Chicken Poblano Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1 large poblano pepper

4-6 cloves of garlic

1 medium onion

celery if desired

1/4-1/2 C tomatillo salsa (Frontera brand is good)

1 large handful of cilantro

2+ chicken breasts cooked and shredded

6-8 cups chicken broth

1 red pepper chopped (mostly for a little color)

2 cans black beans drained

1 large can hominy drained

1 lime

Tortilla chips

Spices:

cumin - maybe a tsp +

Spanish smokey paprica - maybe 1/2 - 1 tsp

oregano - maybe 1/2 tsp

cayenne pepper - maybe 1/4 tsp (careful with heat - taste before adding this)

salt if needed - maybe not due to chicken stock and chips in the soup

Toppings:

avocado sprinkled with lime juice and a little salt

sour cream

shredded Monterey jack cheese

chopped cilantro

lime wedges

Procedure

Char the poblano pepper on the stovetop until skin is mostly blackened and softened. Run the pepper under cold water to remove some of the charred skin. Cut open pepper and remove the top and seeds. Roughly chop the pepper and place in a food processor. Saute in a little bit of oil the onions and celery first then add garlic and cook until softened. Add sautéed mixture to food processor with the tomatillo salsa and add a desired amount of washed cilantro. Pulse to roughly process. Add this green mixture back into the soup pot and add the cooked and shredded chicken breast. Add the chicken stock, red pepper, beans and hominy. Add the zest of one lime if desired. Let the soup simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. Add the juice of a half of lime in the last few minutes.

To serve put some crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of the bowl and then add the soup. Top as desired.