nympholepsy chunk: Our Version of Cafe Rio's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Our Version of Cafe Rio's Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have been so excited to post this recipe, you have no idea. I love the Cafe Rio/Costa Vida chicken tortilla soup and have been wanting to duplicate it forever, I just haven?t gotten around do doing it.. until NOW. I am not going to lie.. this is my personal favorite tortilla soup recipe and it tastes just like Cafe Rio (if not BETTER). It is so fresh and delicious, you are going to love it!
Just a few side notes?? you can throw the chicken in the crock pot with the broth and it will probably still be amazing, but personally I LOVE the grilled chicken taste? grill it if you can! Also, you will notice I added pinto beans (not the Cafe Rio original way of doing things but it is totally worth doing). I liked it better actually and it makes the soup go further. If you want to keep it EXACTLY like Cafe Rio feel free to leave them out. And one more thing (because I am sure I will get e-mails about it).. instead of adding a scoop of guacamole (as I know Cafe Rio does), I just did diced avocado which just saves time having to make a separate little thing of guacamole (plus, I love having the chunks of cool avocado in there)!? *Serves 4-5

Our Version of Cafe Rio?s Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin
a dash (or two) cayenne
1/2 tsp. chili powder
5 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
pepper, to taste
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1 Tbsp. paprika
vegetable oil (to taste)
pico de gallo (click HERE)
2-3 avocados, diced
2 c. pepper jack cheese
tortilla strips (Click HERE)
cilantro (for garnish)
lime wedges (for garnish)

Instructions

In a small skillet, saute onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until onions become slightly soft. Stir in cumin, cayenne, and chili powder and saute an additional minute or two.
Transfer seasoned onions to a small crock pot (or medium-sized saucepan). Add chicken broth, cliantro, lime juice, pepper and pinto beans to onions and simmer on low-heat for at least 2-3 hours.
In the meantime (when you are close to serving), combine taco seasoning and paprika. Brush chicken with oil and rub with taco seasoning/paprika mixture. Grill chicken over medium-heat until cooked through (try to turn only once during the grilling process). Remove from grill and shred.
In individual bowls layer chicken, about 1/3 c. pico de gallo, 1/3 c. diced avocado, and 1/3 c. pepper jack cheese. Ladle about 1 cup of chicken broth directly over the layers. Top with tortilla strips and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

2.0

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2012/06/our-version-of-cafe-rios-chicken-tortilla-soup.html