It Never Gets Old!

There are many things that never get old for me. One of those things is chicken soup done Mexican-style. I have tried so many versions...and I love them all. I will keep making my old favorites and every fall and winter, I will try new ones and add new favorites to my list.

Here are a few new Mexican soup discoveries I made this year.

I may be sharing a sequel to this post in a month or so...I've got a whole pile of Mexican chicken soup recipes that I still want to try!

Mexican Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup water
1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning
1 can (32 ounces) V8 juice
1 jar (16 ounces) salsa
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
6 tablespoons reduced-fat cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, saute chicken in oil until no longer pink. Add water and taco seasoning, simmer, uncovered, until chicken is well coated.

Transfer to a 5 qt. slow cooker. Stir in the V8 juice, salsa, beans, and corn. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through. Serve with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information: 1 1/2 cups with 1 tablespoon eac cheese and sour cream and 1 teaspoon cilantro equals 345 calories, 7 g fat, 72 mg cholesterol, 1,315 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber.

Source: Taste of Home. You can find it here.

Notes: The only change I made was to skip browning the chicken (and therefore, I didn't add the oil called for in the recipe) and I lengthened the cooking time to about 6 hours since I hadn't cooked the chicken prior to adding it to the slow cooker. It was really delicious.

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce jar salsa verde)
3 cups cooked chicken pieces (1 small deli-counter rotisserie chicken or leftovers)
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
Tortilla chips, optional

Directions:

Empty the salsa into a large saucepan. Cook 2 minutes over medium-high heat, then add the chicken,beans, broth, and cumin (if desired). Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top each bowl with a sprinkling of onions, a dollop of sour cream, and some tortilla chips (if desired). Four a soupier dish, use 4 cups of broth.

Nutrition information: 381 calories, 124 mg calcium, 27 g carbohydrate, 91 mg cholesterol, 13 g fat, 5 g fiber, 4 mg iron, 35 mg protein, 6 g saturated fat, 668 mg sodium.

Source: Real Simple, October 2004, found on MyRecipes.com. You can find it here.

Notes: The recipe suggests using a rotisserie chicken or leftovers. This time, I cooked my chicken in a slow cooker and shredded it prior to adding it to the soup. But you could poach it and dice it as well.

Throw In Whatever You've Got Mexican Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

2 (14.5 oz) cans peeled, diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers in tomato juice, undrained
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can black beans
2 (11 oz) cans chipotle white corn (Mexicorn, yellow corn, or white corn--canned or frozen--could also be used)
1 1/2 lbs. diced chicken breasts
1 packet taco seasoning
Favorite toppings (such as sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, diced avocado, cilantro, etc.)

Directions:

Place all ingredients (except for toppings) in a slow cooker. Stir to mix. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Top with favorite toppings.

Source: I made this one up myself.

Notes: After making and eating so many different Mexican or Tex-Mex chicken soups, I thought to myself "I'll bet I can create a soup of my own based solely on what is currently in my cupboard right now." And I was right! This soup was so, so yummy. I had bought the diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers for another recipe and bought twice as much because I figured I could use it later. That's the same story with the corn. As for the chicken broth, beans, chicken breasts, and taco seasoning, I always keep those on hand.

This one really could be changed to fit anyone's tastes or based on what you have in your pantry and fridge. You could use any kind of beans, for instance. If you don't have tomatoes with jalapenos, you could add regular diced tomatoes and a 4.5 oz can of diced chiles. Or, you could add a diced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (just one pepper from the can...unless you like things really spicy!). As the title says, use any Mexican or Tex-Mex ingredients that you think would work.

But as for the ingredients listed above, I can vouch that they work! This was a yummy soup!

Creamy White Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cans (15 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can white hominy (optional)
2 cans (15 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz) each chopped green chiles
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken isn't pink. Add beans, hominy, broth, chiles, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and whipping cream. serve immediately.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Cook's notes: The recipe is written as I originally received it, but I usually boil my chicken ahead of time and shred it while it is warm. Then I cook the onion and garlic powder in oil, then add the shredded chicken, beans, broth, etc., all except for the sour cream and whipping cream, which I add at the very end. I also usually only use one can of chopped green chiles. For my family, I always make a double batch (which makes 8-10 servings). If you like a thicker soup (more of a chili consistency), you can add 1/2 cup of potato flakes to thicken it, or use 1-2 tbsp of cornstarch (mixed in water until smooth before adding it to the soup--otherwise, you will get lumps).

Source: My father-in-law made this for us on Christmas. He got it from Stacie Stone.

Notes: This was a delicious soup. I have never personally made it, but from how it tasted, I wouldn't change a thing from what is written in the recipe above.