Chicken and Lime Soup

Better Homes and Gardens Mexican, p. 87

Tortilla strips

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

6 cups chicken broth

½ cup chopped onion (1 medium)

½ cup chopped green sweet pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 cup chopped tomato (1 large) or ½ of a 14 ½-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

¾ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel

2 tablespoons lime juice

Fresh habanero or jalapeno peppers, rinsed, seeded, and chopped (optional)

Thin lime slices (optional)

There's such a beauty to limes.

Prepare tortilla strips; set aside. Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towel. In a large Dutch oven, bring broth to boiling. Add the chicken; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove chicken from broth; let stand until cool enough to handle. Shred chicken; set aside. Strain the broth through a large sieve or colander lined with two layers of 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth; set broth aside.

In the same Dutch oven, cook onion, sweet pepper, and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in strained broth, tomato, and oregano. Bring to boiling. Stir in lime peel and lime juice. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in chicken; heat through.

So many wonderful things happening in here.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with tortilla strips.. If desired, garnish with habanero peppers and lime slices.

Look at all that zing!

My Rating: 4/5 "Loved the lime and pepper in this. The chicken is really tender as well. It needs a side - it's not a full dinner in a bowl or anything. But it's a spectacular entree."