Ingredients
For the Soup
- ~1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 (15-oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 ears of corn, husks removed
- 1 large poblano pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved
- 1 whole bulb of garlic
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- Kosher salt
For the Lime Crema & Garnish
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 lime, juiced
- Pinch of salt
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Broil the Vegetables Until Charred and Tender
Set your oven’s broiler to high. Slice about 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves, place it on a small piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap it tightly.
Place the foil-wrapped garlic, corn, poblano pepper, and onion halves on a baking sheet. Broil on a rack positioned ~4-5 inches from the heat source. Cook for ~15-20 minutes, using tongs to turn the vegetables every 5 minutes so they char evenly. The skin on the poblano should be blistered and the corn should have blackened spots – don’t worry if you need to pull the corn out a few minutes early.
Let the vegetables cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, until they’re cool enough to handle.
Create the Smoky Poblano Flavor Base
Once cooled, gently pull the blistered skin off the poblano pepper; it should come off easily. Remove the stem and seeds. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.
In a food processor, combine the peeled poblano, the onion, and the roasted garlic cloves with a pinch of salt. Pulse until the mixture forms a coarse purée.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and cook for one minute, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly. Add the vegetable purée and the cumin, and sauté for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
Simmer the Soup and Prepare the Crema
Pour the chicken stock into the pot, add the shredded chicken, and bring the soup to a simmer. While it heats up, slice the roasted corn kernels off the cobs.
Once the soup is simmering, stir in the corn kernels and the rinsed pinto beans. Let it cook for ~3-5 minutes more to allow the flavors to meld.
In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, lime juice, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
Serve the Soup
Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a spoonful of the lime crema. Garnish with tortilla chips and a bit more fresh cilantro.
Chicken Poblano Soup
Ingredients
For the Soup
- ~1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can pinto beans 15-oz, rinsed and drained
- 2 ears of corn husks removed
- 1 large poblano pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion halved
- 1 whole bulb of garlic
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- Kosher salt
For the Lime Crema & Garnish
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 1 lime juiced
- Pinch salt
- Tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Set broiler to high. Wrap garlic bulb in foil with olive oil.
- Place wrapped garlic, corn, poblano, and halved onion on baking sheet. Broil 15-20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes until charred.
- Cool vegetables 10 minutes. Remove poblano skin, stem, and seeds. Squeeze out roasted garlic.
- Pulse poblano, onion, and garlic in food processor until coarsely pureed.
- Heat oil in large pot. Cook tomato paste 1 minute. Add vegetable puree and cumin, cook 2 minutes.
- Add stock and shredded chicken, bring to simmer. Cut corn from cobs, add with beans.
- Mix sour cream, cilantro, raw garlic, lime juice and salt for crema.
- Simmer soup 3-5 minutes. Serve topped with crema, tortilla chips and cilantro.
