Chicken Tortilla Soup
We love finding ways to preserve the fresh produce from our farm while it's in season to enjoy all year long. If you had a chance to look at our blog, 3 Ways to Preserve Tomatoes at Home, you may have noticed that we preserve this chicken tortilla soup in the heat of summer to enjoy as a quick and easy meal in the winter months.
Inspired by a recipe from the Whole Fed Homestead, this recipe is definitely one we will add to our yearly freezer stash. This year I froze 4 jars of tortilla soup starter. Next year, I hope to double that so we can have this once a month in the cold months!
You can certainly make this recipe any point in the year, but I highly recommend coming out to the farm to get the ingredients when they're in season in late summer. The flavors fresh from the garden cannot be rivaled!
Ingredients in Chicken Tortilla Soup
Onions & Garlic - aromatic and delicious, we start most of the recipes in our home with onions and garlic in the frying pan. Adjust quantities based on what you have on hand and your family's preferences.
Peppers - the particular blend of peppers here is also versatile. About 2 cups of peppers will add the flavor to the soup, and you can choose pepper varieties based on your level of heat! This particular blend is fairly mild.
Tomatoes - in a pinch, you can use canned tomatoes, but fresh, in season, tomatoes will really add flavor to your soup.
Taco Seasoning - skip the packet! Make your own seasoning. Find a recipe here.
Corn - you can certainly use fresh or frozen corn in this recipe. Canned corn could also work; we just prefer the taste of fresh or frozen. You could also add in greens with the corn, like mustard greens or kale, for some added flavor/nutrition.
Chicken - a pasture-raised chicken will add unrivaled flavor and nutrition to this dish. If you have leftover chicken from dinner, shred the leftovers to use in this soup, or cook a chicken in the slow cooker or oven to shred for recipes like this.
Chicken Broth - skip this from the grocery store as well. Remember that chicken you shredded to make this recipe? Save the bones and use them to make your own broth, so you can control the ingredients.
Beans - we prefer black beans in the recipe, but pinto beans could also work well.
Toppings - Be inspired by taco night and the contents of your pantry/fridge! Tortilla chips, cheese, Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, salsa - there are tons of great additions to this dinner!
Cooking Instructions:
Step One: On the Stove
In a large pot, saute peppers & onion in oil until tender, about 15 minutes.Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, and taco seasoning. Simmer until veggies are tender and flavors meld, about 15 minutes.Add corn, chicken broth, shredded chicken and beans and heat, 5-10 minutes. You don't need to cook the chicken here, you're just warming it to the same temp as the soup.
Step Two: On the Table
Add salt and toppings, as desired, and serve!
This is a great dish to add to the end of summer rotation, when fresh food is still in abundance but you're craving the cozy tastes of fall.
Happy Cooking!
Kenna
Inspired by a recipe from the Whole Fed Homestead, this recipe is definitely one we will add to our yearly freezer stash. This year I froze 4 jars of tortilla soup starter. Next year, I hope to double that so we can have this once a month in the cold months!
You can certainly make this recipe any point in the year, but I highly recommend coming out to the farm to get the ingredients when they're in season in late summer. The flavors fresh from the garden cannot be rivaled!
Ingredients in Chicken Tortilla Soup
Onions & Garlic - aromatic and delicious, we start most of the recipes in our home with onions and garlic in the frying pan. Adjust quantities based on what you have on hand and your family's preferences.
Peppers - the particular blend of peppers here is also versatile. About 2 cups of peppers will add the flavor to the soup, and you can choose pepper varieties based on your level of heat! This particular blend is fairly mild.
Tomatoes - in a pinch, you can use canned tomatoes, but fresh, in season, tomatoes will really add flavor to your soup.
Taco Seasoning - skip the packet! Make your own seasoning. Find a recipe here.
Corn - you can certainly use fresh or frozen corn in this recipe. Canned corn could also work; we just prefer the taste of fresh or frozen. You could also add in greens with the corn, like mustard greens or kale, for some added flavor/nutrition.
Chicken - a pasture-raised chicken will add unrivaled flavor and nutrition to this dish. If you have leftover chicken from dinner, shred the leftovers to use in this soup, or cook a chicken in the slow cooker or oven to shred for recipes like this.
Chicken Broth - skip this from the grocery store as well. Remember that chicken you shredded to make this recipe? Save the bones and use them to make your own broth, so you can control the ingredients.
Beans - we prefer black beans in the recipe, but pinto beans could also work well.
Toppings - Be inspired by taco night and the contents of your pantry/fridge! Tortilla chips, cheese, Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, salsa - there are tons of great additions to this dinner!
Cooking Instructions:
Step One: On the Stove
In a large pot, saute peppers & onion in oil until tender, about 15 minutes.Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, and taco seasoning. Simmer until veggies are tender and flavors meld, about 15 minutes.Add corn, chicken broth, shredded chicken and beans and heat, 5-10 minutes. You don't need to cook the chicken here, you're just warming it to the same temp as the soup.
Step Two: On the Table
Add salt and toppings, as desired, and serve!
This is a great dish to add to the end of summer rotation, when fresh food is still in abundance but you're craving the cozy tastes of fall.
Happy Cooking!
Kenna