Pretty Little Mess Hall: Mexican Chicken Soup

From Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen

1 medium sweet potato, cubed into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper
1 32-oz. container organic chicken broth
1/2 small roast chicken (leftovers are fine), meat shredded off the bone
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Juice from 1/2 lime*
Several stems cilantro, chopped fine (stems and leaves), plus more leaves for garnish
1/2 ripe avocado, cubed
shredded jack cheese

* I thought I had a lime, but it was a lemon. So I added Lime flavored Tostitos, not exactly my favorites. But adding some crumpled up into the soup, let the lime flavor of the chips dissolve into the soup.


In at least a 3-qt pot, boil 6 cups of water. Add sweet potato pieces and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, until a knife pierced into center barely holds onto potato before dropping it. Drain and set aside.

In a large stock pot over medium flame, heat 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. oil, then add onion and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, salt and pepper, and saute another minute.

Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add shredded chicken, tomatoes, lime juice, cooked potatoes, and cilantro. Turn off heat and cover.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with chopped cilantro, cubed avocado, shredded cheese and a handful of tortilla chips.