Chicken Tortilla Soup with Cajun Sumac

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep time: ~20 minutes
Cook time: ~45 minutes
Total time: ~1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

Citrus + broth

• 2 limes (1 for zest/juice, 1 for serving)
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 large white or yellow onion (about 8 ounces / 225 g), unpeeled
• 1 pound (450 g) bone-in, skin-on split chicken or turkey breast
• 8 large cloves garlic, unpeeled (divided)
• 4 dried Turkish bay leaves
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick (Mexican canela if you have it)
• 5 whole allspice berries
• 15 whole black peppercorns
• Large pinch dried Mexican oregano
• 1 quart (960 ml) low-sodium chicken stock, plus water as needed
• Kosher salt

Sofrito

• 2 Roma tomatoes
• 1 Hungarian wax pepper (or 1 small green bell pepper), finely minced
• 6 tablespoons (90 ml) vegetable oil (divided)

To serve

• 6 small corn tortillas, cut into strips
• Small bunch fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• Cajun Sumac hot sauce, to taste (recommended: 2–4 Tbsp for the pot + more for bowls)

Directions

1) Prep the citrus

1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove a few wide strips of zest from 1 lime and from the grapefruit (avoid the bitter white pith). Set zests aside.
2. Juice the zested lime and the grapefruit. Measure out 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons grapefruit juice; set aside. (Save extra juice for another use.)
3. Slice the remaining lime into wedges for serving.

2) Gently poach the poultry to build the broth

1. Cut the onion in half from root to stem. Set one half aside for the sofrito.
2. In a large saucepan, add: the other onion half, chicken (or turkey), 4 unpeeled garlic cloves, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, peppercorns, and oregano.
3. Pour in the chicken stock. Add water until everything is comfortably submerged.
4. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then immediately lower the heat so the broth is steaming and calm (you’re aiming for poaching, not boiling).
5. Cook until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F / 74°C (or your preferred doneness), about 25–35 minutes depending on thickness.

3) Strain + steep

1. Move the chicken/turkey to a bowl to cool.
2. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof container.
3. Add the reserved citrus zests to the hot broth and let them steep while you make the sofrito (10–15 minutes).

4) Make the charred tomato-garlic sofrito

1. Char the remaining 4 garlic cloves (still in their skins) over a gas flame, turning until blistered and dark in spots. If you don’t have a flame, use a dry skillet over medium-high heat and keep them moving.
2. Char the tomatoes the same way until their skins split and blacken in places.
3. Peel off the garlic skins and tomato skins. Finely chop both.
4. Finely chop the reserved onion half and the minced pepper.
5. In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add onion, pepper, chopped tomato, and chopped garlic with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until soft and jammy (but not browned), about 8–10 minutes.

5) Combine + finish the soup

1. Fish out the citrus zests from the broth and discard them.
2. Pour the broth into the sofrito pot. Add the reserved lime and grapefruit juice.
3. Season with salt until the broth tastes lively and complete.
4. Stir 2–4 tablespoons of Cajun Sumac into the pot.

6) Crisp the tortilla strips

1. In a skillet, heat the remaining oil and add the tortilla strips.
2. Cook, tossing frequently, until mostly crisp and lightly golden, about 3 minutes.
3. Drain on paper towels and salt lightly.

7) Serve

1. Shred the chicken and discard bones/skin.
2. Divide meat among bowls and ladle in hot broth.
3. Top with tortilla strips and cilantro.
4. Finish each bowl with an extra drizzle of Cajun Sumac and a squeeze of lime.

Store: Keep broth + meat refrigerated up to 4 days. Store tortilla strips airtight at room temp and re-crisp briefly in a dry skillet.