Add chicken and water to a soup pot and bring to a boil. Add all other ingredients except for tomato paste, tomatoes, and lime juice. Simmer for three hours.

Taste for flavor after it has cooked thoroughly. Add the tomato paste and more water if the broth is too rich. Remove the chicken and vegetables.

Chill the soup so the fat congeals. Remove fat. Add the vegetables and chicken back into the soup pot, plus the tomatoes and lime juice. Bring the soup to a boil. Serve with fried tortilla strips for a topping and extra limes for squeezing.

Variation:

For a simpler variation on Mexican Chicken Soup (i.e., Jewish Chicken Soup); omit tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, lime juice, and tortilla strips.

Accompaniments:

1-2 limes, cut in 8 pieces (garnish – to be served on the side) or a small pitcher of lime juice.