Monday, January 23, 2012

A Soup for Busy Moms

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love soup.  Especially when it’s cold outside.  I pinned this little soup from Rachel Ray a while back and I’ve been dying to try it.  So, I went to pull it up and realized it required a few more steps than I was prepared to handle.  I love Rachel Ray and all, but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t teach 6 & 7 year olds all day and then come home to two VERY overactive boys under the age of 5.  By 6:00, easy is the name of the game.  Unless I’m trying to escape crying and screaming…which is pretty much a nightly occurrence…and then I *might* enjoy being in the kitchen longer than normal.  All that to be said, I took Ms. Ray’s recipe and tweaked it to fit this busy momma’s schedule.  And ohmiword…couldn’t have been easier…or tastier!!!

THE BUSY MOM’S CHICKEN & RICE SOUP

adapted from Rachel Ray

1 rotisserie chicken {I used ALL the meat}

1 box {32 oz.} chicken broth

1/4 cup lime juice {2 limes}

1 cup salsa {I used Joe T. Garcia’s, mild}

1 can diced tomatoes with onion

1 cup frozen corn {or more if you like corn!}

1 cup frozen chopped veggies {celery, green pepper, and onion}

2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

1/3 cup Mexican cheese

1-2 boil-in-a bag bags of rice {this is the only way I can cook it :)}

 

Here it is, in all it’s EASY glory.

ChickenLimeSoup1

Shredding the chicken was the most time consuming part of this whole recipe.  Praise the Lord.

First up, bring chicken broth, lime juice, and salsa to a boil.

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Add in the diced tomatoes, frozen corn, and frozen chopped veggies.  I definitely let the frozen items thaw out before I tossed ‘em in.  Cook on medium high heat for about 10-12 minutes, reduce to low and add the shredded chicken.  Cover and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

ChickenLimeSoup3

Meanwhile, cook your rice.  I’m a cheater and I always use the boil-in-a-bag version.  I boiled 2 bags for this recipe.  Drain and return to pot.  Now take a spoonful{ish} of rice and dump it into your bowl.

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Spoon a very generous helping of the soup mix on top of the rice.  The more rice you add, the thicker your soup will be, so proceed with caution :) 

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Y’all.  This *might* be my new favorite soup.  Just sayin’.  As you can see, my soup is a little on the thick side here.  I added a little more rice than I probably should have, but ohmiword.  SO good!!!  And filling as all get out, too!!!  You might want to have an extra quart of chicken broth on hand.  You can always add more to the soup mix if you need to.  Infact, I ate this for lunch the very next day and there was a bit of reduction in the “soupiness”, so I added some chicken broth to the mix before I heated it up and it was perfect!!! 

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I dressed her up with some avocado, mexican cheese, and sour cream and I could hear the mariachi bands start to sing. ¡Esto es la gloria! Seriously.  And you can’t tell me this doesn’t look easy.  Sure, it’s not ready in 5 minutes, but 5 minutes is about all it takes to prep :)  This is the kinda soup this busy momma LOVES!!!!

13 comments:

  1. I love soup too and this one sounds like a winner to me. I'm going to my kitchen right now to see if I might have all the ingredients on hand to make this for tonight's dinner. Looks good :)
    Thanks for sharing,
    Jennifer

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  2. Ummm......HELLO FABULOUS!!! I love this recipe! I am a fellow soup fan and this is such a wonderful change of pace from the other soups I usually do. Five stars! THANKS SO MUCH!

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  3. I have no idea how you have time to be so wonderfully crafty and a great teacher, too. You are my new hero!!! I am trying this today and eating it in the OLE' teacher's lounge this week! Thanks fo much

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  4. I am making this right now and it smells so yummy! Thank YOU for sharing!

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  5. That looks fabulous! I love mexican-inspired soups.

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  6. Making this for supper tonight!

    Just a thought... I would dearly LOVE it if you had a way to post recipes so they can be printed out with the photos, etc. I haven't a clue how that's done, but have seen it on other blogs, sites, etc. I'm sure you have plenty to do every day but if it's something you've ever considered, I'd be cheering you on to do it! :)

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  7. Absolutely AMAZING recipe! It was delicious!!!!

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  8. I can't wait to try this!! Great take on a Chicken Chile...Thank You for posting a way to make it fast and easy!!

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  9. I just made this, it is delicious. Our AC went out earlier, and it is still amazing, even though it is 89 degrees in our house!

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  10. Yes! Finally, I’ve come across a rice-loving soup! Generally, Asians like me are rice-lovers. Though I have moved and am getting accustomed to the western taste buds, I am still looking for that Asian dish where rice is a hero. This recipe from Rachel Ray is definitely what I have been looking for. Those who to try something new can do this, and this will also provide ideas for restaurant Fort Lauderdale owners who want to add new dishes in their menus if ever. Thank you so much for sharing. I hope to see more of these recipes!

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  11. This soup is AMAZING! It's one of my favorites.. and my husband looooves it so much too! Whenever I make it, he always goes back to the kitchen for a second plate. Thank you so much for sharing it!

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  12. What's the cilantro for? Was making it and then noticed that it didn't really say anything about it in the recipe. Is it just to add on the top if you want?

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