Mexican Chicken Soup

Anybody remember Tuesday's blog post for Lemon Rosemary Chicken?  Just in case you missed it - I added the link so you can go back and check it out.  It was so flavorful and juicy that I decided to turn the leftovers into a chicken soup.  I very loosely followed a recipe that I found on recipedutchess.blogspot.com.  I made quite a few substitutions to the original recipe but she definitely served as my inspiration for this hearty leftover creation.

Mexican Chicken Soup

3-4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 poblano pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Toppings
Sliced avocado
Sour cream
Cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips






Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions starts to brown.

Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.








Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using.

Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.







Add the shredded chicken and season to taste.

Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla strips.

This is how I "dressed" my bowl of soup...

I think that snowpocolypse is behind us but we can still enjoy a bowl of chicken soup.  I have another container of this soup in my freezer, ready to pull out during our next snow storm - or perhaps just for a chilly day. 

Ciao!