Tacos y Sopa de Pollo Gastado

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 spent hen or rooster

  about 1.2 kg (see note)
• 3 stalks celery

  plus any leaves you might have
• 4-5 stalks parsley
• 3 roma tomatoes

  halved
• 3 medium carrots

  (~250 g) diced
• 1 medium onion

  quartered
• 3 cloves garlic

  lightly smashed and peeled
• 1/2 tsp marjoram
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp epazote

  (optional - see note)
• 1/4 tsp oregano

  preferably Mexican
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp salt

  plus more to taste, if necessary
• 1.5 L water

  (~6 cups)
• corn tortillas
• cilantro
• red onion
• avocado
• tomatoes
• pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
• cotija cheese

  or other firm, relatively mild cheese
• lime
• cooked white rice
• avocado
• cilantro
• lime

Instructions

• 1 Inspect the spent/stewing hen. Odd are good that it came with the feet and head
  still attached. Leave these on (unless you're particularly squeamish about
  this). The body cavity is usually clean, but check to make sure that there isn't
  a package with any organ meat inside (like you'd find with turkey). If there is,
  you can actually include (or exclude) any parts that you might like in the soup,
  but remove any packaging.
• 2 Combine the chicken and all of the other basic ingredients in the Instant Pot
  (or other electric pressure cooker). You can tie the parsley in a little bundle
  to make it easier to remove, but this is optional.
• 3 Seal the lid and cook by pushing the Instant Pot soup button twice for a longer
  cook time, or by using a 40 minute manual setting (see note). Once the time has
  elapsed, allow the pressure cooker to release naturally (or, if you're pressed
  for time, let it stand for 10 minutes and then release manually).
• 4 Carefully remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside. Strain the rest of
  the soup to yield a clear broth. You can pick out the carrots or onions if you
  like, but I tend to discard them as they've given up most of their flavour to
  the soup at this point. Salt to taste, and season with pepper if you like.
• 5 Pick the meat off of the chicken and keep it for tacos, serving with the soup,
  or any other meal you might like.
• 6 Toast corn tortillas in a frying pan or comal. Keep toasted tortillas in a small
  basket or on a plate and cover with a small hand towel.
• 7 Fill tacos with shredded chicken, avocado, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, pepitas,
  cotija (or any other cheese you like, or skip the cheese) and/or any other
  toppings you think would be good. Serve with a fresh squeeze of lime.
• 8 The clear broth can be eaten as-is (a popular option when you're fighting a
  cold). To dress it up a bit and make for a more substantial meal, fill
  individual serving bowls with about 1/3 cup cooked white rice (per person), pour
  the soup over this, and top with diced avocado and cilantro. Serve hot, with
  fresh lime wedges so that diners can add juice to taste.

Nutrition Info