A very quick and easy soup. It's very light, so may be better as a side rather than a main dish. I find the dried pasilla chiles at a Mexican grocery near me -- they're cheap, about $1. Please note, I say it serves 10 but that is as a side dish. As a main course it would serve fewer.
Quickly toast the chile by turning it an inch or two above an open flame for a few seconds, until its aroma fills the kitchen. (Lacking an open flame, toast it in a dry pan over medium heat, pressing it flat for a few seconds and then flipping it over and pressing again.) Break the chile into pieces and put in a blender jar, along with the tomatoes with their juice.
Heat the oil in a large (4-quart) saucepan over medium-high. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 7 mins. Transfer to blender and set the pan aside. Process until smooth.
Return pan to medium-high heat. When hot, add puree and stir almost constantly until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 6 mins. Add broth and epazote (if using). Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 mins. Taste and season with salt.
Just before serving, add the chicken to the simmering broth. When the chicken is done, probably less than 5 mins, ladle the soup into bowls. Roughly break a handful of chips into each bowl, sprinkle a bit of cheese, and then arrange some avocado chunks on top.
According to Bayless, one can use goat cheese with this for a “contemporary riff.” He also says blue corn tortilla chips are delicious in this recipe. You can also add, if you want, a couple handfuls of sliced chard leaves to the soup along with the chicken. You can use collards or kale as well, which should go in before the chicken as they are harder, or you can put in spinach or arugula when the chicken is half-done.
By Alex Cuadros