Tlalpeño Soup

One of the easiest and most delicious Mexican soups ever... so simple that even you can make it! All ingredients are available in the UK, so give it a try! 

Makes 4-6 portions

Ingredients

400 gms of chicken (tights or breast work best for this dish)

200 gms of sliced green beans (could use fresh, can, frozen... your choice)

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 can of chickpeas (drained)

3/4 cup of long grain or basmati rice

1 avocado 

2 tomatoes (or half a can)

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

50 gms of fresh coriander

200 gms of shredded mozarella cheese, or any other cheese that melts (optional)

Tortilla chips

Salt

And the superb ingredient: chipotle! (you can use dry chipotle, from a can, paste... whatever you find)

Procedure

1.In a stock pot, add 2.5 liters of boiling water, half an onion, a clove of garlic, the coriander, salt and the chicken. I strongly suggest removing the skin before cooking if you don't want your soup to be too fatty.Cook until chicken is tender.

2. While the chicken is cooking, mix the tomatoes, half an onion, a clove of garlic and a teaspoon of chipotle paste, use a blender or hand blender. Add the mix into the stock and the raw rice. If you prefer, you can cook rice separately (in a rice cooker, just add a pinch of salt) and then add it to your bowl before serving the soup.

3. When the chicken is almost done, add the carrots, green beans and chickpeas. We don't add these ingredients from the start because we don't want them to overcook. 

4. When the carrots and green beans are ready, remove from the heat. Shred the chicken (in case you use chicken breast) and you can serve it directly in the bowls. Add more salt if necessary and serve.

5. Decorate with avocado, make big pieces to add on top of the soup, a bit of shredded mozarella chese and tortilla chips on top as well.

If you feel like adding a bit more "picante", add more chipotle to your soup.