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!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe