Chicken Enchilada Soup

In a large stock pot, place chicken and neck if available, carrot, celery, parsley, cilantro, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, and the greens of the scallions. Add the water and turn on high to boil.

In a cast iron pan on high heat, add onions and char black on both sides of the pieces, about five minutes, and add to the stock. Keep the pan on high and add the fresh poblano pepper and whole dried pasilla pepper along with the skin-on garlic and scallion bottoms and again char to black, about 5 minutes. Remove the garlic to your cutting board and peel skins off then add garlic to the pot along with the scallions and peppers.

Once the pot comes to a boil, lower to a medium-high simmer and cook for one hour. (Good rolling bubble but not a full boil)

With long handled tongs, remove chicken to a platter but return the pot to heat and continue simmering.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull white and dark meat off and place remaining carcass back into pot. (OK if wings are still attached). Keep chicken meat refrigerated until later.

Continue to cook the stock for another hour, about 2 ½ hours total. Strain, discard solids and you should have 3 ½ to 4 quarts of stock. If not, cook down to reach that amount. Set aside. Note: The stock can be made a day in advance. Skim off and discard any fat that rises to the top. (Chilling the stock makes it easier to skim the fat off.)

To make the soup, in a 5-6 quart Dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil and once hot add the onions and garlic and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until just starting to brown.

Add the tomato paste along with the can of diced tomatoes, paprika, cumin, chili powder, oregano and coriander. Cook this stirring continually for five minutes.

Add the stock but reserve 3 cups of the stock in your measuring container and add the masa and whisk to combine, then add to the soup pot. This will thicken the soup.

Whisk, then cook for 15 minutes on a medium to low simmer, making sure you stir often.

While the soup is simmering, cut the corn tortillas into small strips (I cut the round tortilla into quarters then cut the quarters into strips)

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat about an inch of vegetable oil to 350 degrees F and once hot, cook the tortilla strips in batches but don’t overcrowd the pan. I cooked one package of corn tortillas cut into strips in four batches.

Remove with a spider or strainer to paper towels and sprinkle with salt as soon as they come out.

Shred the cheddar on the large holes of a box grater.

After the soup has simmered for 15 minutes, add the cream cheese then use an immersion blender and puree to smooth.

Shred the chicken with your fingers into the soup leaving some bite sized pieces.

Stir and heat to serving temperature and serve with the fried tortilla strips and cheddar cheese.

Also serve optional scallions and sour cream.