Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Broth:
1 pound chicken bones, roasted
1 celery, stick
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
2 guajillo chiles, with seeds, torn into pieces
1 ancho chiles, toasted and de seeded
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, diced
3 epazote leaves
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
½ serrano

Vegetables:
Carrots, medium dice
Chayotes (pear squash), medium
Baby multicolored potatoes, cut in half
Zucchini, small dice

Garnish:
4 corn tortillas, cut into ½ inch strips and fried until golden and crispy and seasoned with salt (*optional:* tortilla chips)
2 diced avocados
Grated cotija cheese
Cilantro Sprigs

Instructions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a pot except the chile guajillo and chile ancho and cover with water by 2 to 3 inches-inches.

2. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and bring to a slow simmer for 3 hours.

3. Using a ladle skim the excess fat off the top of the soup.

4. Strain and discard the bones and vegetables. Season with salt.

5. In a small pot add 1 cup of water add the chiles and bring to a boil.

6. Turn the heat off and let rest for 5 minutes.

7. Add the chiles and the water to a blender and blend for 30 seconds.

8. Add the chile puree to the soup 1 hour into the cooking process.

9. Add the carrots and potatoes to the soup and cook for about 5-8 minutes on medium high heat. Then add the chayote and cook until almost tender about 3 minutes.

10. Add the zucchini and the chicken and cook for another 3 minutes.
To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl and garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, cotija cheese and cilantro.