Chicken Enchilada Suiza Soup

I absolutely love Chicken Enchilada Suiza! I will even eat the frozen varieties. Taco Mania in Shreveport, LA has delicious Suiza Enchiladas. Suiza means “Swiss style”. The enchiladas are usually filled with shredded chicken and Monterey jack cheese, and then covered with tomatillo sauce and Mexican crema. I found a great Chicken Enchilada recipe that I love from Marcela Valladolid. I decided to see if I could find a soup with similar flavors. To my surprise, I could not find one. I decided I was up for the challenge. The idea was to merge the tried and true enchilada recipe I love with a tortilla soup recipe I love. My favorite soup recipe is Tyler Florence’s Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup. The two recipes are very compatible. I just tried to make it healthy too. I wanted it to have a creamy texture, so I pureed the soup before adding the chicken. I also added a little fat free half and half to finish. It really captures that signature Suiza style. I hope the long list of ingredients does not intimidate anyone. It really comes together quickly.

Chicken Enchilada Suiza Soup

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

For Tortilla Strips:

6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 3/4” strips

Olive oil cooking spray

Salt

For the Soup:

2 Tbsp light butter

6 tomatillos(med. or small), husked, rinsed and chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1 tiny yellow bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp flour

4 cups chicken broth, low sodium fat free

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed and chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 large boneless skinless chicken breast(3/4 to 1 lb), cut into 3/4” dice

4 Tbsp fat free half and half

The Garnishes:

1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese, optional

2 Tbsp fat free half and half

2 Tbsp fat free Greek yogurt

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Jalapeno, thinly sliced

Purple onion, thinly sliced

1 Avocado, sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the stack of tortillas into 3/4” strips and arrange the strips in a single layer on a baking rack on top of a cookie sheet.

Spray each tortilla strips with cooking spray until slightly moist. Sprinkle chips with salt.

Bake for about 7 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 8 minutes or until the strips are crisp, but not too brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

Place a stockpot over medium heat and heat butter. Add the onions, garlic, jalapenos, bell pepper and tomatillos; cook, stirring until the onions are translucent. Stir in flour, cook stirring often until well combined and no longer smells like flour. Pour in the stock, add cilantro, season with salt and pepper, and simmer until peppers are tender. Puree soup with an immersion blender, return to a boil add chicken. Simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes until chicken is cooked. Add Half and Half, stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary and take off heat.

In a small bowl combine Greek yogurt with 2 Tbsp. half and half, it should be thin enough to drizzle. To serve place a few tortilla strips in a bowl. Top with a Tbsp. or two of cheese. Ladle the hot soup into the bowl and drizzle with the thinned yogurt. Garnish with the sliced onion, jalapeno, avocado and cilantro.

Note: I say the cheese is optional because it really is great without it. I was so excited to try this soup that I forgot to put the cheese in my first bowl. LOL! It is great with or without.

Nutrition Facts: Amount Per Serving - Calories 318.3;  Total Fat 10.3 g;  Saturated Fat 3.4 g;  Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g;  Monounsaturated Fat 1.9 g;  Cholesterol 62.9 mg; Sodium 1,252.9 mg*; Potassium 624.4 mg; Total Carbohydrate 34.5 g; Dietary Fiber 5.0 g; Sugars 4.3 g; Protein 23.6 g.

* Sodium is probably lower. The recipe calculator I used did not have low sodium fat free chicken broth in it’s data base.

Linking to:
Carole's Chatter - Food on Fridays: Mexican Food
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky