Raining Petals

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Chicken Taco Soup

YUUUUMMM!!!

If you want a really easy, fast meal...and one that will last over a few days...make this!! This is really amateur and some of you hard core cooks may scoff..but if you are like me and need something super easy and fast then this is it!

I LOVE soup...it is my favorite, but I am picky...not just any soup will do. I am always trying soups and trying to find the perfect one.

One day at Julie's she introduced me to her Taco soup. It was love at first slurp! I loved it...but unfortunately my attempt to make it produced a sort of muck that left much to be desired. I was determined to try again so today I gave it another whirl....however, I strayed just a bit from her recipe because I do not yet have a fully stocked kitchen since moving. This time I was in heaven! It is my perfect soup! Josh liked it and Carter took a few slurps and made me grin with his "mmmm Yummy Yummies"

Chicken Taco Soup (this makes a big pot that will last us for at least a week if not more)

64 ounces of Chicken broth
1 lb. Chicken (I had some breast tenders in the freezer so that is what I used..also add more or less to your desired chicken-ney-ness)
1 can corn
1 small can green chilies
1 package taco seasoning
Onion (add as little or as much to your liking)
Salsa (same)

Garnish: sour cream, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, tortilla chips, etc.

So I dumped all the chicken broth into a bit pot and began to simmer it. I added the taco seasoning to the broth. Then I chopped some onion (I like my onion finely diced) and sautéed them in a pan...I think I only did maybe 1/2 cup onion...but you can a whole cup if you want. While the onions caramelized a bit I started cooking the chicken in a skillet. As I was cooking I broke the tenders up into smaller chunks and shreds so they would fill out the soup more. Once the broth had a good simmer and the seasoning was mixed in I added the corn. Next I added the green chilies and salsa. With the salsa I just spooned in how much I thought was appropriate. You can put in a cup or more or less. Once the chicken was cooked through I added it to the soup as well. How easy is that!!!

You can then top it with a dollop of sour cream to add a bit of cool and creamy (the non-fat works perfect if you are watching yourself) add shredded cheese and some tortilla chips...and WA LA...the perfect soup.

You can take liberties with this soup and make it your own. You can use ground beef, shredded beef, or go vegetarian with different beans, add more veggies to your liking. I also think that if you did half chicken broth and then half cream of chicken that you could also get a really tasty creamy soup...I will have to experiment and see if that is true. ...you could also add the cheese soup with chicken broth...the possibilities are endless!!

The only downside I can see to this soup is the high sodium content. So if you are watching your salt intake just opt for the lower sodium chicken broth.

Now...I am interested in trying to make my own tortillas...has anyone done this before?? Let me know. I will only attempt if fairly easy;)

6 comments:

Tim and Laura Allen said...

MMMM looks so yummy. We will have to try it, especially since out weather has been so cruddy!

Cheri said...

I have to agree, I LOVE this soup. I dont' do the green chilis, and I add just a tiny bit of cheese on top and use tortilla chips in it. Sooo Yummy. We make it all the time.

julie said...

Yum, though I swear you changed everything about "my" recipe! Which is great, because now I can make yours! Tomorrow! Yum!

Unknown said...

Oooh that sounds good. I didn't know we shared a love for the soup culture. I bought that 400 soup recipes book. I really don't follow the recipes I just get ideas from it. Mmm. Did you take that picture or did you google it.

Also, please take pictures of where you are and of Carter and post them.

Us Bailey's said...

Yum,I am going to have to try that one! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
How is it going at your new place? Hope all is well

Katie said...

I've never made a taco soup---I will have to try it. I did, however, make homemade tortillas last week. The verdict? Eh. They don't have a lot of taste, so maybe I didn't add enough salt. Tortillas are cheap at the store, so we'll probably stick to those. But my kids loved working the dough so much that we'll pull out the recipe now and again.

I ran into your dad a few weeks ago. I'm glad you made it to your new home safely!