The Day I Didn't Want Soup & Made Soup

Did you know that January is National Soup Month?

I recently googled "winter comfort food recipes" on the internet. Our weekend here in Louisiana was going to be C-O-L-D and I was craving something warn, hearty and stick-to-your-bones kinda good. I did not want soup or pasta; I did not want a casserole or chili. I really wanted a great recipe that I had never made before.

I learned, after reading articles like, "The Best Winter Recipes Roundup," and "The Top 50 Winter Recipes To Beat the Blues," that soup, stews, and chilis are the number uno meals for beating the cold weather. And I get that. Other popular choices are Chicken Pot Pie, Shepherd's Pie, Chicken and Dumplings, Meatloaf, and Beef Stroganoff. Y'all know that my husband does not eat soups and stews or anything with the word, "pie" in it as long as it's meant to be consumed as an evening meal. Now, "Pie" for dessert is a different story.

What's a girl to do?

I decided to kick my meal planning up a notch by taking it into my own hands and decided to make something so new and comforting!

I MADE SOUP, Y'ALL!

I used two recipes from two of any favorite cooks, made some adjustments, and voila'!

Tristy's Chicken Tortilla Soup was BORN! Here's the recipe (more about the name twist in another post)!

I boiled my chicken. I'm a chicken snob and only use Tyson's chicken tenders and I like mine cut or diced instead of shredded. But you can do whatever. 

That's Jack photo bombing and hoping I will treat him to a piece of chicken!

I sautéed butter, minced garlic, and half a chopped onion in my dutch oven pot.

Then I added chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and chopped green chilies. I let that mixture just begin to boil.

Next I added the fajita seasoning and about a cup of water. I let that boil. Feel free to add more water and salt and pepper to your consistency and tastes. 

Then I added half of each can of corn and the chicken. Stir it and let it begin to boil. Be careful here or the cream style corn will scortch. Why only half a can? I've learned from making my taco soup recipe, that cream style corn does just that! It tends to make the soup creamier and not so "soupy." I'm not a big corn fan and so the half can of whole kernel was just enough for me. You could probably use only one can of your preference. 

After the soup began to boil, I let is simmer for thirty minutes and then served it  into bowls with tortilla strips and cheese. You can also add a dollop of sour cream or top with tortilla chips instead. 

Tristy's Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
14 ounce can of chicken broth
29 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
11 ounce can of enchilada sauce
4 ounce can of chopped chilies
one package of fajita seasoning (I used the Taco Bell brand)
1 cup of water (maybe more)
2-4 cups of chicken, cooked
1/2 can of whole kernel corn
1/2 can of cream style corn
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot and saute the onions and garlic. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, enchilada sauce and chilies and bring to boiling. Then add the fajita seasoning and water. After that mixture begins to boil again, add the chicken and corn. Continue to let the mixture boil and then reduce heat to low and let the soup simmer for thirty minutes. Serve with tortilla strips or chips, cheese, and sour cream.

I took leftovers to work the next day for lunch and it was even better! I think next time I make this recipe, I'll add some Velveeta cheese during the cooking time and leave out the shredded cheese.

Enjoy!

For even more recipe inspiration, visit The Blended Blog.