The CuisiNerd

This evening was cool and rainy. Perfect soup weather. At lunch, I’d had some Baja Enchilada soup at Planet Sub, and was inspired.

To do this properly takes about 2 days**

Day 1:

1. Obtain a rotisserie chicken from your favourite purveyor of such things. I’m a big fan of Costco. You can make your own, too, if so inclined (and equipped).
2. Eat the chicken for dinner.
3. Boil the carcass for about an hour in 2 quarts of water and put the whole thing in the fridge overnight.

Day 2:

1. Take the chicken in a pot out of the fridge.
2. Scoop the solidified fat from the top of the pot and put in your soup pot.
3. Using a colander, separate the chunks of chicken from the broth
4. Remove any chunks that don’t strike you as edible.
5. Put the edible bits back in the broth and set aside
6. Finely chop up:
   1. an onion (I’ll leave it up to you how big)
   2. a red pepper (or two)
   3. garlic (how much depends on your individual taste and the current level of vampire activity in your area)
   4. green chiles (or you can cheat and use them from a can)
   5. Maybe even some jalapenos if you’re feeling wild
7. Heat the chicken fat and sauté the vegetables in it. If your chicken was lean, you may want to add some olive oil, you’re going to need about 4-6 tablespoons worth of fat for the roux.
8. Add 3/4 cup flour or masa harina and make a roux (about 3 minutes with a whisk, until it starts browning)
9. Add the chicken broth and stir with the whisk until well blended
10. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to keep the roux from sticking. When it boils, the soup will be thickened.
11. Add 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, and salt to taste and stir it in.
12. Stir in 1.5 cups grated cheese. Cheddar works well, as does any mexican blend or something of that ilk. Please don’t use something like Velveeta, it would make me cry.
13. Let the cheese get all nice and melty as you stir it in.
14. You can add some other southwesternish sorts of things like corn, black beans, and cilantro here. Stir it, and serve.

Serving:

Goes well with a garnish of sour cream, tortilla strips, pico de gallo,  or just a nice simple roll.
Make sure you have your favorite hot sauce handy.

** But you can totally cheat by using prepackaged chicken broth and add some chicken (this works well with canned chicken breast)