October 10, 2009

Mexican Chicken Soup

I type this post sitting on my cozy couch, wrapped up in a blanket. This is remarkable because normally by the afternoon, our A/C is blasting and it's a sauna outside and it couldn't be further from blanket weather. Today, however, is the first Saturday in recent memory I've been able to open the windows, watch some seriously good football, curl up and enjoy the high 50s (!) outside.

In honor of the weather, and in an attempt to woo it to stay for more than a few hours, I made a comforting chicken soup for lunch. It was a lot more labor intensive on the prep side than I expected, but it was more than worth it. The soup is really good and yielded 12 to 15 servings - enough for several meals. And we all know soup just gets better when it's reheated!

My only OOPS moment happened when I forgot to read the "bring to a boil" part before simmering. After about 10 minutes of simmering, I was not happy with how the broth looked and how the chicken was so... raw. Then I realized I am an idiot and forgot to read the boil part. So, I brought the soup to a boil, then simmered for a few more minutes, and all was well.
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 2 tsp. cider vinegar
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. oil
  • 2 ½ lbs. skinless & boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 ½ cups thinly sliced onion (1 large) - Skipped because onions are vile
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 ½ cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups chopped zucchini
  • 1 ½ cups frozen whole kernal corn, thawed
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. dried oregano
  • One 14 oz. can whole tomatoes with liquid, coarsely chopped
  • Shredded Monterey Jack cheese for garnish
Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add cumin mixture, chicken, onion and garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add broth and next 5 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle into soup bowls and top with cheese.

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