[Lastest update: 11/03/2023]
Before I finished college and got a “real” job, I made my money in restaurant kitchens. At home, I don’t cook as often as I should, but I do have a few go-to recipes that are, by now, battle tested. I might as well share a few here. This is the first, Wheat’s Mexican Chicken Soup, which is a low-carb take on tortilla soup. It’s delicious and hearty, wether your follow a low-carb lifestyle or not. It has broad appeal.
There’s a PDF download link at the bottom of this post, but here’s the basic idea. Here’s what you’ll need to add to your shopping list:
- Chicken breasts (or, preferably, one rotisserie chicken)
- Butter (3 Tbsp)
- Garlic (4 cloves)
- Onion (1 medium)
- Flour (2 Tbsp)
- Chicken broth, 1 carton (32 oz)
- Half & Half, 4 cups
- Prepared salsa, 2 cups
- Black beans, 1 can (15 oz)
- Kidney beans (light red or dark red), 1 can (15 oz)
- Whole kernel corn, 1 can (15 oz)
- Sour cream (1/2 cup)
You’ll need some spices, of course. You likely already have most of these:
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Paprika
- Brown sugar
- Oregano
- Salt
- Cayenne pepper
- Black pepper
As you’ll see in the directions section of the recipe, this could hardly be simpler. The only skill required is patience. You have to keep stirring while you’ll working with the onions and flower and, later, while you’re simmering the whole thing, so that nothing burns. If you do that, you really can’t go wrong.
Like all soups, this one gets better if it has time to sit. So, while you can whip it up and serve it immediately, it’s even better if you prepare it the day before and allow it to sit in your refrigerator over night before you reheat and serve it.
Fall 2023 Updated Version
I’m always working on ways to perfect this recipe. Here’s the latest: