Chicken Poblano Soup

All the familiar flavors of chicken tortilla soup but with the addition of roasted poblanos and tomatillos to give extra heartiness and depth of flavor! An EASY soup, ready in 30 minutes, and a guaranteed family favorite to put on rotation especially for busy weeknights!

📝 Ingredients

• 4 whole tomatillos (husks removed)
• 3 whole poblano peppers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion (diced small)
• 3 to 5 cloves garlic (finely minced)
• 6 cups low or no-salt added chicken broth
• one 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted or plain, do not drain)
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 1/2 cups corn (frozen or *See Notes)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked (or regular paprika)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
• Tortilla chips or strips (for garnishing (See Notes))
• Limes (for garnishing)
• Fresh cilantro (for garnishing)
• Avocado (for garnishing)
• Mexican crema or sour cream (optional for garnishing)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Roasting the Poblanos and Tomatillos ---
2. 2Preheat your broiler to 500F and place an oven rack on the top rung. Line a baking sheet with foil for easier cleanup.
3. 3To the baking sheet, add the tomatillos, poblanos, and broil them for 5 minutes. Tip - Start working on the soup when the vegetables are roasting.
4. 4Flip, and broil on the other side until blackened, about 5 minutes more. Tip - You may want to take the tomatillos out early as they will blacker faster than the poblanos.
5. 5When blackened, using tongs, immediately add the poblanos to a gallon-sized zip to bag and seal it.
6. 6Add the tomatillos to the canister of a high-speed blender and blend until chunky; set aside.
7. 7After the poblanos have steamed for about 5 minutes in the bag, open it, and remove one poblano. Take the stem off, open it up with a knife, scrape out the seeds, and the slice vertically into thin strips.
8. 8Repeat with the other two poblanos; set aside cleaned and sliced poblanos.
9. 9Tip - If you are making your own tortilla chips, do that now while your oven is still hot. Turn it down to 375 to 400F, slice flour or corn tortillas, lightly oil them with olive oil, and bake on a baking sheet for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly golden browned and crisp. (See Notes below for additional info)
10. 10--- Soup ---
11. 11To a large Dutch oven or similar heavy-bottomed stock pot, add the olive oil, onion, and saute for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat or until the onion ins beginning to soften; stir intermittently.
12. 12Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir nearly constantly.
13. 13Add the broth, diced tomatoes, chicken, corn, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, add in the blended tomatillos, the sliced poblanos, and simmer uncovered for about 15 to 20 minutes.
14. 14Taste your soup. If it needs anything to help balance the flavors, add it now. Salt and pepper are likely necessary. If it tastes at all flat or dull, you likely need salt. Plus, garnishing with a hearty squeeze of lime juice really helps do wonder for the flavors.
15. 15Garnish with limes/lime juice, cilantro, avocado, and crema. All garnishes are optional however not really on the lime juice and cilantro; they are more fundamental than optional.
16. 16Serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Reheat gently in the microwave or as desired.