Barb's Chicken Tortilla Soup

This soup makes way more than I can eat and I don't really care to eat the same meal every night of the week, so I eat a couple of servings and freeze the rest in Ziploc bags. Works for me and nice to have some ready made meals!

Barb's Chicken Tortilla Soup

2        chicken breasts

1tsp   cumin

1 tsp  chili powder

1 Tb  olive oil

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with cumin and chili powder.   In a pot, put a drizzle of olive oil.  Now lightly brown both sides of the chicken breasts.  You can finish them off by baking at 350 degrees.  Or  (easy way!) I just let them finish off with the onions in the same pot.  Remove and shred with two forks.  Or you can just use some leftover baked chicken.  

In the same pot, add

another drizzle of olive oil (about a tsp or so)

1 onion, chopped

1 small bell pepper, chopped (I didn't have one!)

Saute the oven until translucent.  Now add:

1 can Rotel tomatoes (score! at the Embassy Commissary!)

1 can regular stewed tomatoes

4 cups chicken broth or bouillon or combination 

1 tsp Chipotle chile in Adobo  (I haul these back from the States, and after opening the can, I freeze the rest in tsp size chunks and then keep in a Ziploc in the freezer)

(Don't forget to add the shredded chicken back in) Let cook for 20-30 minutes, or until you remember to go check on it.    Now add:

1 can Hominy corn

1 can black beans (I didn't have)

1 cup frozen corn  (I didn't have--are you noticing a pattern here?)

The soup is really done at this point, but the longer it sits the better it tastes.  

Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, and some lightly fried tortilla strips and shredded cheddar cheese.  I try to keep things a bit healthier by using yogurt in place of sour cream, and I just spray a little PAM in a small frying pan and lightly fry the tortilla strips that way.

This soup is as good on a cold winter night, and we get plenty of those in Russia!  

What's On Hand Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Barb's Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Sometimes I challenge myself to see what I can make without having to bundle up to trudge to the grocery store in ankle deep snow, and this meal was a result of that challenge.   I happened to have:


1 Tb Olive Oil
2 medium carrots
1 medium onion
1 stalk celery

2  Chicken breasts
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 bag of Taglietelle noodles

1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Thyme
salt, pepper to taste

Chop the carrots and onion and celery and sweat them in a soup pan with a little olive oil. (Note:  celery is difficult to find where I live, so I made it without and it tasted fine!)
 Add the chopped chicken breast just as the vegetables finish and lightly sear the outside.
Next, add the chicken stock and water (you can use all chicken stock if you like it richer) to the pan and and simmer for 20-30 minutes.   (I also did not have any chicken stock, so I used 4 cups of water with 2 chicken bouillon cubes.)
 After 20-30min, drop in the taglietelle noodles (mine were the broken remains of a bag--break them into manageable pieces).  Add in the herbs and salt and pepper to taste.  Adjust water/chicken stock as needed.

I made Egg Salad to go with it--also a super easy version:

Egg Salad Sandwiches

4 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonaise
1 Tb  mustard (prepared yellow mustard, like French's)
1 tsp  sugar
1 tsp red wine vinegar or apple vinegar

Combine mayo, mustard, sugar and vinegar in a bowl.  Mash the eggs in another bowl, adding in dressing a little at a time.  Serve on toast with some cut up tomatoes.