Directions: For the Stock:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a large stock pot and add, bay leaf, garlic, 1 cup onion, celery, carrots, and fill pot with water. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat until chicken has cooked through.Remove the chicken and set aside. Strain the broth and pour back into the pot. Discard the vegetables. Once chicken has cooled enough to handle, take apart shred with your hands an d set aside.
Tortilla chips:
Preheat the fryer or use a large frying pan and heat the oil until hot. Cut half of the tortillas in quarters and thinly slice the other half. Fry both cuts of tortillas in batches, until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and set aside.
In a stock pot, heat 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add 1 a cup of finely chopped onions, and cook until onion is translucent. Then add the tomato, and jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Crush the reserved fried tortilla quarters over the tomatoes. Stir to mix. Stir in the reserved chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes. Using a hand-held blender, puree the soup until smooth or leave chunky. Add salt to taste. Stir in the shredded chicken and cilantro. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serving suggestions:
Ladle the warm soup into deep bowls. Garnish with the avocados, squeeze of lime juice, fresh cilantro and the fried tortilla strips.