This is a kitchen and pantry staple for me. I love when the seasons start to change and soup becomes a daily part of life. I like homemade soup though and after a long day at work it's wonderful to come home and have a bowl (or two) of soup. This can be canned (if you omit the rice) or frozen. It's as easy as opening a can of Campbell's and heating it up once you make a batch of it! This particular soup is also my go to when my friends or I start to feel sick too. Takes me about 6 hours but you can cut that by a third if you pre-shread the chicken. I've been making this soup for years and over time my recipe has changed so I've added a few different options you can substitute if you wanna.
Ingredients:
Shredded chicken. I spend a day boiling, shredding and then freezing portion sizes for different meals. You can also use canned chicken to cut costs and work. You can also use or add shrimp (I like shrimp and chicken), sausage or omit the meat/poultry altogether.
Chicken and vegetable broth. I make my own and have a post of how to make your own too! You can also use store bought but please use the organic, low sodium kind.
Purple Onions. I use 2 onions, usually a purple and a white. (or whatever onion you have on hand.)
Garlic (if not fresh you can use dehydrated or the can stuff)
Celery, 4 or 5 nice, firm stalks. (Depending on your taste)
Peppers 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 (I use jalapeños, serranos, poblamos and if my garden was good habenero. Use whatever your pallette wants but I like spicy!
Tomatoes. I like Roma tomatoes in this but if you don't want to use fresh I'd suggest Rotel and Fire Roasted diced tomatoes.
Chili in Adobe sauce (get in the international isle of the grocery store. Small can or jar)
Extra Virgin Olive oil (avocado oil, sesame oil, etc. Whatever you prefer to cook with.
Hominy (I like white) you can use corn also but I prefer hominy (easier on the digestive system)
Black beans
Cayenne pepper
Cumin
Pepper Powder (blog post here)
Black Pepper
Salt (optional, I dont use it)
Rice (optional)
Lime juice
Toppings:
Feta cheese (optional. You can use shredded Mexican cheese or no cheese if you are dairy free)
Avocado (optional)
Tortillas (optional)
Greek yogurt (optional)
Supplies:
Dutch oven or large soup pot.
Cutting board
Knife
Basic cooking utensils
Stove
Pressure canner (if canning) or freezer safe containers (if freezing). I live alone and this makes a TON so I can and freeze mine!
Let's get cooking!!
So if you're shredding your own chicken that's what you'll start with. Boil your chicken, drain (I save the water), cool and shred. Now how much you'll need depends on how much soup you're making. I never measure anything, just kinda wing it. I like to buy chicken on clearance, shred and freeze it in about a pound portions.
So if your chicken is shredded and your broth is made its time to start!
Chop and sweat your vegetables and spices. Dice your onions, celery, peppers, chili in Adobe, garlic and spices. Throw in your Dutch oven with some olive oil and sweat. Once they're almost soft I toss in my tomatoes.
2. Add your broth and bring to a boil, covered and reduce heat.
3. Add in your hominy, black beans, corn (if you want), and canned tomatoes (or Ro-tel)if that's what you want. Reduce heat and simmer for a few hours, stirring often.
4. Throw in the chicken and/or shrimp. Cover and simmer until ready to eat (or can).
5. I put a bowl in a koozie, ladle some soup into my bowl, crush up some tortillas and add some diced avocado and enjoy while I'm waiting for my cans to boil so I can save some for later!
Enjoy!
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