I am addicted to soup.

So, we all know I'm broke. Because I talk about it a lot. But I like to cook. And I like to eat. So I've discovered this wonderful New Idea.

It's called soup.

You take something tasty and you put it in water and you boil it forever and you end up with something delicious. Sometimes, you screw up and it's terrible and you cry but more about that later.

The point is, I like soup. I like Pho. I like chicken noodle soup. I like chowder. I like stew. When Jordan and Killpack Jr. and Kevin and I went to B'roo last summer, we inhaled a box of cuban black bean soup. Did I mention I really like pho? I even like crappy box ramen.

One day, when Kevin's mama was sick, we went and picked up some chicken soup from this Mexican place in Smyrna (Mexico Lindo). It was pretty clear broth and shredded chicken and it came with tomatoes and jalapenos and avocado to add when you ate it. It was pretty much the soup of the gods, y'all.

So, every time I've made chicken soup since then, I've been trying to imitate this soup.

And this is what I've got.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

canola oil

half a medium white onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

3 chicken breasts (with the bone, with the skin)

1 box of chicken stock (just use decent stock. Kroger's organic is surprisingly good)

2 cups of water

½ cup rice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

½ teaspoon of cumin (to taste)

¼ teaspoon chili powder (to taste)

some corn tortillas, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips

1 large-ish avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

1 ripe medium tomatoes, chopped

2 limes, cut in wedges

at least 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Skin the chicken. Place the breasts in a large stockpot and cover with the stock and two cups of water. Add half the cumin. Cover and bring to a boil. Skim the “muck” off the top. Boil for fifteen minutes, then reduce to a low boil (we're talking bubbles here, but you don't want to turn the chicken to leather) for a half hour or until the chicken is cooked through. Skim some more nasties off the top as you go. And then turn off the pot.

Once the water is cool enough for you to handle, remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Strain the broth and set it aside; there's going to be some nasty bits and it's better for all of us if you get rid of it. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones and shred it.

Now back to the stockpot. Turn your burner to medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until translucent (just don't caramelize them, guys). Add the stock, season with salt and pepper and cumin and chili powder. Add the juice from a quarter of one of those limes. Bring to a boil and then add your rice. Simmer for fifteen minutes or until the rice is almost cooked, and then add the chicken (something I just figured out) and let the rice finish up.

At some point while your rice is getting happy with the broth, heat a few tablespoons of canola oil in a pan. When the oil is hot – think, about to start smoking – add the tortilla strips in batches. Fry until crispy, and then drop them on a plate covered with a paper towel. You'll probably have to add oil as you go.

When your rice is cooked, things get exciting. Ladle the soup into a bowl. And add jalapenos and tomatoes and avocados and those tortilla strips that gave you so much trouble. Add cilantro. Squeeze some lime juice in there. If you're me, add even more tomatoes. If you're my friend Nataya, add half a jalapeno and more chili powder.

And then, if you weren't aware what blog you were reading, you eat it.