The tortilla soup they serve has to be one of my favorite comfort foods of all time. I always order it with an a la carte beef fajita taco and a small bowl of their amazing chili con queso.
A trip back to San Antonio almost always requires a stop on the way back out of town to pick up a gallon of the soup, some queso and their tortillas (some of the best I have had) so we can freeze them and ration them out in between trips.
I have tried many times to copy the recipe for the tortilla soup and I think my last attempt is the closest I have ever been to the real thing. Other tortilla soup recipes are either heavy chicken broth based or tomato broth based. I stepped away from those two bases and opted for an onion base this time and I think it is what was missing all along.
Onion Tomato Broth
- 3/4 large yellow onion quartered
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 ½ lb. Roma tomatoes, half peeled and chopped, and half not peeled and chopped
- ¾ C. water
- ½ C. fresh cilantro
- 6 C. hot water
- Puree ingredients in a blender until very well incorporated.
- Add puree to a large stock pot
- Pour in 6 C hot water
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp Light Chili Powder
- 4 Tbps Knorr Chicken bouillon
- 1 box (32 oz) Swanson Chicken Broth
- Add dry ingredients and chicken broth to base, cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- 4 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ Cup Light Chili Powder
- ¼ Cup Kosher Salt
- ¼ Cup Garlic Powder
- ¼ Cup Black Pepper
- Heat large skillet with water over high heat
- Mix dry ingredients well and spread evenly on a plate.
- Dust chicken in dry rub
- Place chicken in water and cook for 20 minutes on one side.
- Turn chicken over and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until chicken is well cooked.
- Once chicken is cooked, remove from skillet and discard broth.
- Using two forks shred the chicken and place it in the onion/tomato broth above.
- Bring soup to a boil and cook for 30 minutes
Cut 4 or 5 corn tortillas into ¼ inch strips and drop into hot oil until crispy. Serve on top of soup with shredded Monterrey jack cheese.