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Dig In With Dana

Dig in (Phrasal verb): 1. To delve into 2. To begin to eat heartily 3. To begin work with great determination

Easy Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

November 13, 2014

Easy Tex-Mex Chicken Soup
GF
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Ahh, Easy Tex-Mex Chicken Soup.

Add your favorite broth, tomato sauce, veggies and protein and you’ve got dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. 
Soup is one of the first dishes we learned to make in cooking school. It’s a great basic with lots of room for creativity (and error!). Easy Tex-Mex Chicken Soup is by no means a “classic” chicken soup. To reduce cooking time, bake skin on, bone-in chicken thighs (or breasts) in the oven at 350 F for 35 minutes or until cooked through. Then add the chicken skin, bones and a little broth to the vegetables for extra flavor while they cook. 
Flavor the soup by sautéing onions, celery and carrots. This part of the recipe IS the classic trio called mirepoix (mir-pwah) and the ratio is 2 parts onion, one part each carrot and celery. (In Louisiana, the trio is onion, celery and mixed bell peppers instead of carrots.)
 After sautéing the vegetables, add in your liquid and seasonings. For this particular soup, use a combination of chicken broth and tomato sauce. Cumin, salt and a finely chopped, seeded jalepeno give the soup its Tex-Mex flavor.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, chop into large bite-size chunks and add it to the soup. Make whatever substitutions you like: use about 16 oz (480 gm) of chicken breast, shredded beef or pork or a can of your favorite (rinsed) beans. Vegetarian? Add in your favorite seasonal vegetables like chopped squashes, potatoes, root vegetables, etc… 
Soup is just that versatile.
Once the soup is ready, I like to add additional barely sautéed vegetables, like these yellow and orange bell peppers.
This makes a beautiful presentation and adds extra texture to the soup.
The Dallas Museum of Art has a great soup cookbook, based on soups that the Museum used to serve guests in their lunchroom. This book has been in my family for over 40 years. The book’s Tortilla Soup, along with a fresh jalepeno and bright green lime was the inspiration for today’s recipe.

 

Once the soup is cooked through, carefully remove and discard chicken skin and bones.

 

Dress up your soup with fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley, lime and jalepeno slices, shredded cheese and sour cream.

 

Enjoy making your own version of this Easy Tex-Mex Chicken Soup. Spicy or mild, with chicken or without, this soup’s a winner.  Dig in!

 

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Easy Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

  • Author: Dana Gerard
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Spicy or mild, with chicken or without, this soup’s a winner. Add your favorite broth, tomato sauce, veggies and protein and you’ve got dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.

Ingredients

  • 4 skin on, bone in chicken thighs
  • 2 small bell peppers, chopped (250 gm)
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped (400 gm)
  • 1½ cups celery, chopped (200 gm)
  • 1½ cups carrots, chopped (200 gm)
  • ½ – 1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 4 cups chicken broth (950 ml)
  • 1–2 cups tomato sauce, like marinara (250 – 450 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin (2 gm)
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional:
  • cilantro or parsley sprigs
  • lime slices
  • avocado slices
  • jalepeno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
  • shredded mild cheese
  • sour cream
  • tortilla strips

Instructions

  1. Bake Chicken: Preheat oven to 350 F. Rinse and pat dry chicken thighs with paper towels. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper and rub with 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and roast skin side up
  2. in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove, let cool, then peel chicken meat off bones. Chop meat into large bite size pieces. Reserve meat, skin and bones for the soup.
  3. While chicken cooks, chop vegetables: bell peppers, onions, carrots, celery and jalepeno. Set each pile of vegetables separately on a piece of parchment or a paper plate for easy clean up.
  4. Sauté Vegetables: In a large soup pot, heat 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the chicken broth and sauté the bell peppers with a little salt on medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove peppers and reserve. Sauté the onions in the same pot (with the chicken skin and bones if they are ready) with a little salt on medium heat for 10 minutes, then add in carrots, celery, jalepeno, a little more salt and broth. Sauté until slightly soft, about 10 more minutes.
  5. For thicker soup, remove 2 cups (475 ml) vegetables and broth, puree in a blender or food processor and return to the pot.
  6. Stir in remaining chicken broth, tomato sauce and cumin.
  7. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes. Add in chicken meat. Simmer on very low heat, partially covered, another 30 minutes.
  8. Just before serving: Remove skin and bones and add in chopped lightly sautéed, seasoned peppers.
  9. Serve with cilantro or parsley sprigs and slices of lime.
  10. Other optional add ins: shredded mild cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips, avocado slices, hot sauce.

Notes

Inspired by The Gallery Buffet Soup Cookbook

 

 


 
 
 
 
 

 

Can be made...

Gluten FreeHealthyVeganVegetarian

2 Comments

Comments

  1. Michelle says

    September 22, 2015 at 6:09 PM

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    Reply
    • Dana says

      September 24, 2015 at 4:22 PM

      Thanks Michelle! I would love to join your site and look forward to future collaborations.
      Glad you stopped by and hope you’ll subscribe for FREE easy recipes and ideas every week.

      Reply

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Chef and photographer. I love developing simple recipes and sharing them with my family and friends. »

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