Chicken Tortilla Soup

Monsoon season hit Phoenix this week like a slap from God. If you've never experienced an Arizona monsoon, let me paint the picture: the sky turns green, the wind comes out of nowhere, the dust wall rolls in like something from a disaster movie, and then the rain hits so hard that you can't see across the street. It lasts maybe forty-five minutes. Then it's over, the sun comes back, and the desert smells like creosote and wet dirt, which is the best smell on earth and I will fight anyone who disagrees.

On shift this week we ran seven calls in one night during a monsoon — downed power lines, flooded intersections, a car stuck in a wash (NEVER drive through a flooded wash, I cannot stress this enough, this is how people die in Arizona). We pulled a guy out of his SUV in three feet of rushing water at 2 AM in the rain. He was fine. Shaken, stupid, but fine. I wanted to yell at him. I hugged him instead. This job does things to your emotional regulation.

At home, the monsoon knocked a branch off the mesquite tree in the backyard and it landed on my offset smoker. Didn't damage it — the smoker is built like a tank, quarter-inch steel — but it scared me. I hauled the branch off, checked the smoker for dings, and decided this was a sign from the universe that I need a covered patio. Jessica said this was a sign from the universe that we need to trim the tree. She's probably more right than I am.

Made chicken tortilla soup this week — monsoon food. There's something about a storm that makes you want soup, even when it's 100 degrees outside. Roasted tomatoes, charred onion, garlic, chicken thighs simmered until they fall apart, a handful of corn, black beans, cumin, oregano, and a squeeze of lime at the end. Serve it with strips of crispy fried tortilla and a dollop of sour cream. It's the kind of soup that tastes like a hug, which is what Jessica said when she tried it, and then she said "you should sell this," which is something she says at least once a month and which I file in the same category as "someday" and "maybe" and "when I retire."

Sofia was fascinated by the rain. She stood at the back door and pressed her face against the glass and said "agua" — my mom's been teaching her Spanish words, which thrills me and which Jessica finds both wonderful and slightly competitive, as if Elena is trying to get a head start on cultural influence. She is. And it's working. My daughter says "agua" and "abuela" and "no" in two languages, and I have never been prouder.

After a night of pulling people out of flooded washes and hauling monsoon debris off the smoker, this soup was the only thing that made sense. I’d been talking about making it all week — the kind of meal that’s already living in the back of your mind before the storm even shows up — and the moment the rain started hammering the roof, I started charring onion over the flame. If a bowl of soup can be a full exhale, this is it. This is the recipe, exactly as I made it that night.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 50 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 thighs)
6 roma tomatoes, halved
1 large white onion, halved, skin on
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or ancho, for milder heat)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges for serving
8 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
Neutral oil, for frying (about 1/2 cup)
Sour cream, for serving
Fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, and cotija cheese, optional

Instructions

Char the aromatics. Set a dry cast-iron skillet or comal over high heat until smoking. Place the tomato halves cut-side down and the onion halves cut-side down alongside the unpeeled garlic cloves. Char without moving for 5–6 minutes until deeply blackened. Flip and char the other side for 3–4 minutes. The tomatoes should be soft and collapsed; the onion should have some blackened edges; the garlic should be soft inside the skin. Set aside to cool slightly.
Blend the base. Peel the garlic cloves and remove the outermost charred layer from the onion. Transfer tomatoes, onion, garlic, and any accumulated juices to a blender. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
Sear the chicken. Season chicken thighs on both sides with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear chicken skin-side down for 4–5 minutes until golden. Flip and sear 3 minutes more. Remove and set aside (it will finish cooking in the soup).
Toast the spices. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot. Pour in the blended tomato base — it will sputter, stand back. Add cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5–6 minutes until the base deepens in color and smells smoky-sweet.
Simmer the soup. Pour in the chicken broth and nestle the seared chicken thighs back into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cover and cook for 25–30 minutes until the chicken is completely tender and pulls away from the bone easily.
Shred the chicken. Remove chicken thighs to a cutting board. Discard the skin and bones. Use two forks to shred the meat into chunky pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the pot along with the corn and black beans. Simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes. Squeeze in the lime juice and taste for salt.
Fry the tortilla strips. While the soup finishes, heat neutral oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering (about 350°F). Working in batches, fry the tortilla strips for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and hit immediately with a pinch of salt.
Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with a handful of crispy tortilla strips, a generous dollop of sour cream, and any optional toppings. Serve with extra lime wedges on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Tortilla Soup — The Bowl That Got Us Through Monsoon Season