Cilantro Lime Chicken Soup

Earlier this week I purchased a gigantic bag of cilantro and it has been inspiring my dinners all week. Yesterday I made a soup using left over rotisserie chicken and a big handful of the cilantro. It came out really good with a decidedly Mexican flair to it and it was super easy. We topped it with homemade corn tortilla chips, cheese, avocado, and a little fresh cilantro. Yum.

2              tbsp       garlic, minced

1/2         lg             red onion

2-3                          carrots, chopped small

1              c              cilantro, chopped

8oz         can         tomato sauce

32oz       carton   chicken broth

1              can         corn

splash lime juice to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1/2         the meat off a rotisserie chicken, chopped

 

shredded cheese

avocado

extra cilantro for serving

Soup

In a large pot sauté garlic, onion, and carrot in olive oil until softened,  about 4 minutes. Add cilantro and cook 1 minute more. Add tomato sauce, broth, and lime juice. Cook until boiling then add corn, salt and pepper, and chicken. Cook until heated through.

Tortilla chips

canola oil

6 - 8        corn tortillas

salt

In a large pan heat oil until hot but not smoking.  Stack tortillas and cut into strips then cut strips in half. Add half the tortilla strips to the oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook until golden then flip over. Remove from pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat with second half.

To serve soup spoon into bowls and top with chips, cheese, avocado, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This soup was recently made for us during one of our trips to my parents ranch house. My mom, K,  got the recipe out of her Taste of Home Classic Cookbook and OMG it is heavenly. With its creamy texture full of veggies, shredded chicken, and wild rice it is the definition of comfort food. It's not the most healthy soup, with all that 1/2 & 1/2 and butter, but every once in a while, on a really cold winters day, it's perfect. Add a salad or some hot buttered bread (your already in for all those calories why not go all the way) and you have a great cold weather meal. Just so you know, this recipe makes a huge amount, 10 to 12 servings. If you don't need quite that much you could always freeze half for another night or just cut the recipe in half.

 Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1              med       onion, chopped

2                              celery ribs, diced

2                              carrots, diced

1/2         cup         butter

1/2         cup         flour

4              cups       chicken broth

2              cups       wild rice

2              cups       1/2 and 1/2

2              cups       cooked chicken, diced

1              tbsp       fresh parsley

                salt and pepper to taste

In a big Dutch oven or soup pot, saute onion, celery and carrots in butter until onion is transparent. Reduce heat. Sprinkle in flour and cook until bubbly. Gradually add the broth, stirring constantly to avoid getting lumps of flour. Bring to a boil; boil for one minute. Reduce heat and add rice cream, chicken, parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Turkey Meat Ball Soup

I love when the weather gets cold enough for soup and you can't go wrong with meatballs. What kid doesn't like meatballs. This soup has a lot of flavor and is great for dunking your crusty bread in and as I explained to my husband, we don't need a salad on the side because the salad is in the soup! :) Well it sounded good at the time. Hope you enjoy the soup, the salad is optional.

Meat Balls

1              lb            ground turkey

1/4         c              seasoned bread crumbs

1              lg             egg

2                              scallions, chopped fine

2              tbsp       grated Parmesan cheese

1              tsp          fresh thyme or sage, chopped

Soup

2              tbsp       olive oil

2              lg             carrots, peeled and chopped

1              med       onion, chopped fine

1              lg             carton (48 oz) fat-free chicken broth

1/4         c              lemon juice

2              tbsp       fresh sage, chopped

2              c              spinach, trimmed and chopped

1              c              mini pasta or extra fine noodles for soup

2              tbsp       grated Parmesan

                                salt and pepper to taste

Meat Balls

In a large bowl combine turkey and next 5 ingredients. Form into 1-inch balls and set aside.

*To really get the ingredients mixed together well this is best done with your hands instead of a spoon. I love this part. I know it's squishy; doesn't it just take you back to when you were a kid, all those mud pies you made, not. It feels kind of cool oozing through your fingers though. Don't have too much fun, now you have to roll it into little balls.

Soup

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and then add the carrots and onion cooking about 5 minutes  to soften them. Add the broth, lemon juice, sage, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer. Gently drop meat balls into simmering broth then lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pasta, cooking for 2 minutes then add the spinach and cook just until wilted. Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan, salt and pepper. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Recipe adapted from: Family Circle | March 2011

Enjoy!!!