Sopa de lima

Ingredients

• 1⅛ lbchicken breastpoach in the broth, cool and shred
• 6⅓ cupswaterfor the chicken broth
• 3limejuice into the soup, slices for serving
• 4corn tortillascut into thin strips and fry until crisp
• 3tomatoesdiced, partly charred
• 1onionpart whole into the broth, rest finely diced for the sofrito
• 3 clovesgarlicfor the broth, optionally charred first
• 1 bunchcilantrosimmered in the broth and chopped on top
• 1Bell pepperfinely diced, fried with onion and tomato
• 2bay leaffor the broth
• 1 tspOreganodried
• 2Cloveswhole in the broth
• 1Habanero chilifinely chopped or charred, for heat (optional)
• ¾ cupVegetable oilfor frying the vegetables and tortilla strips
• 2 tbsplardalternative to oil for frying (optional)
• saltto taste
• black pepperfreshly ground
• 1Epazotesprig, simmered in the broth (optional)
• 1avocadosliced, for serving (optional)
• 1¾ ozQueso frescocrumbled, for serving (optional)

Method

1. Put the chicken breast in a pot with the water, garlic, a piece of the onion, bay leaves, cloves, oregano, cilantro, salt and pepper, and let it cook gently for 20 to 40 minutes; if you like, toast the garlic in a dry pan first and drop a sprig of epazote into the pot.
2. Lift the chicken out of the broth, let it cool a little, then shred it with your fingers or two forks. Strain the broth through a sieve and set it aside.
3. Finely dice the remaining onion, the bell pepper and the tomatoes and fry them in oil or lard over medium heat until soft; for heat, add the finely chopped habanero.
4. Add the vegetables and the shredded chicken to the strained broth and let everything simmer gently for about 10 minutes so the flavors come together.
5. Meanwhile, cut the corn tortillas into thin strips and fry them in batches in hot oil until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels and salt them right away.
6. Just before serving, stir the lime juice into the soup and season with salt and pepper — don't let it boil long after that.
7. Ladle the soup hot into bowls and finish with the crisp tortilla strips, lime slices and freshly chopped cilantro.

Tips and variations

Ready-made chicken broth or stock concentrate works in place of your own, and you can fry the vegetables in lard instead of vegetable oil. You can also char the tomatoes and onion in a dry pan, purée them and stir the purée into the broth; for gentler heat, use chile güero (xcatik) instead of habanero. The shredded chicken can be marinated in lime juice beforehand, chicken livers simmered along with the broth add depth, and a pressure cooker shortens the cooking time. Let lime slices steep only at the very end, or they'll turn bitter. To serve, lay on avocado slices and crumbled queso fresco and grate a little lime zest over the soup.