Melissa Clark is a James Beard award-winning food writer whose “A Good Appetite” column appears on Wednesdays in the Food section of The New York Times and NYTimes.com. She presents exciting new recipes for the coming months.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Adapted from Dinner: Changing the Game by Melissa Clark, Clarkson Potter, 2017

Frying your own tortillas isn’t strictly necessary, but it does turn this brothy, lightly spicy soup into a company-worthy event. This said, if you don’t want to bother, substitute a good brand of purchased chips.

Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 poblano or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 chipotle in adobo, seeded and finely chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 15-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, broken up with fingers
2 cups shredded cooked chicken meat
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
4 6-inch whole-wheat or corn tortillas (optional)
Sour cream, as needed
Diced avocado, as needed
Sliced scallion, as needed
Cilantro leaves, as needed
Lime wedges, as needed

1. In a medium pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook until soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, and chipotle; cook for 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, chicken and salt. Simmer for 20 minutes.
2. While the soup simmers, prepare the tortillas if you like: slice tortillas into ½-inch strips; cut any large center strips in half crosswise. Heat the remaining 1/3 cup oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Drop in one strip of tortilla; when the oil is ready it should sizzle. Fry the tortilla strips in batches, turning once with tongs, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Transfer finished tortillas to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle with salt.
3. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and float a handful of tortillas in broth. Top with sour cream, avocado, scallion, cilantro, and lime.

The segment is guest hosted by Matt Katz.