Chicken Tortilla Soup - A Hangover Cure?

A few weeks ago, I made Chicken Tortilla Soup from a recipe I found in Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine. The first batch I made ended up being too spicy for me to even eat. Why, you ask? Well, sometimes, I tend to not read over things completely. I skimmed the recipe and saw "2 cans of chipotle chiles." I thought to myself, "Wow...that seems like overkill. I'll only put in one can."

I kept on cooking the soup, dished it out and sat down to dinner with Nile. I took one bite, and my mouth was on fire! So, I doused it in sour cream, hoping to cool the heat. Nope. It still caused me physical pain to eat this soup. Surely, Rachel Ray would not want me to be in this kind of excruciating pain.

I went to the magazine and read back over the recipe. And there, staring me right in the face, was my mistake. The recipe called for "2 canned chipotle chiles", not 2 CANS! This is what I get for not reading directions. I never read them in Elementary School either, and that always got me in trouble. You think I would have learned by now.

Anyway, Nile loved it because he loves spicy food. I've made this a few times since, and one Sunday after a night of cocktails, Nile found himself with a mother of a hangover. For some reason, he thought eating the Chicken Tortilla Soup would be a good idea. I thought to myself, this is going to end in disaster...and a monsterous mess in my bathroom.

He ate 2 bowls. Then we waited.

Shockingly, within 15 minutes, his hangover was almost gone. So now, he swears this soup is a hangover cure. And how could a possibly keep a hangover helper to myself?

Chicken Tortilla Soup - The Hangover Helper

1 small onion, diced
2 cups, cooked chicken, cubed
6 cups chicken stock
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 tsp, dried cilantro
2 tbsp olive oil
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 2 tbsp of the sauce
2 limes
1 avocado, sliced
salt
pepper
sour cream (optional)
tortilla chips (optional)

Heat olive oil in a stockpot, add onion and garlic. Saute until soft. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, chicken, peppers, juice of 2 limes, salt, pepper and cilantro. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve topped with avocado, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips.

FYI - This recipe can also be made in the crockpot. Saute the onion and garlic, place in crockpot, then add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Perfect for lunch, or to soothe your wicked hangover!