Tortilla Soup

Early in the fall, the local farm where I get all my beef & pork from ran a special on stewing hens, so I picked up a case of 10 of them and have been playing with them off and on, trying different ways to cook them.  These aren't the plump chickens you'd buy for roasting, these are retired laying hens, so they are older, leaner, and a bit tougher.  More character, if you will.  ;)

As the name suggests, most of the recipes I've ever found for stewing hens involve making them into some sort of soup or stew.  Really, any recipe that involves long, wet cooking that will keep them from drying out would do the trick.

Tortilla Soup 

Broth:
1 3-4 lb stewing hen
3-4 carrots
3 bay leaves
1 T each ehydrated garlic & onion
enough water to cover

Soup:
1 yellow onion, diced
2 T oil (I used schmaltz)
9 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
4 carrots, diced
1 15-oz can corn (drained)
2 15-oz cans stewed tomatoes
1 chipotle in adobo, diced
4 sliced corn tortillas
1 T ground cumin
1/2 T chili powder
1/4 t each salt & black pepper

Toppings:
sour cream
shredded cheddar
fried tortilla strips
sliced avocado

In large stock pot, bring broth ingredients to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.  Cook 1 hour.  Remove & chop hen into 6-8 pieces, then return to pot.  Cook 1-2 hours longer.  Cool enough to skin fat and remove and discard bones from chicken.  Shred meat and set aside.

In large stock pot, heat oil (I skimmed the chicken fat from the broth and used it) over medium heat, then add onions.  Sauté 2-3 minutes, add garlic, then sauté 1 minute more.  Add carrots and bell pepper and cook until onion begins to brown on the edges.  Add stock, chicken, tomatoes, cor, chipotle, spices and sliced tortilla.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes.

Serve with any (or all!) of the toppings.

This was just what the doctor ordered for the snuffly cold that has been going around - there is just enough heat to clear your head without too much of a burn.  If you like it hotter, add a fresh jalapeno in with the onions or double the chili powder.