Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Tortilla Chips:

• 2 small corn or flour tortillas, sliced into 1 cm strips
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• Flaky salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Wicked Hots jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 litre chicken stock
• ½ cooked chicken, meat shredded

To serve:

sour cream, sliced jalapenos, coriander, grated cheese, chopped spring onion, lime wedges

Method:

1. To prepare the tortilla chips, heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook the tortilla strips in batches for 1 minute on each side until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapenos, paprika, cumin and bay leaf. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until very fragrant.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and stock. Season to taste then bring to the boil. Add the shredded chicken and simmer for 5 minutes until the chicken is heated through.
4. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top as desired with sour cream, jalapenos, coriander, grated cheese, chopped spring onion and the tortilla chips. Garnish with lime wedges.