Chicken and Lime Soup

Snow!! ❄️ I used to dread the winter when I lived in the Northeast.  Winter meant and snow and snow storms meant shoveling, bundling up uncooperative babies and dangerously icy roads.  But ... now that I live in an area that only sees snow once every couple of years, I miss it.  Turns out - snow is way more fun when you don't have to shovel or drive in it.  🛷⛄️ ⛷ ⛸

Last week we drove up to Ohio to visit my parents and we were hoping to see some wintery precipitation while we were there. ❄️Much to our dismay, other than a few piles on the side of the road and a few flurries swirling around the air, there wasn't much snow to be found.  Although our visions of bundling up and careening down a snow covered hill on a toboggan didn't become a reality - we did have a manage to have a snowball (aka. iceball) fight in the driveway. 😅

Don't be fooled by the lack of precipitation in Ohio last week.  It was C.O.L.D.  🥶 This girl who moved South 18 years ago isn't used to those bone chilling temperatures anymore.  I think I drank more tea and hot chocolate that week than I do all year in Georgia.  😅🍵 I've learned that the best way for me to warm myself up is from the inside out.  Hot tea, hot coffee, hot chocolate, hot soup - the sooner it get's in my belly - the quicker I warm up.  🍲 

​I'm going to be honest - It's NEVER occurred to me to squeeze fresh grapefruit juice into my homemade chicken soup.  And that is exactly the reason that I HAD to make this Chicken and Lime Soup.  I figured it was either going to be really, really great or just really wrong.  Either way - I had to find out.  ​💁🏻‍♀️

Chicken and Lime Soup
2 Tablespoons oil
3 pounds bone in, skin on chicken breasts or thighs
2 white onions, thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 bunch cilantro, stems minced and leaves chopped
28 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 quarts chicken broth
3/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice
3 Tablespoons lime juice
Tortilla Chips, for serving

Heat oil in skillet.  Add the chicken and cook, skin side down until browned.  Transfer to a plate.  

Pour off all but 2 T. fat.  Add onions and 1/2 t. salt to pan.  Cook until golden brown.  (10 minutes)

Add garlic, jalapeno, oregano, cumin, allspice and cilantro stems. Cook 1 minute.  

Stir in tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. 

Add browned chicken and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 45 minutes.  

Remove pot from heat and remove chicken from pot to cool.  

Use an infusion blender to process soup until smooth.  

Shred chicken and return to soup.  Bring to a simmer.  

Turn off heat and stir in grapefruit and lime juices. Season with salt and pepper.

There was a split decision on this soup.  Before I added the lime and grapefruit juices, I decided to make a couple of "test bowls."  I let my 22 year old be the judge.  She tasted both the "juiced" and the "unjuiced" soups and she very politely (and quickly) told me that she preferred the soup without the citrus. 😅I, on the other hand, really liked the soup with grapefruit juice and trust me - no one was more surprised about this than me.  Chicken soup with grapefruit juice - who knew?  

Ciao!

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