesecloth the size of a kitchen towel. Put the garlic cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, achiote seeds and cilantro on the cheesecloth, bring the ends together to make a little pouch, and tie the loosely with kitchen twine. Give the pouch a couple of good whacks with your kitchen mallet, and add it to the pot.
• Add enough cold water to cover the chicken by at least 2 to 3 inches. Drop in the ham hock, if using. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming foam off of the top as it forms. When the water comes to a boil, adjust the heat so the broth cooks at a steady, but not rolling boil. Cook for 30 minutes.
• Check to make sure the breasts are cooked through, then remove them from the pan. Cook 15 minutes more, then remove the legs and thighs. Set the chicken aside to make another chicken dish. (If you're using backs, necks, wings, etc., you don't have to remove anything.) Leave the backs, necks and wings in to further flavor the broth.
• Cook for 1 hour. Set a strainer over a large bowl and line the strainer with a couple of layers of cheesecloth. Carefully strain the broth through the cheesecloth. (Ladling it is the easiest and safest way.) Add salt, to taste, and let cool before refrigerating.
• Yield: 3 to 3 1/2 quarts