Chicken and Avocado Soup with Fried Tortillas

My wife called this recipe a "fancy" recipe. In Denver there are a couple upscale Mexican restaurants that are very good, but sometimes, you just don't want fancy-schmancy Mexican food. I know this review is starting to sound like I'm panning the recipe, but that is not the case. I liked the soup a lot and so did my guests. It's also as easy as the recipe in Food and Wine says. One thing I would like to do is make the soup a little thicker the next time I make it. To do that I would get larger avocados (the ones I picked were perfectly ripe, but on the small side). The other thing I would do is add a small amount of corn starch to help the soup have a little more body and heft.

For those of you learning to be gluten-free, I have discovered that even corn tortillas sometimes have gluten in them. It's a real bummer, so make sure to check the labels. Real corn tortillas do not have gluten in them, but the super market is not Mexico.

3 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
4 6-inch corn tortillas, halved and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeño chile, seeds and ribs removed
2 ripe avocados, preferably Haas, skin and pit removed
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, plus more to taste
3 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 onion, chopped
3 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3), cut into approximately 1 1/2-by-1/4-by-1/4-inch strips

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Add the tortillas and cook, stirring frequently, until brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the tortillas from the pot and drain on paper towels.

In a blender, combine the garlic, jalapeño, avocados, lime juice, Tabasco, 1 1/2 cups of the water, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Puree until smooth.

Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in the pot over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and the remaining 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer. Stir the chicken into the pot; cook until just done, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the avocado puree. Heat through, about 2 minutes. Serve the soup topped with the crisp tortilla strips.

NOTES Even easier: Use broken-up tortilla chips in place of the fried tortilla strips.