How to Make The Bobby Flay Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe at Home
As Bobby Flay has continued to make a bigger name for himself in American cuisine in recent years, his recipes have become part of the fabric of society. This is especially true of his chicken tortilla soup.
It is a great choice, no matter what time of year it may be. Now that Flay has become one of the more visible chefs of the current generation, it is time to take a closer look at one of his most popular recipes.
Those who have visited his Mesa Grill restaurants in the past may already be familiar with this one but thanks to this simple recipe, it has never been easier to enjoy delicious chicken tortilla soup at home.
In fact, this soup is so delicious, the good folks at Chik-Fil-A offer their own spin on the dish! To learn more about how you can enjoy this soup at home anytime you like, please be sure to read on….
Ingredients
- 1 coarsely chopped medium red onion
- 2 chopped garlic cloves
- Dry white wine (1 cup)
- 8 seeded and coarsely chopped tomatoes (overly ripe beef steak)
- water
- cayenne pepper (1/4 teaspoon)
- salt
- black pepper (freshly ground)
- cilantro (chopped)
- avocado (diced)
- grated white cheddar cheese
- fried tortilla
Cooking Directions
- Prep time: 50 minutes
- Serves: 4
Step 1:
Grab a medium saucepan and set the stove on high heat. From there, it is time to heat the oil.
Step 2:
Add your onions and cook them until they have had a chance to become soft. The garlic needs to be added next and you will want to let it cook for 30 seconds.
Step 3:
The wine is now added. Be sure to cook the mixture until it has been reduced by half. The tomatoes are added next and you’ll want to be sure that you are adding enough water to the pan. The tomatoes need to remain covered during the cooking process.
Step 4:
Bring the current mixture to a boil. As soon as it boils, be sure to lower the heat to medium. Let it simmer until the tomatoes have had the chance to soften. The tomatoes will eventually start to break down and the process should take approximately 30 minutes.
Step 5:
Now, it is time to carefully transfer the mixture to your food processor. Process the mixture and take all of the time that you need. Handle the process in batches if necessary. You will know you’re ready for the next step once it becomes smooth.
Step 6:
You will be making your return to the saucepan now. Grab your salt, pepper and cayenne and season to your personal taste. From there, let the mixture cook for at least 5 minutes. The soup should be ready to serve at this time. Ladle the finished product into bowls. Cheese, avocado, cilantro and fried tortillas will be used as your garnish.
How Does Bobby Flay Add More Flavor To The Recipe?
The Bobby Flay chicken tortilla soup recipe can easily become even more flavorful, as long as at-home chefs are willing to follow his formula.
So how does Flay go about building even more flavor into the recipe, exactly? It starts by taking the time to coat the chicken thighs with a spice rub. Once they have been rubbed down, they are cooked on a grill pan until they have had the chance to char.
This may seem counterproductive to some but the charring will add a sizable amount of flavor. After this step has been taken, the at-home chef can finish cooking them in their oven. Instead of shredding the chicken and looking to add it to the soup, it is sliced and utilized as a topping.
Taking these steps, allows the flavor of the grilled and spiced chicken to remain at the forefront. If Flay’s method is not used, the flavor will simply disappear into the broth.
While this makes for a wonderful cold-weather dish, there is nothing wrong with having it any time of year. This unique mixture provides a simple and easy meal that can always be put together with relative ease.
Bobby Flay’s Simple Tips To Thicken Your Soup
If you have been paying close attention to Flay’s Instagram reel, you may already be familiar with this awesome hack. For those who have not, we are here to outline his exceedingly easy tip that will provide your soup with the necessary thickness.
Anyone who is in search of bigger flavor will definitely want to follow his technique. Flay likes to thicken the soup by adding a chile paste to the equation.
This simple step does double duty, working as the perfect vehicle for added flavor and serving as an easy way to thicken the finished product. To emulate Flay’s process, a dried ancho chile will be used.
This chile is rehydrated in hot water for 15 minutes. You’ll know it is time to move on to the next step once the chile has become pliable.
From there, you will need to break out the food processor again, so that it can be pureed. It is important to add some of the soaking liquid, as this will allow a paste to formulate. By taking the extra time to add this to the soup’s broth, the wonderful flavor and heat of the dish are brought to the forefront.
How Spicy Do You Like Your Soups?
As the mixture simmers, this allows the broth to become thicker as well. It is important to note that Flay tends to favor a more mild ancho chile that can be tolerated by almost any palette.
However, you can choose any dried chile that works for your personal spice tolerance. Bear in mind that others may not be as heat inclined, though.
Regardless of where you land on the spice spectrum, this opens the door to a bevy of dried chilis that can be used to customize Bobby Flay’s chicken tortilla soup.
It is also recommended that we remove the seeds before the dried chiles are used. The benefits here are twofold. First of all, the removal of the seeds lessens the heat potency a bit. For those who are not worried about heat, it is also crucial that we eliminate the bitter flavoring that the seeds are responsible for.
Add Some Tortillas
If you would like to thicken the soup without having to worry about additional chile spice, feel free to puree some tortillas into your soup. To achieve this technique, the tortillas will be added to the broth itself and blended until they are smooth. From there, you add your chicken and garnishes, creating an end result that is comparable to a lighter bisque.
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