I've been waiting for a day like today. It's finally cooled off and is a little dreary outside. This is perfect soup weather. One of my all time favorites is chicken tortilla soup. What I've come to realize is that the "tortilla" part of the soup is overrated. It does add a certain crunch which is nice but none of the flavor goes missing if you leave the tortilla out of the equation.
There is a side effect to dreary days. It's called "can'tgetmybuttoffthecouch itis". Even for a simple and wholesome recipe like this one. The couch is winning. Must... get... up... Oh, alright already... let's make soup.
What you'll need:
A cooked chicken from the market (take the meat off the bone and shred it)
1 container of low sodium chicken broth 32oz (gluten free is healthier)
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chili (regualr tomato if you don't want it SPICY)
1 can mild enchilada sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 bunch cilantro
1 avocado
1 onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 carrots
2 ribs celery
1 bay leaf
olive oil
What you do:
Debone the chicken and chop it into chunks. Set it aside. Get a pot going with a little olive oil and saute your onion, carrot and celery until softened. Add in the minced garlic and saute a minute more being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes with chilies and enchilada sauce to the pot and give it a good stir. Next throw in your spices. As the broth heats up it will fill the air with a wonderful aroma causing hallucinations of being on the Mayan Riviera. Go ahead, get lost in the fantasy a while. Now open your eyes and notice the full laundry basket to your left is the one calling your name, not Raul asking you if you want another margarita.
Bring the broth to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer it for about 30 minutes giving the flavors time to blend. Add in the chopped chicken and a handful of chopped cilantro. Keep simmering until the chicken is heated through. Spoon the soup into a bowl and top it with a few chunks of avocado. Pure heaven.
Enjoy!
ps. I wasn't kidding about the spicy. It's downright hot if you use the tomato with chili.
This soup was absolutely delicious! Because we were just hanging out at home on a rainy MLK holiday, I went ahead and used fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts and simmered the soup for 6 hours on my stove. I also broke the Paleo rules (as usual) and added corn, peas and greenbeans to ours (because the kids like lots of veges).
ReplyDeleteI used the gluten free, low sodium, organic chicken broth from Sprouts and a gluten free jarred enchilada sauce from Sprouts. The enchilada sauce was a bit heavy on the Chili Powder when combined with the chili powder I added to the broth, so I wound up adding another 15 oz of chicken broth to the soup about 4 hours into the simmering process. The extra broth balanced it *perfectly*
I think the next time I make it, I will try carrots, celery and zuchini in it.
Overall, this was a fantastic meal that both of my kids *inhaled* (despite the fact I made it "spicey style"). I had enough leftover to freeze for another meal too!!
I made this on the MLK holiday as well. It was AMAZING!!! It's very similar to my own recipe but I'll never go back to making my own chicken again! I too made it spicy! The whole family loved it!
ReplyDeleteI made this for my family and it was so tasty. Thanks!
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