Spicy Chicken Soup
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.