I don't know what to call this dish other than chicken chili, and not of the white variety you may be used to. I start by roasting chicken (whatever you have, I used three hindquarters and wing tips for extra flavor) with half an onion, a carrot, two celery stalks, and a few cloves of garlic at 350 degrees for an hour in a dutch oven or other large heavy bottomed pot. After an hour put the pot on the stove and add water to cover all ingredients making sure to scrape up all of the delicious brown fond on the bottom of the pan. Add two to three tablespoons of fresh cilantro, a tablespoon of dried oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 3-4 hours ideally. The longer the better; if the pot gets low on liquid just add more water. Strain the stock reserving the chicken flesh. If you don't have the time, store bought stock will do, and simmering it for maybe a half hour with some garlic and cilantro will add extra flavor. The stock can also be prepared ahead of time and either refrigerated if used quickly or frozen. Leftover chicken will do to add back in later if you're using store stock. Next I roasted two peppers on the grill; a poblano and a red bell pepper. I chopped these up and sauteed them in the same pot that the stock was made in. When they are softened a little I added three cloves of minced garlic and sauteed this until the garlic was soft. Then add the stock back in, about six cups. Next add one 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, add the reserved chicken back in, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1-2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro (this can be done to taste as some people don't like cilantro, but it adds a nice freshness to the dish) and cayenne pepper to taste. Simmer this for another 3-4 hours, or sooner if you don't have the time. Again the longer the better because all of the flavors are going to mesh together over time. While this is going slice some corn tortillas into half inch strips and fry in a small amount of oil until golden brown, then remove to a paper towel and add salt. Again if you're short on time store bought tortilla chips will do. At this point your delicious soup should be ready to enjoy. Serve with the tortilla strips, grated cheese, and more fresh chopped cilantro.
