Since I was in high school, I have been fortunate enough to be able to travel to the Yucatan Peninsula every other year. The food there has always been excellent but one of the soups that I love from there is the Yucatan Chicken and Lime soup. This soup has poached chicken breast with julienned peppers served in a rich chicken broth twist of chili and lime. You garnish is with cilantro, lime wheels, and fried tortilla strips. If you want a spicier finish you can always add some pickled jalapenos on top.
I like to lightly marinate the chicken breast and par grill it before I poach it. I find when you grill it, at least get a little bit of the char marks on there, you add another element of flavor to the dish. It is a step you can omit if you are short on time, or just don't have a grill set up to do. If you do decide to skip the grilling, you should get a light sear on the chicken breast before you poach it.
Ingredients
Marinade
Chicken Breast 2 lbs
Adobe Spice 1 T
Garlic Oil 1 T
Chili Powder 1 tsp
Lime, juice and zest 1 ea
Coriander, ground 1 tsp
Mix all ingredients and marinate the chicken for 2 hours.
Soup
Chicken Stock 4 qt
Red Peppers, julienned 2 ea
Yellow Peppers, julienned 2 ea
Poblano Peppers, julienned 2 ea
Onion, julienned 1 large or 2 medium
Cilantro 1/2 bunch
Carrots, peeled and julienned 4 ea large
Jalapeno, finely diced 1 ea
Garlic cloves, finely diced 4 ea
Oil 1 T
Limes, zested and juiced 3 ea (more if they aren't juicy)
Coriander, ground 1 T
Chili Powder 2 tsp
Adobe Spice 1 T
Cumin 1 tsp
Salt and Pepper to taste
Garnish
Lime wheel, cilantro leaves, fried tortilla strips, jalapenos (optional)
Method of Procedure
Julienne your carrots, onions, and peppers. Pick your cilantro reserving the stems.
Using your oil saute your garlic and jalapenos in your soup pot.
Add your chicken broth and lime zest and juice.
Combine the tops of your peppers, onion ends, cilantro stems and your dry spices into your broth and bring to a simmer. Taste the broth to see if you need more lime, salt, or spice.
Lightly grill your chicken breast (or saute) and once marked, place into the pot to poach, for about 15 minutes at a low simmer.
Remove your chicken breast and chill. Once properly chilled thinly slice your chicken breast and reserve.
Strain the vegetable scraps from the broth and return the broth to heat. Bring to a simmer
Blanch your vegetables lightly to soften them up and brighten the colors, remove and chill.
Strain your broth and adjust the salt, pepper, lime, and heat to your liking.
To serve take a handful of your vegetables, some sliced chicken and add broth. Bing to a quick boil and put into a bowl.
Garnish with lime wheels, cilantro, tortilla strips, and jalapenos.
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