You know it’s fall when I’m breakin’ out a soup. This is another “I’m-working-full-time-now-so-what-the-heck-do-I-eat-for-lunch” recipe. And I must say, this one was very successful. I will admit to having brought left over mashed potatoes to work a time or two, and eating this spicy chicken soup made me feel way better about life than potatoes. Not that I don’t love potatoes.

This recipe is pretty straight forward. There are multiple steps, but nothing tricky. I just wouldn’t do that to ya’ll.

Start out with the chicken. Bring a pot of chicken broth to a boil and add the chicken thighs. Return to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Let it cook for a half or so. Then let it sit in the hot liquid with a lid on for an hour. You could also totally use my salsa chicken recipe here. Like I’ve said, it’s amazing in anything. The only reason I didn’t here was because I’m not on my game.

While it’s boiling, chop up a jalapeno, celery, and onion. And please, please put on some freaking gloves while you chop that jalepeno. Taking contacts out after chopping with no protection is not a fun thing.

Another to-do item while the chicken is cooking: cook the pasta. I used small shells and cooked them very al dente. Remember that it’ll get added to the hot soup and microwaved when reheating. When done, toss it with a tablespoon of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking.

Remove the skin and nasty bits off of the chicken and shred the meat. I love shredding chicken. And I love shredded chicken.

Pour some olive oil into a big pot and heat it. Add some freshly chopped oregano (the last of summer… 🙁 ) and heat until it starts to smell fragrant and delicious.

Add the chopped veggies and cook for a few minutes. Then add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until the veggies are soft.

Add a can of chopped tomatoes and half a can of tomato sauce. Let cook for a few minutes. Then toss in the chicken and noodles and cook until just heated through.

Ta da! That’s it. And it was totally perfect for lunch this week. I just needed a big hunk of bread.

 
 

 

Spicy Chicken Soup
 
Ingredients
3 chicken thighs
4 cups chicken broth
1 jalapeno, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
7 oz small shells
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 half can tomato sauce
 
Directions
1. Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a dutch oven or heavy duty pot. Add chicken thighs, return to a boil then reduce to simmer. Let simmer for a half hour, then cover and let sit for a half hour.
2. While the chicken is cooking, cook the pasta al dente. When done, set aside and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
3. In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped oregano and cook until fragrant. Add the chopped veggies and cook for a few minutes.
4. Remove the chicken from the broth and add the broth to the veggies and chopped oregano. Bring to a simmer and cook until veggies are soft, about 15 minutes.
5. While the veggies are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken and shred it.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce to the broth mixture. Cook for five more minutes, then add the chicken and noodles. Cook until heated through.