Brown the chicken: With paper towels, pat the bird dry. Season both sides generously with salt and ground black pepper. In a large pot heat the oil. When ready, brown both sides of the chicken. Don’t over crowd the pot, do it in batches if needed. Once done, place all the pieces back into the pot and pour in the water. Add the garlic, onion, mint, cilantro and thyme. Let it reach a full boil over medium-high heat and remove the foam that may rise to the top. Lower to medium-low heat. When gently simmering, cover and let the chicken fully cook, about 20-25 minutes. 

For the sauce : Place all the ingredients into a blender and process until completely smooth. Set aside until needed. 

Prep the veggies: All need to be cut as uniform in size as possible. Peeling the skin from the potato is optional but I keep it for the fiber content. Peel the skin from the carrots and cut all the veggies into bite size pieces. Set aside until needed. 

Pasta and soup: Place a separate larger pot over medium-heat and add the oil. Once hot, pour in the pasta and cook until golden brown. Remove from the pot. Turn to medium-low heat and once hot, stir in the carrots. Cook them for three minutes. Stir in the potato and chayote, cook for two minutes. Stir as needed. Pour in the blended tomato sauce. 

Remove the chicken from the broth. Set aside. Strain broth into the larger pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover the pot and let it cook for 10 minutes or until the veggies are 3/4 of the way cooked. Add the zucchini and the pasta. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the pasta almost done. Add the chicken and cook for another three minutes or until everything is soft but not mushy (cooked.) Season with salt to taste and turn off the heat. 

Serve: Serve in a bowl and top with Mexican cream, avocado and pickled jalapeños.  Accompany with corn tortillas on the side.