Ina Garten's Mexican Chicken Soup

My husband has developed an obsession with cumin. He puts it in everything. I'm very opposed to this. I think that some flavors match and some don't and you can't go throwing cumin in everything. I also think that cumin smells a bit like body odor, but I still like it--when appropriate.

Anyway, I bookmarked this recipe for him. Well, not only for him. Also because it's easy and it's soup, which it sometimes seems we pretty much live on. Anyway, it turned out great--nice and spicy. I even subbed some pickled jalapenos for the fresh ones because our market had run out. I think because of this I didn't have to add any salt at the end.

I also may have salted the chicken a bit too liberally. I don't know. I can never tell what's what when seasoning chicken. I also considered stewing the chicken rather than pre-roasting it, but the roasting actually turned out to be not that big a deal. I even used boneless skinless breasts and the flavor was still good.

I even like the flour tortillas in the soup, which I was a bit worried about since I am not a big fan of them. I don't know if it is the lard or if I have a mild wheat allergy, but they sometimes make me nauseous. Here though, they are like noodles! (I have tried tortilla soup before, but never met one I really liked.)

Anyway, this one's going into the rotation--especially for when one of us has got a cold.