This is a simple chicken soup simmered with lime juice and oregano. It then gets topped with tortilla chips/tostadas, sour cream, cheese, avocado, sour cream, and cilantro. The original recipe doesn't actually call for the sour cream or cilantro, but I had both available, so I used them!

This is a nice, light-tasting and refreshing soup. Not super substantial, but it is simple to put together and the flavours are nice.

Mexican Chicken-Lime Soup

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 3-4 limes
• 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts¹
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil or schmaltz
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño², minced
• 3 c. chicken stock
• 2 c. water³
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• 60g queso fresco⁴, crumbled
• 1/4 c. sour cream (or lime crema)
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• tortilla chips or tostadas

Directions

1. Cut one lime into wedges and set aside. Juice enough of the remaining limes to produce 1/4 c. of juice and set aside.
2. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil or schmaltz over medium heat.
4. Add the chicken, skin-side-down, and cook until browned on both sides (4-5 minutes per side). Transfer to plate and set aside.
5. Add the onion to the now-empty pot (which should have some fat in it) and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
6. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. Add the chicken stock, water, lime juice, and oregano.
8. Return the chicken to the pot and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is well-cooked and tender (20-30 minutes).
10. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
11. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile, cover the pot and keep the broth warm.
12. Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken. Shred the meat and return it to the pot.
13. Serve soup topped with avocado, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla chips/broken tostadas and pass lime wedges on the side.

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¹ I didn't have any chicken breasts, so I ended up using some skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead. To make up for the lack of skin, I cooked them in a generous portion of schmaltz. And, although I didn't have any bones to cook with the soup, I was using a good, flavourful, home-made chicken stock that I had used a chicken carcass to make. So hopefully that worked out about right in the end. ^Back
2 I had picked up some lovely poblano chilies on sale earlier, so I used half a poblano in place of the jalapeño. ^Back
3 The original recipe calls for 3 c. of water, but I thought that sounded like too much, so I cut it back slightly. ^Back
4 I couldn't get any queso fresco (or ricotta salata, which was suggested as a substitute), so I just used a little grated mild cheddar instead. ^Back