I harp on it again and again, because it’s a kitchen economy fundamental: Make the best use of the ingredients you have on hand.
This classic Mexican soup, named for a suburb of Mexico City called Tlalpan, is a good example of that.
The story goes that, when most public transportation in Mexico City was by tram, travelers discovered that a woman sold this soup at the Tlalpan stop. Is that story true? I have no idea, but I’ll honor that anonymous woman and her creativity. She surely knew how to feed lots of people with just a little bit of chicken.
It’s fast and easy to prepare – coming together in about 30 minutes, including prep time for dicing the vegetables. And it’s certainly economical.
In this season of gustatory excess, its zippy flavor and simplicity make it a superb supper, and leftovers will be better the next day.
The recipe calls for 2 quarts of chicken broth or stock. The turkey stock you made from your Thanksgiving bird’s carcass can substitute. (You did make turkey stock, didn’t you?).
And if you’re wondering what the difference is between broth and stock, here it is. Broth is made from bones and liquid, while stock is made with bones and vegetables and liquid. If the liquid is the star of your recipe, use stock; but if you want the other ingredients to shine, use broth — it’s thinner and less flavorful.
In fact, however, I use the two words almost interchangeably and use broth and stock interchangeably in my own home kitchen. Left with a chicken carcass or two, I generally make stock in my electric pressure cooker, then bung it into the freezer in one-quart containers. There it waits until I want to make a soup like this one.
If I don’t have any stock left in the freezer, though, I’m just as likely to use a restaurant-quality bouillon base such as Better Than Bouillon. I prefer it to bouillon cubes because it’s less salty.
In this soup, you could substitute some of the meat from a rotisserie or leftover roast chicken for the chicken breast. You’ll want about a pound of shredded chicken meat.
The chipotles add smoky richness to the soup. I like this quite tingly from the chiles, so I add three chipotles to the pot. You may want more or less — it’s your soup, so make it to suit your taste. I sometimes don’t have canned chipotles on hand — dried chipotles can substitute here. Just toast them in a heavy skillet for a few moments on each side and rehydrate in a little boiling water before you chop them. Your favorite hot sauce can substitute for the adobo sauce if you’re using dried chiles.
Caldo Tlalpeño
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Here’s an economical way to feed several people with a single chicken breast. Add additional vegetables if you have them: Some versions include green beans, and/or zucchini and summer squash. If your chicken breast needs to be cooked, poach it for 10 to 15 minutes in some of the chicken broth, then add the broth to the pot. Any leftovers will be better the next day.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced, divided use
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 quarts (64 ounces) chicken stock or broth
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and torn into large shreds
1 teaspoon each: thyme, ground cumin, oregano
15 to 16 ounces cooked garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (canned are OK here)
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 or more canned chipotle chiles, minced, with about a teaspoon of their adobo sauce
1 ripe avocado, sliced or diced, for garnish
Additional chopped cilantro, for garnish
1 large lime, cut in wedges, for garnish
Preparation
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When it is fragrant, add the onion and half of the diced carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, and the carrot is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook a minute or two longer.
Add the chicken stock, cooked chicken, thyme, cumin, oregano and garbanzo beans. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
Taste for salt (you may not need more if the broth is salty and the beans were canned. Stir in the remaining diced carrot, cilantro and minced chipotles. Simmer 5 minutes longer.
To serve, ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish each serving with avocado and more chopped cilantro. Pass lime wedges to squeeze over the soup.
