Chicken Taco Soup

I first tried Chicken Taco Soup at a luncheon I attended a couple of years ago. I loved it! The lady who had made the food for the luncheon happened to be sitting right next to me and she shared the recipe with me. The recipe below recommends that you make it in a slow cooker. I think you can also cook it on the stove for 1-2 hours and still get a tasty soup!

I made this soup for a winter birthday party and the guests loved it! It's a great one to make when serving a large group of people! Make it in an electric roasting pan.

I follow the Chicken Taco Soup Recipe from All Recipes.com but I don't use taco seasoning. I use a combination of spices recommended in one of the comments for the recipe. I also buy a roasted chicken and shred it. I add the shredded chicken the last hour of cooking.

Here is the recipe I use:

Chicken Taco Soup
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 can of chili beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of whole kernnel corn, drained (or 1 to 2 cups of frozen corn)
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 12 oz can of beer
1 can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chiles, mild
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 packages of taco seasoning* (SEE BELOW for a make-your-own recipe)
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or about 4 cups of meat from a roasted chicken, shredded)

*Spices to replace using taco seasoning as recommended in a comment:
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Toppings (optional):

-green onions, chopped

-Cheddar cheese, shredded

-corn tortilla chips

-sour cream

Directions
1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker on low and cook for 5 hours.

2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, cool, and shred. Add to soup an cook for 2 more hours. If you don't use uncooked chicken breasts, add the cooked roasted chicken an hour before you serve the soup.

3. Serve with the optional toppings and enjoy!

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Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

I've never cooked a whole chicken in a slow cooker before but I need to today because I won't be able to cook dinner at the usual time. I'm expecting it will be cooked within 4-6 hours and so I hope starting it at noon will be plenty of cooking time.

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

1 whole chicken
1 onion
spices

1-Chop the onion in long slices and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2-Rinse the chicken and removed the giblets package.
3-Place chicken in slow cooker and cover with the seasoning/spices of your choice, including the cavity. I used pre-mixed seasonings that I have from a spice shop--"Team Sweet Mama's BBQ Chicken Rub" that is made with sea salt, garlic, brown sugar, onion, paprika, mustard, cayenne, and savory.
4-Cover the slow cooker and cook on high.

I think I'll be serving this with broccoli and/or cauliflower and brown rice, quinoa or cheesy pasta shells.

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Chicken Giblet Stock

I didn't want to throw out the giblets from the whole chicken I made for dinner tonight and found this simple recipe on Epicurious, of course.

Chicken Giblet Stock
Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 1 small onion, quartered
• Chicken heart, gizzard, and neck
• 1 small carrot, sliced
• 2 large fresh parsley sprigs
• 2 large fresh marjoram sprigs
• 2 large fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

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Simple Roast Chicken

Simple and tasty! Recipe found on Epicurious.

Before cooking, I put half of a lemon in the cavity and placed the chicken over thick slices of onion. I cooked it for 70 minutes and didn't add butter.

I served it with summer squash and potato torte as a side dish.

Simple Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

• Unsalted butter
• Dijon mustard

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken—I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone—I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip—until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

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Oven Fried Chicken

I wanted to make fried chicken using panko crumbs and found this one on Food Network, Oven Fried Chicken.

I only had drumsticks on hand and they turned out pretty yummy. Everyone had at least one. My opinion (now, remember, I'm pregnant), this is an okay recipe. I really like panko but think the "crust" was too dry. I'll make it again, though. I served it with macaroni salad from The New Best Recipe cookbook.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons freshly minced thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 -inch thickness

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place a cooling rack over pan and spray rack with nonstick cooking spray.

In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, cheese, 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, to taste. In a separate shallow dish, combine mustard, water, salt and pepper, to taste, and remaining olive oil. Coat each chicken breast with mustard mixture; dredge each in bread crumb mixture. Place on prepared rack in pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown. Serve immediately.

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Chicken Toscana Soup

This is a copycat recipe I found online. I had this soup at Romano's Macaroni Grill and it was very tasty.

Chicken Toscana Soup

Macaroni Grill Chicken Toscana Soup Recipe Clone Ingredients
Makes 2 servings

• olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup cooked chicken, preferably roasted
• 1 ripe tomato, chopped
• 4 ounces packaged gnocchi, cut in half
• 1/2 cup cream or half-and-half
• 3/4 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
• 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil

Cook the onions and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until onion becomes soft and transparent and garlic becomes golden. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will taste bitter.

Add chicken broth. Turn up heat and let it come to a boil. After the broth starts boiling, add the precooked chicken, gnocchi, and chopped tomato. Turn down to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Next, add the cream. Add spinach last. Stir spinach until it wilts. Remove from heat.

After putting the Chicken Toscana soup into individual bowls, sprinkle with generous amounts of Parmesan cheese and a little basil.

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Creamy White Chili

Hi Claudia,
I've been so excited to make something with the green chilis I got at the stand. My family loves this recipe already so I thought it would be a safe way to go. Maybe it was just my enthusiasm for using them but I thought using the fresh roasted medium-heat chilis made it even better than with the canned mild ones. If you try it let me know what you think:

Creamy White Chili

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into half inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 Tbs vegetable oil
2 cans (15.5 oz ea.) great northern beans, rinsed & drained
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz ea) chopped green chilis (I used 8 oz fresh-roasted ones from the chili stand, medium heat)
1 tsp sale
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic in oil until chicken is no longer pink and onions are beginning to brown. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, fro 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve immediately. 7 servings.

We eat this with quesadillas - it helps cut the spiciness for the kids. I'm not sure of the origin - I got it from my mother-in-law who cut it out of a magazine, maybe Tast of Home, but i can't be sure - it's been years...

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A few recipe links

Below are some links to recipes that I'd like to try. I haven't made these but they sound good.

lemon shortbread bars
quick quiche (last-minute recipe from Amy Karol)
basic chocolate chip cookie
high fiber pancake mix
chicken salad

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