Chicken Tortilla Soup

I am by no means an expert at posting recipes, but I keep getting questions on how to use a whole chicken!  So here is an excellent soup that uses not only the meat from the bird, but the broth that was created when you cook the chicken!  And I'll tell you how to recook the chicken bones to create nourishing stock!

First, chop a whole large onion and a few peppers (we had green from our garden, but you can use any color pepper!).  Add them to a large stock pot with a few tablespoons of olive oil.  Along with the onion and peppers add a bunch of fresh garlic, chili powder, cumin and crushed hot red pepper.  Turn stove to med-high and let cook.

While that is all cooking, start tearing your cooked chicken apart.  All we did was put the whole chicken in a pot of water around lunch time and cooked on medium for a few hours.  Don't dump the broth!!

 Add all your chicken meat to the pot of veggies and spices.

Next, add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and a can of Rotel.  Rotel is just chopped tomatoes and green chilies...you could use fresh if you have it.

 Then add 6 cups of your reserved chicken broth.

To give the soup added protein, add some beans.  We had black beans, but you could use any kind you like.  Let it all simmer on low for 20-30 min to allow the flavors to blend.  That's it!

We like to top ours with shredded cheese, cilantro and corn tortillas cut into strips.  Avocado and sour cream are other  great toppings!  YUM!

All the leftover chicken bones can be cooked again to make nourishing stock.  Here is how easy it is:  Put them in a pot of cold water with a splash of apple cider vinegar (this helps draw the nutrients out of the bones).  Add any veggies you have for nutrition and taste...onion, garlic, carrot, celery, etc.  Simmer on low for a minimum of 24 hours.  I like to let mine go for 48 hours.  Remove all bones and veggies (feed the veg to your chickens if you have some!!) and strain the stock.  Store in glass quart jars in the freezer for future soups!  It's that easy and it's full of nourishing goodness!!  And if you think about it, you're getting 2 meals out of one chicken!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 large onion chopped

2-3 green, red or orange peppers chopped

1 tbspn chili powder

1 tsp cumin

5-6 peices of fresh, crushed garlic

pinch of red pepper flakes

4-5 tbspns olive oil

meat from 1 chicken

6 cups chicken broth

1 can Rotel or 2 cups fresh diced tomatoes and green chilies

2 tbspns tomato paste

4 cups cooked beans

This post linked to The Homestead Barn Hop #114