Mexican Chicken & Corn Tortilla Soup

It's another cold and snowy evening in NYC! As I'm writing this, the fourth(?) snowstorm of January is coming down hard threatening to blanket us in over a foot of snow overnight. Nothing is better on nights like this than a hot, warming bowl of soup to make everything a little sunnier.  I decided to try my hand at making my very first Mexican Chicken & Corn Tortilla Soup to bring a bit of comfort on a chilly winter night. The chicken can be removed and chicken broth replaced with vegetarian broth for a complete vegetarian soup.  Check out Mistress of Spices version too for an interesting vegetarian variation! Enjoy!!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp canola oil
2 small boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch cubes
10 oz grape tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
3 cups organic chicken broth
3 oz frozen corn kernels
1 cup yogurt or creme fraiche
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped roughly
Tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and cook chicken in a pot until slightly browned. Approximately 4-5 minutes. Use wooden spoon to stir occasionally. Remove chicken and put in a bowl to the side.
2. In the same pot, grill tomatoes over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until there is a slight charring on the tomatoes, but make sure garlic and onions do not burn. Otherwise, it will be better. Grilling the tomatoes brings out the natural sweetness.
3. Add the cumin, paprika, oregano, thyme, coriander seeds, salt and pepper to the mixture. Stir together.
4. Add chicken broth and corn and bring it to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to come together.
5. Take off heat and add yogurt to soup for a slight creaminess. Using an immersion hand-held blender or regular blender, purée the soup until it is smooth or to the texture you like.
6. Add chicken back into the soup and put pot back on stove on low for an additional 5-10 minutes.
7. Serve generous helping in a bowl topped with cilantro and tortilla chips. I rarely have tortilla chips on hand so made my own strips using corn tortillas and frying them in canola oil.