It’s recipe time, y’all! As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I rarely share recipes on the blog. It’s not because I don’t have great recipes to share…it’s because I HATE taking pictures of the food I cook (plus I’m normally hungry and eat it before I can take a picture), I don’t really measure quantities, and I often just try to use what’s in my kitchen rather than plan out a real recipe. I love cooking and I cook dinner almost every night, but I just don’t think I’m cut out to be a food blogger. That being said, I have one of my favorite go-to soup recipes for you today!
I grew up eating a soup similar to this at the Mexican restaurant my family likes to go to. I moved away from home when I was 18 (when I headed up to New York to attend West Point), and over 10 years later I have yet to find a soup as good at any Mexican restaurant. Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s just that good. Probably a combination of both. I have figured out how to recreate it though, because sometimes you just need a little taste of home…even if that comes in the form of Mexican chicken and rice soup when you’re a girl from the Atlanta suburbs.
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups cooked rice
48 oz. chicken broth (one large box)
2 tomatoes, diced
juice of one lime
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño, diced (removed seed and ribs if you don’t like the heat)
1/2 of a large onion, diced and sautéed
salt and pepper to taste (sorry, I winged this and forgot to measure)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chicken breast on a pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake for 35 min. Shred with hands once cool.
Sauté onions in olive oil in a small pan to give the onions deeper flavor. Or you can just add freshly diced onions to the soup. It tastes good either way.
In a large dutch oven combine shredded chicken, cooked rice and next 7 ingredients. Warm the soup over medium heat until everything is hot and mixed together. Add avocado right before you remove from heat.
Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro, diced jalapeños, crumbled cotija cheese and a slice of lime.
This soups looks delicious, healthy and easy – three key ingredients for a keeper recipe. Thank you for sharing!