Chicken and Roasted Pepper Tortilla Soup

I came across a recipe for chicken and roasted pepper soup in an Italian cookbook and knew that I had to make it, because I love red peppers! I added a few extras in the soup, like chorizo, carrots, and crispy fried tortilla strips, just to soup it up a little (pardon the pun). Sweet and juicy red peppers that have been roasted and caramelized in the oven lift the flavours in this dish. And the strips of fried tortilla maintain their crunch even after soaking in the soup for a while. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve with some hot crusty bread, it's mmmm....yum yum! Tastes even better the next day!

This is an easy one to prepare, and makes a simple and nutricious meal that won't fill you up too much. Here's the recipe:

Chicken and Roasted Pepper Tortilla Soup Recipe

Ingredients

1 kg chicken thigh / drumsticks
1 spanish onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3-4 red peppers (about 500g)
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 chorizo, sliced
2 cups chicken stock (I used Campbell's Reduced Salt chicken stock)
1 cup water
Salt and black pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying
Handful of basil leaves, torn
Handful of parsley, chopped

Garnish
3 pieces of tortilla, cut into thin strips and fried in olive oil until brown and crisp
Extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 210C. Place the whole red peppers in a baking dish and bake in oven for 30 minutes or until the skin is evenly blistered all over. Remove from oven, seal in a plastic bag and let cool before peeling. Scrape off the seeds and slice into thin strips.
2. Heat up some olive oil in a pan and add the onions, garlic and chorizo. Fry until onion softens, then add the chicken. Brown the chicken all over, then add carrots, chicken stock and water. Simmer gently and poach the chicken for about half hour or until cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Add the red peppers, basil and parsley. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and debone. Roughly shred/tear the meat and return it to the pan. To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with fried tortilla strips. Best eaten with hot buttered crusty bread.