Grilled Chicken Lime Soup

Grilling season is here and let me tell you---I am SO excited! First, though, we’d like to officially apologize for our brief hiatus from the soup blog this past month. Happily, the home search is over and a new kitchen is in our future. Although we won’t move into the new place for another month. In the meantime, we’re house-sitting for Adrienne’s relatives. While they’re off enjoying Italy, we’re making full use of their deck and gorgeously landscaped yard. The deck truly is like another room to the house and nearly every moment we’re home is spent out there, reading the paper, drinking morning coffee, having a glass of wine, or eating dinner. The best part for me, though, has been the grill!

So, far we’ve prepared grilled potato salad, nectarines, curry shrimp kebabs, and salmon. Adrienne has her heart set on a couple of Porterhouse steaks (the best of both worlds: NY strip AND filet mignon) later in the week, plus feta-stuffed lamb burgers, and grilled bananas drizzled with honey. Oh and we can’t forget the spare ribs.

I haven’t grilled very much in my life. I’ve been much more comfortable cooking indoors where I can regulate the heat quickly by turning down a burner or moving a pot off the heat. But I’m determined to get better at it. So, I’m trying to incorporate grilling into each day we’re here.

A co-worker gave me a great recipe for Beer Lime Grilled Chicken and it inspired me to make a grilled version of Chicken Tortilla Soup. Believe me, this is a great way to use up all the grilled chicken and veggies you’ll likely have left over after your Memorial Day extravaganza!

Grilled Chicken Lime Soup
Makes 6-8 servings

5 lime-beer marinated chicken thighs (see recipe below)
2 ears corn, grilled and sliced off cob
2 poblano peppers, grilled until skin is black
1 red bell pepper, grilled until skin is black
½ white onion, cut into rings
2 red roma tomatoes, grilled until soft
2 tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne or chipotle powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2 quarts chicken stock
Juice of 2 limes
1 avocado
1 bunch fresh cilantro
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes with the following:

5 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 clove minced garlic
Juice of 1 lime
8 oz pilsner beer (I used Brooklyn Pilsner)
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

2. While chicken is marinating, preheat grill on medium/high heat. Remove husks from corn, brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper, then wrap in foil. Rinse the peppers and pat them dry. Throw them on the grill along with the tomatoes and foiled corn for about 25-30 minutes, turning occasionally. The tomatoes will take about 5-10 minutes, but the other items will take longer. Once the peppers are blackened and soft on all sides (the red pepper took longer than the poblanos in my case), remove them from the grill and place them in a brown paper bag and tighten. Let them steam in the bag for about ten minutes, then peel skin off, remove seeds and chop into medium-sized pieces. Chop grilled onion and peel skin off tomato and dice.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add onion, peppers, and corn and sauté for a few minutes. Add the cumin, cayenne or chipotle powder and dried oregano and stir, browning the spices for about one minute. Add tomatoes and lime juice, salt and pepper and let simmer for about ten minutes.

4. Grill chicken thighs on medium high heat until cooked through, about 8 minutes on the first side and four minutes on the other for me. Slice into thin strips or tear with fingers and add to the soup.

5. Add chopped cilantro and serve with avocado, lime wedges and tortilla chips on the side.