Ingredients
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2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
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8 ounces beef, such as flank steak, cut into strips
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1 slice thick-cut meaty bacon
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1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
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3 cups boiling water
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2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
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1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granule
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15 ounces tomato sauce
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16 ounces small mushrooms, cut in halves
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1/2 cup chopped fresh sweet onion
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2 teaspoons minced roasted garlic
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1 tablespoon dried ancho chile powder
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1 teaspoon cumin
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1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
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1/4 teaspoon cider vinegar
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1 teaspoon dry sherry
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1/4 teaspoon butter
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1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or 1/2 teaspoon your favorite hot sauce, to taste
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salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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grated monterey jack cheese, for garnish
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chopped jalapeno, for garnish
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1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into slices, for garnish
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chopped scallion, for garnish
Instructions
- Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy; remove from pan, reserving drippings, cut into small pieces, and set aside.
- Add the oil to the bacon drippings over medium temperature, then sauté the chicken and beef strips until browned, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes.
- In another large saucepan over medium heat, stir together the boiling water and bouillon granules until dissolved.
- Add remaining ingredients (including reserved bacon) and the cooked meat strips, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Garnish, serve, and enjoy!
- Note: to make the seafood version of Azteca's Molcajete, omit the chicken/beef and instead have 1/2 pound shelled and deveined shrimp, 1/2 pound scallops, and as much skinned and deboned whitefish fillet pieces as you'd like (about 1/4 pound or more) which you will add in during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Note #2: we've also added a can of black beans to the recipe, to good effect. If the soup isn't as thick as you'd like it to be, try adding a can of refried beans - it works well! We've also served it with crisp tortilla strips and a dollop of Mexican crema instead of monterey jack. It's a versatile recipe, so experiment and enjoy yourself! :) If you have made the Rich and Delicious Enchilada sauce recipe of mine, you might recognize many of the soup ingredients - to make the sauce into soup, use 2 cups of the sauce, add 1 cup hot water and 1/2 teaspoon chicken stock granules, then add the cooked chicken and garnish ingredients as usual.