Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have been making this soup for quite a few years.  Unlike other recipes I've seen it actually has corn tortillas in the soup.  It's the primary thickener and I love the body and flavor it adds.

The only thing I did different this time than I've done in the past was to roast my own onions and tomatoes to replace one can of roasted tomatoes. I had a bumper crop of tomatoes this year and was looking for a way to use them up. I had intended to add a red bell pepper and a jalapeno to the mix as well, but forgot to pick them up at the store. I was not about to drive all the way back!

Feel free to use canned roasted tomatoes and just saute the onions if you are in a hurry.  It's nearly as good that way.

Either way the roasted tomatoes in this soup are part of the depth of flavor. Just imagine you also see a bell pepper and a jalapeno in this photo. ;) Roast them for 20-30 minutes in a 425 degree oven.

In a separate bowl, add the onion, tomato mix to 2 cups chicken broth and puree with an emulsion blender.

While the tomatoes and onions roast, marinate chicken breasts in lime juice, Ms. Dash Southwest Chipolte seasoning, cumin and salt.  Cook as desired.

I prefer to my grill my chicken. It's quick, easy and adds lots of flavor.  In the winter, I love using a grill pan with press.  (I happen to use the Pampered Chef one, that I think very highly of.) The result is terrific chicken with grilled goodness in 10 minutes.

If roasting tomatoes and onions, saute garlic in pot and then add rest of ingredients.  If not, start by sauteing onion mix and then add garlic.

After the garlic is sauteed, add rest of ingredients except tortillas.  Cook for about 10-20 minutes.

Lastly, reduce heat to low and add strips of tortillas to soup. Once the tortillas are dissolved and soup thickens, serve with cheese and tortilla chips.

Ingredients:
 
For Marinade:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast strips
Ms. Dash Southwest Chipolte seasoning
Lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
kosher sea salt, enough to cover chicken lightly

For Soup:
1/2 cup chopped onion, frozen is fine if not roasting with tomatoes
1 cup of 3 pepper onion mix, includes: green, red and yellow bell peppers and onions cut in strips (I buy this frozen.)
1 jalapeno pepper, if desired
6 cups fat-free chicken broth
2 cans (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn
2 cans (14 ounces) organic fire roasted tomatoes or roast your own, about 2 cups of tomatoes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
6-8 corn tortillas (6-inch), cut into strips
1-2 teaspoon fresh cilantro
Monterrey or Pepper Jack cheese

Directions with Roasted tomatoes:

1. Prepare chicken strips by marinating them in chipolte seasoning mix, cumin and salt and lime juice. All just kind of sprinkled on top. After 30 minutes of marinating, broil or grill strips until done. Cool and shred or chop into small pieces.

2. While chicken is marinating, roast tomatoes  for 20-30 minutes at 425 degrees.  Once soft, add to 2 cups chicken broth in a separate bowl and puree with emulsion blender.

3. Saute garlic in stock pot until fragrant. Add pureed tomatoes onions, peppers.

4. Add broth and corn and bring to a boil. Add rest of ingredients except tortillas. Simmer for 10-20 minutes.

5. Add 6-8 tortillas cut into strips and cook on low for an additional 10-15 minutes or until tortillas dissolve and soup thickens. 

6. Add cilantro, serve with tortilla chips and top with Monterrey or Pepper Jack cheese.

Directions with canned tomatoes:

 1. Prepare chicken strips by marinating them in chipolte seasoning mix, cumin and salt and lime juice. All just kind of sprinkled on top. After 30 minutes of marinating, broil or grill strips until done. Cool and shred or chop into small pieces.

2. Saute onions and onion mix in stock pot coated with Olive Oil. Cook for 5 minutes and add garlic. Cook for 5 minutes more.

3. Add broth and corn and bring to a boil.

4. Puree one can of roasted tomatoes and add with rest of ingredients except tortillas. Simmer for 10-20 minutes.

5. Add 6-8 tortillas cut into strips and cook on low for an additional 10-15 minutes or until tortillas dissolve and soup thickens. 

6. Stir in fresh cilantro, serve with tortilla chips and top with Monterrey or Pepper Jack cheese.

Salsa Verde Mexican Pizza

As a teenager, I remember eating and loving the Taco Bell sensation that was the Mexican Pizza.  These days, Taco Bell has pretty much fallen off our radar, with all the other fast food restaurants, except for the road trips back home to Louisiana. (But if you are in need of a tasty meal there, the Catina Bowls are pretty good.)

I always seem to have leftover tortillas from The Best Steak Fajitas or soft taco night. Looking for new ways to use them, a while back I thought I'd give the ole' Mexican pizza a whirl.  Our family isn't a huge fan of red enchilada sauce.  So you'll find these flavors are a lot like my very popular White Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe.

You can plan ahead, and marinate your chicken overnight, or a few hours in advance or even while you toast your tortillas, if you choose to do so.

If you are not using hard tostada shells, then you'll want to crisp up your tortillas.  This takes quite a while if you are doing them one at a time.  I would advise using a larger skillet, so that you can do several at once. You want the tortillas to get brown and kind of crispy so that they can support the pizza.

If you can keep your attention focused on all these things going on at once you can toast your tortillas, grill your chicken and make your Refried Black Beans at the same time.

Once the shells, the beans and chicken are done, start putting your pizzas together.

Spread black beans over the corn or wheat tortillas or tostadas and cover with Monterey or pepper jack cheese.

Top with another shell and your salsa verde sauce. I simplified the sauce from my enchilada recipe a bit because this should be one of those quick and easy meals.  Your just going to mix the salsa and sour cream together.

Add sauce to the top shell. Sprinkle chicken on top and another good coat of cheese.

 Place in 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.  Allow to cool a little and enjoy!  If you need more than 4 servings, simple double the recipe.

Salsa Verde Mexican Pizza

Ingredients

Chicken
12-16 ounces Chicken Breasts
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
Ms. Dash Southwest Chipolte Seasoning, enough to coat
juice of a lime, about half
 
 Refried Black Beans
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cuming
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons Roasted Salsa Verde, green salsa

8 or more Tortillas or Tostada shells, corn if gluten free 
2-3 cups grated Monterry or pepper jack cheese

Directions

1. Marinate chicken for as long as you have, overnight is good but not necessary.  Combine marinade ingredients and stir in chicken cut into strips.  

2.  Cook chicken on grill or in a grill pan for about 5 minutes per side.

3. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

4. Begin toasting tortillas if necessary.  Just want them to get nice and crisp on both sides. Use a large skillet to cook more than one at a time for convenience.

5. Place seasoning for Refried Black Beans in a small pot with oil.  Cook until they begin to become fragrant.  Be sure not to burn!  

6. Add rinsed and drained beans and water to the pot.  Cook until they begin to get soft.  Mash beans with back of spatula or large spoon.  Add water as necessary.

7. Once all the pieces are ready, assemble pizza.  Place refried beans on top of a shell and cover with cheese.  

8. Add another shell and top with sour cream and salsa mixed together.  Add a layer of chicken and finally your choice of cheese.

9. Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes. Serve once cooled enough to handle.

Roasted Rubbed Chicken

This is a recipe I've been making for about 10 years.  It was originally a crock pot recipe that was called "Roast Sticky Chicken".  I can't give you a good reason why it was called this.  It's not at all sticky.

Most of the time I roast the chicken now in the oven because I like the outside to get nice and crusty. But feel free to prepare the rub on the chicken the night before, place in a zip lock bag and dump it in a crockpot for 8-10 hours on low.  It will fall off the bone and be delicious.

I have found that the rub doesn't necessarily need to be on it overnight either.  It does soak in nicely that way creating a brine like effect, but it's so good, don't feel like you have to do it that way.  This is truly a no fail recipe.

Initially, the recipe called for a lot more cayenne pepper and also white pepper. I have always been made it more on the mild side, but if you like spicy foods by all means go heavier on the pepper.

Roasted Rubbed Chicken
Ingredients:

3 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
3 dashes cayenne pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 large roasting chicken
 
Directions for oven:

1.  In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. 

2. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. 

3. If desired, place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, heat oven to 425 degree oven.

4. Place in the oven, and cook until skin is crispy and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.

5. Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes and then carve.




Directions for Crock Pot:

1.  In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices.


2. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin.

3. Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, put the bird into the crock-pot and do not add any liquid. As the cooking process goes on it will produce it's own juices.

4. Cook on low 8 - 10 hours and it will be falling off the bone tender.

Mexican Meatball Stew

I have been making this recipe for a very long time.  I'm pretty certain I found it in a magazine.  I seem to recall I had a receptionist made a copy while at a doctor's visit. I just had a hunch it was a good one.  

I even lost the recipe once after a move and all my long-time friends got a call from me asking if I had shared this recipe with them. And somehow I had been holding out on them because no one had it.   Thankfully, I eventually found a copy. It's probably one of the first stews I make when the weather turns cool.  Hence the reason it's popped up now.

This is one recipe where ground turkey works really well as a meatball.  All the other seasonings in the meatball mixture give it the zip ground turkey sometimes lacks.

The gluten free version below the original.  You'll notice I upped the meat weight in the gluten free version.  The men in my family always want a bowl full of meatballs so often just the stew was left at the end.  Not that you can't eat it without the meatballs, but I always seem to miss them. ;)

Mexican Meatball Stew

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey or chuck
1 egg
Salt
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (10 oz) can mild green chili enchilada sauce
1 cup seasoning mix of onions, bell peppers and celery
1/3 cup flour
3 cups water or chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn
1 (14 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes
1 tbs chili powder
1 (15oz) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp dried whole oregano
a few dashes of cilantro, if desired

Directions:
1. Combine meat, crumbs, egg and 3 tablespoons of enchilada sauce, cumin and pepper. Add more egg or milk as needed to make the right consistency.  Cook 5  minutes at 70% power in microwave, toss around and cook for another 4 minutes or until done.  Microwave ovens vary so don't over cook them.  Remember they will go into the pot for a while so they can finish cooking there as well.

2. While meatballs are cooking, in a dutch oven, saute the onion mix until tender. Combine flour and chicken broth and stir well. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

3. Add meatballs, remaining enchilada sauce and rest of the ingredients. Bring to boil; cover and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

4. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream if you like.

Yield about 7 1/2 cups

Mexican Meatball Stew Gluten Free Version

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground turkey or beef 90/10
2 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 (10 oz) can mild green chili enchilada sauce
1 cup seasoning mix of onions, bell peppers and celery
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups water or chicken broth
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
1 (14 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes
1 tbs chili powder
1 (15oz) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp dried whole oregano
1/2 Southwest seasoning, like Arizona Dreaming from Penzey's
3 tablespoons chili verde salsa
a few dashes of cilantro, if desired

Directions:
1. Combine meat, almond meal, eggs and 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce, cumin, salt and pepper.  Cook 5  minutes at 70% power in microwave, toss around and cook for another 4 minutes or until done.  Microwave ovens vary so don't over cook them.  Remember they will go into the pot for a while so they can finish cooking there as well.

2. While meatballs are cooking, in a dutch oven, saute the onion mix until tender. Add chicken broth, reserving about 1/4 cup to make a slurry with the broth and stir well. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

3. Add meatballs, remaining enchilada sauce and rest of the ingredients. Bring just to a boil; reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

4. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream if you like.