Caldo Tlalpeño

It was the first rain of the season today and soup seemed like the perfect thing to make. I love chicken tortilla soup so I decided to try and make Caldo Tlalpeno, which is another popular Mexican soup. Despite using two kinds of chiles in this soup , it is not as spicy as you would think. I do recommend only using a tiny bit of the chipotle chile, using a whole one would be way too much. I used a Pasilla chile rather than the recommended Poblano or Anaheim chile and after doing a little research on the Internet it looks like these 3 chilies are so vastly different that they are not interchangeable. I think I may need to do a chile tasting to decipher the difference.

Adapted from Eating Well Magazine
Serves 4

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 poblano or Anaheim chile pepper, chopped
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, (see Shopping Tip)
1 cup instant brown rice
4 radishes, sliced
1 small avocado, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, quartered

1. Bring broth, water, garlic and chicken to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, skimming any foam that rises to the top, until the garlic is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Transfer the garlic with a slotted spoon to a blender and the chicken to a clean cutting board.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skilletover medium heat. Add onion and poblano (or Anaheim) chile and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add to the broth.

3. Add 1/2 cup of the broth and chipotle pepper to the blender and process until smooth (use caution when pureeing hot liquids). Pour the mixture back into the broth in the pan. Stir in rice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the rice is tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Shred the chicken and divide among 4 bowls. Ladle the broth over the chicken and top with equal portions of radish, avocado and cilantro. Serve with a wedge of lime.