Chicken Tortilla Soup

1. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat until shimmering. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season well with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken and brown, about 5 to 8 minutes per side. Set aside.
2. Add broth, 2 onion quarters, 2 garlic cloves, cilantro sprigs, oregano, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil over medium high heat. Add chicken. Reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Pour broth through a fine-mesh strainer; discard solids in the strainer. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Discard bones and skin.
3. Puree tomatoes, 2 remaining onion quarters, 2 remaining garlic cloves, jalapeno, chipotle chile, and adobo sauce in a food processor until smooth.
4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the Dutch oven; add tomato mixture and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture darkens in color and most of the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes.
5. Stir strained broth into tomato mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer to blend the flavors, about 15 minutes. Taste soup; if it needs more heat, add more adobo sauce. Add shredded chicken and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.
6. To serve, place about 4 crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl. Ladle soup into the bowls. Pass garnishes separately.

Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated The Best Chicken Recipes.