That's a phonetic spelling after the title for you non Spanish speakers.  Sopa de pollo is found on a couple of the restaurant menus around here, and it has me hooked!  A nice, south of the border twist on chicken and rice soup, sopa de pollo is full of good for you stuff, and it comes together quickly! 

I have come to love making soups because you are truly only limited by your on hand supplies and creativity.  Unless you just throw something bad in there or forget to season it, you won't have a flop.  That's what led me to creating this restaurant soup in my own home.  I felt like I could maybe even make it better than the restaurants around here, due to the fact that all my ingredients will be freshly prepared and will be prepared with the intent of going into the soup.  For example, the restaurant version's rice is always really mushy from being in liquid too long.  In my version the rice is cooked just right, so it doesn't feel like I'm biting into grainy foam. 



So, on to the recipe- I've made this up to suit Drew's and my tastes, so feel free to adjust seasonings and ingredients to your own liking.  Post those changes in the comments (click on the speech bubble at the top) to let me know how that goes!



Sopa de Pollo
feeds 2-4 (depending on hunger, portion size, etc)

1 quart chicken stock or broth (homemade preferable)
1 cup shredded or diced cooked chicken
1 fresh jalapeño, minced (or 2 tsp. pickled)
1/2 cup onion, diced
1-2 avocados, diced
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup diced bell pepper, any color
1-2 limes, juiced and zested
1/3 cup canned petite diced tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a skillet or in the bottom of your (medium) soup pot, heat a bit of butter or vegetable oil over medium heat and sauté the onion and pepper until soft and onion is somewhat translucent, about 5-10 minutes, depending on your stovetop.  Add the onions and pepper to a medium pot (or, if they're already in the pot, keep them there) and add all ingredients except the avocado and lime.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and then turn down the heat to a simmer.  After about 10 minutes, add the avocado and lime juice and zest to your taste.  Serve with tortilla chips or eat by itself.  It's so good!