Ingredients
Soup
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast 454 g
- 6 cups unsalted chicken broth 1.44 liters
- 1 medium white onion 110 g; half quartered and half diced
- 3 garlic cloves 12 g; 2 smashed and 1 minced
- 0.5 tsp dried oregano
- 0.125 tsp ground allspice
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 Roma tomatoes 250 g total, diced
- 1 green bell pepper 120 g after trimming, finely diced
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil for the vegetables
- 0.5 tsp fine salt adjust to the broth
- 0.25 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp fragrant Yucatecan lima juice 30 ml; OR 1 tbsp ordinary lime juice plus 1 tbsp orange juice as a disclosed adaptation
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Crisp topping
- 6 6-inch corn tortillas about 156 g, cut into thin strips
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 6 thin citrus slices optional garnish; use the juice fruit
Equipment
- Large soup pot
- Small skillet
- Baking tray
- Tongs, knife and cutting board
- Instant-read food thermometer
Instructions
Cook the soup and topping
- Put chicken, broth, quartered half-onion, smashed garlic, oregano, allspice and bay leaf in the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 15–20 minutes, until chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) in its thickest part. Do not keep at a fierce boil.
- While chicken cooks, heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Toss tortilla strips with their tablespoon of oil, spread in a single layer on the tray and bake for 12–15 minutes, tossing halfway, until crisp and lightly golden. Set aside outside the soup.
- Heat the other tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Cook diced onion and green pepper for 5–6 minutes, add minced garlic for 30 seconds, then tomatoes for 3–4 minutes until softened.
- Transfer cooked chicken to a clean plate and shred with forks. Remove bay leaf, large onion pieces and smashed garlic from the broth. Add shredded chicken and skillet vegetables. Simmer for 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the stated lima juice, or the lime-and-orange alternative, and cilantro. Taste and adjust the citrus sparingly. Divide into six bowls and add tortilla strips and optional citrus slices immediately before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowlsCalories: 225kcal
Video
Notes
Storage and safety: Refrigerate soup promptly in shallow covered containers and use within 3–4 days. Reheat to 165°F (74°C). Store crisp strips separately in a dry covered container. Ordinary lime and orange are an adaptation and do not reproduce Yucatecan lima exactly.
Nutrition: Approximately 225 kcal per bowls serving, calculated from the stated ingredient amounts and 6 equal portions. It is an estimate, not a measured analysis; brands, trimming, retained oil and serving sizes vary. The optional citrus slices are excluded. Optional accompaniments are excluded.
Cost: Illustrative US grocery budget assumptions for the ingredient portions consumed: raw chicken $3.50, broth $3.75, onion $0.60, garlic $0.15, tomatoes $0.96, green pepper $0.89, oil $0.24, tortillas $0.50, citrus allowance $1.00, cilantro $0.26, spices, salt and pepper $0.35. Calculated before rounding, total US$12.20 for the whole recipe, about US$2.03 per serving. These are assumptions, not a store quote; tax, delivery and energy are excluded.
Video: Pati Jinich demonstrates Yucatecan chicken soup with fragrant lima citrus. This card bakes the tortilla strips instead of frying and discloses a lime-and-orange alternative when Yucatecan lima is unavailable. Follow this card's quantities and cooking and storage guidance.
