Sopa de Sabado: A Morning After Cure

With just about everything in Mexico a reason to celebrate, what’s your morning after cure? I happen to know plenty of cooks who call this soup Sopa de Sabado - Saturday soup. With garlic and chiles to sweat it out, this popular soup is believed to be the perfect remedy for a hangover. In fact, his dish works wonders after several free Mescals at Moxi.

I loved the flavor and it was particularly enjoyable after four straight days of cold (by San Miguel’s standards not Chicago’s) and rain. A quirk in the picture perfect weather (330 days of sun with 80 degrees by day and a cool 50 degrees at night) for San Miguel.

That may be reason enough to stay in and drink.

Good thing Soap de Sabado tastes better the morning after.

Buen Apetito!

2 cups oil for frying
Corn tortillas, cut into ¼” strips
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
4-5 plum tomatoes, cored
1-2 habanera chiles
8 cups chicken stock
4 limes
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
8 bone-in, chicken thighs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup finely chopped white onion

Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortilla strips until crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to drain and reserve.

Heat broiler to high. Place the tomatoes, garlic, and chilies on a foil-lined sheet, and broil, until blackened all over. Turn as needed.

Remove the seeds and stems from the chiles, slice thin and reserve.

Put the tomatoes and garlic into a food processor with 2 cups stock and 2 peeled limes and puree until smooth, at least 2 minutes or more. Put through a strainer into a saucepan and stir in the rest of the stock. Add spices and chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for about 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked.

Remove chicken, cool; remove and discard the bones, and finely shred. Reserve chicken.

Season soup with salt and pepper.

Divide shredded chicken, tortillas, onion, sliced chilies, and the limes among serving bowls, and ladle the soup into serving bowls.