Chicken “Tortilla” Soup… It’s what’s for #dinner.

The weather outside is frightful. I always said that if the weather drops to the 20s I better see some goddamn snow for this cold to be worth it. Unfortunately, I live in Washington D.C. and that is never the case. It gets pretty darn cold, and there ain’t a single snowflake on the ground to prove it.

**Edit: Actually the weather has warmed up a bit from when I wrote this post. Additionally, we had a snow storm a few weeks ago so, I guess there’s a few lingering piles of snow outside.

The last few “It’s what’s for #dinner” posts have all shared one common thread – they are all soups. This one is no different. With winter, soups are my number one favorite things to have for lunch and dinner, and even breakfast. Soups are the bomb dot com. (I’m serious.)

To make this bad boy, I decided to go paleo-friendly. My eating mantra this year has been to include as many paleo-friendly meals as my wallet can deal with. Because let’s be honest with ourselves, going full fledge paleo dings the bank account significantly. However, despite that, I know it’s a far more healthier way of living so I try my best. (If you’re a paleo buff, and you have comments about my eating habits, shut it. I honestly didn’t ask for your opinion.)

Since Chicken Tortilla Soup normally has crispy tortilla strips, I decided to swap those out with crunchy cabbage. Some sliced up cabbage added right at the very end of the cooking process still gives you that crunch but keeps with the paleo framework. Essentially, you’ll find that many of the dishes you cook can be paleo with quick swaps here and there. (I’ll share with you next time on how I make Chicken Marinara without breadcrumbs or parmesan. Nom nom nom.)

I basically took the ingredients found here, from Linda Wagner. I did however omit the chili powder and added more jalapeños instead. I also added red bell peppers. (I thought about adding zucchini but I was all out. The next time though, I will be adding that in.) I also didn’t have sweet onion, so I substituted for white onions instead. The end result was a pretty awesome dinner for two. D absolutely loved it and commented on how nom-tastic it tasted.
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Chicken “Tortilla” Soup

  • 2 large chicken breasts, skin removed and cut into 1/2 inch strips – I used 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs instead and did not cut them into strips
  • 28oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 2 small white potatoes – my addition to the mix because I wanted a hearty soup
  • 32 ounces organic chicken broth
  • 1 sweet onion, diced – substituted white onions instead
  • 2 jalapeños, de-seeded and diced – added an additional jalapeno
  • 2 cups of shredded carrots – sliced rather than shred carrots, much less time consuming
  • 2 cups chopped celery
  • 1 bunch of cilantro chopped fine
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbs tomato paste – I may have used at least 3 tablespoons
  • 1 tsp chili powder – omitted this ingredient
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
  • olive oil
  • 1-2 cups water
  • sliced cabbage

Directions
In a large pot, heat up the olive oil then add onions. Once the onions are translucent, go ahead and add in the garlic. Once fragrant, add the chicken. Add some salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook all sides of the thighs. Once the sides are cooked, add chicken broth, can of tomatoes, tomato paste and potatoes. Let that cook for a few minutes (probably about 5-8 minutes).

The next step is to add the vegetables in the following order based on the amount of cooking time. Since potatoes take a bit longer to cook, they were added into the pot first. Next will be the carrots and celery. Let that cook for about 5-8 minutes. By this time, your pot is probably boiling pretty rapidly, go ahead and drop the heat to about medium. Next add in the red bell peppers and the jalapeños. Cover and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

By this time the chicken thighs should be cooked thoroughly. Scoop them out and start shredding! Add them back into the pot and season the broth some more, if needed. If it tastes good to you, then you’re done! Add some soup to a bowl, top it up with some cilantro, cabbage, and maybe a lime juice if you’d like. And that’s it!

Now, get to eating and slurping.

‘Til the next time.
– E