Warm Night With A Hot Mexican

Need a hot, spicy winter soup to melt the winter ice? Then this soup with Jalapeño peppers is for you!

The mild  Mexican Jalapeño pepper, pronounced "ghal-ah-pain-yo" , provides enough heat in this soup to warm you up without running for the fire extinguisher!

Jalapeño pepper is indigenous to Mexico and was named after  the Mexican town of Xalapa, also spelled Jalapa.

The original recipe is available on dinnerdotcom. I tweaked the flavour by increasing the amount of Jalepeños, using ground coriander instead of cayenne pepper and finely chopped rather than grounded onion and garlic on the uncooked chicken. I also prefer using an organic whole chicken instead of the breasts only as it adds more to the taste and it's cheaper. The original recipe used less tomato and more garlic.  And for the topping I use a mature strong cheddar and crème fraîche instead of sour cream. The richer, dense crème fraîche add more to the taste and hold better as a garnish on top of the soup.

I also made some small changes to the methods such as the roasting of the chicken in a roasting tin to catch up more juices, that I added to the soup mixture to create more flavour. I increased the volumes to serve at least 8 people and change the order and layout of the recipe that I find work better for me.

The soup is more tasty after a day in the refrigerator, but remember to heat it to boiling point before serving it.

Here is the result of my personalised Mexican chicken soup recipe. I'm sure you'll agree it looks delicious, and just the thing to keep the cold at bay!

Mexican Chicken Soup

Ingredients 

Chicken roasting

• 1 Whole organic chicken
• Olive Oil
• Finely chopped onion 
• Garlic clove ground into a paste
• Ground coriander
• Dried thyme
• Dried oregano
• Salt
• Pepper

Soup base

• 3 Chopped onions
• 7 Carrots diced
• 4 Stalks of celery, chopped
• 9 Jalepeño peppers chopped, I use bottled Jalepeño, use less if they are fresh
• 5 Cloves of crushed garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
• 2 Shakes of cayenne pepper
• 3 L Chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Cans of Italian peeled tomatoes
• Handful of roughly chopped coriander

Toping when served

• Handful coriander leaves
• 2 Avocado's sliced
• Small container sour cream or crème fraîche
• Handful grated, sharp mature cheddar cheese
• 1 Lime cut in wedges

Directions

          Chicken Roasting

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Wash and cut up the chicken in pieces
3. Shake of the excess water
4. Place the chicken in a roasting tin
5. Rub chicken with olive oil
6. Sprinkle over the onion, garlic, coriander, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper
7. Roast uncovered in the oven for 40-50 min till the biggest piece of meat are fully cooked
8. Debone, de-skin and shred the chicken when cool enough to touch
9. Keep the juices to add to the soup

Soup base:

1. While you wait for the chicken to cook start with the base of the soup
2. Chop the celery, carrots and onion
3. In a large pot add about 40ml of olive oil, heat the oil and add the chopped celery, carrots, and onions, stir till caramelize but be careful not to burn it
4. Add in the chopped garlic, chopped Jalepeño peppers, ground cumin, ground coriander and cayenne pepper
5. Roughly chop the canned tomatoes and add the tomatoes with the juice to the onion mixture
6. Add chicken stock
7. Add meat juices of the cooked chicken
8. Stir in a handful of chopped coriander
9. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to keep it simmering for 20-30min
10. Add the chicken
11. Season with salt and pepper if needed

Serve :

1. The soup's taste improves if you give it 24 hours to 'settle'. That gives the flavor a chance to develop, but you might need to add a bit more water on day two.
2. Dish up in individual bowls, sprinkle over the chopped coriander, grated sharp cheddar cheese, add a dollop of sour cream, a slice of avocado and a wedge of lime on the side to squeeze over.

Serves 8

          Do  not be fooled when tasting the soup - it may taste fire-y, but the toppings that    
          you add will mellow it down.

Bon appetit or, as they say in Mexico, Buen Provecho Amigo!