Innocent enough. You go to the store and buy a package of chicken breasts. You get home and realize that the package contains two breasts from the left-side of a bird. They started out as a matching set, didn’t they? Where are the right-sides? I’m a fan of symmetry. I like my breasts like I like my Olsen twins, a complete set.
You get some guarantees when you buy a whole chicken: all the parts came out of the same egg, it has been through the least amount of processing and Julia Child would have been proud of you. Don’t forget to save the bones for making stock, Julia would have.
Tortilla Soup (adjust seasoning to your liking):
Sweat the garlic, cilantro and minced fresh tortilla in a pan. Add chicken stock (that you have had simmering for the last four to five hours), pureed tomato and white onion. I like a ratio of 3/4 chicken stock to 1/8 tomato and 1/8 onion. Season with cumin and chili. Simmer for half an hour. Then, strain it if you are a ‘fancy-pants’ or leave it thick (because you hate to clean the strainer). Garnish with fried tortilla strips, avocado cubes, minced red onion and cheddar cheese.