[Writer's note: just ate some leftovers of this for lunch and it was fabulous - better than yesterday. Even though my rice sopped up all the liquid, it just made for very moist and rich rice!]
Let's dive right in...
My mom used chicken thighs in her soup, but I didn't have any so chicken breasts it was. She recommended using about 4 thighs. Salt and pepper these babies and put them in a very hot pan to brown. You want to hear a sizzle when they make contact.
While your chicken is browning, wash and peel your carrots. No exact measurements in this recipe....the more the merrier really...
Grab your zucchini and wash that, too. Then cut up your veggies. Size does not matter here... I went with a rustic interpretation and had various sizes.
Crack open a can of whole tomatoes. Now let's go check on our chicken!
Flip it over and mmm browning nicely. See all those brown bits on the bottom of our pan? That is the flavor right there. And guess what - it's 100% natural.
Alright, once both sides are browned throw in your chopped veggies.
I then got a big measuring cup and proceeded to pour cupful after cupful of water in. You want to add enough to cover everything. And you see how it looks like I added chicken broth and not water? That's due to the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. *Do not overlook the importance of browning.*
I decided to use my tongs and add in each tomato instead of pouring it in with all the juicy goodness. Your choice. I wanted to be a rebel yesterday.
While your chicken is browning, wash and peel your carrots. No exact measurements in this recipe....the more the merrier really...
Grab your zucchini and wash that, too. Then cut up your veggies. Size does not matter here... I went with a rustic interpretation and had various sizes.
Crack open a can of whole tomatoes. Now let's go check on our chicken!
Flip it over and mmm browning nicely. See all those brown bits on the bottom of our pan? That is the flavor right there. And guess what - it's 100% natural.
Alright, once both sides are browned throw in your chopped veggies.
I then got a big measuring cup and proceeded to pour cupful after cupful of water in. You want to add enough to cover everything. And you see how it looks like I added chicken broth and not water? That's due to the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. *Do not overlook the importance of browning.*
I decided to use my tongs and add in each tomato instead of pouring it in with all the juicy goodness. Your choice. I wanted to be a rebel yesterday. Pack everything in so it's covered, and put your lid on for about 20ish minutes.
In the meantime, grab a big head of cabbage and whack it in half. I think I'll do a post on how to cut cabbage soon. I know I was quite intimidated the first time I tried on my own. You want to cut the cabbage into wedges. After your 20 or so minutes are up, go check the carrots in your soup. They should be fork tender. When they are, add in your cabbage wedges. Nestle those babies down in there.
You then want to grab a few jalapenos and chop those up. Some of you may want to mince these very finely if you're a little wimpy when it comes to heat, but I was feeling brave so I left relatively large pieces. Rustic, remember?
Now here is the only thing I would change about this soup. I LOVE adding rice to my soups. However, I have since realized that the rice sopped up all of the wonderful broth, and continues to do so as it sits in my fridge this morning. My recommendation, cook you rice separately, and when you go to survive, add some into each individual bowl. That way you get the benefit of rice in your soup, but don't lose the delicious liquid it cooked in.
Go ahead and add some salt and pepper in. Be generous. Remember, we used water not chicken broth so there's really very little salt in the soup at this point. Add, taste, adjust as necessary. Put your lid back on after all of your additions are in. I was now waiting for my rice to cook, but you could just wait long enough so it's an hour of cooking time total (from when you added the water) and then dig in.
Serve this soup in a big bowl with a sprinkle of cumin, roughly chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
Perfect meal for a cool winter day. And guess what, the leftovers will be even better as the flavors have a chance to marry and settle in together overnight in the fridge. Thanks for sharing, Mom. :)
In the meantime, grab a big head of cabbage and whack it in half. I think I'll do a post on how to cut cabbage soon. I know I was quite intimidated the first time I tried on my own. You want to cut the cabbage into wedges. After your 20 or so minutes are up, go check the carrots in your soup. They should be fork tender. When they are, add in your cabbage wedges. Nestle those babies down in there.
You then want to grab a few jalapenos and chop those up. Some of you may want to mince these very finely if you're a little wimpy when it comes to heat, but I was feeling brave so I left relatively large pieces. Rustic, remember?
Now here is the only thing I would change about this soup. I LOVE adding rice to my soups. However, I have since realized that the rice sopped up all of the wonderful broth, and continues to do so as it sits in my fridge this morning. My recommendation, cook you rice separately, and when you go to survive, add some into each individual bowl. That way you get the benefit of rice in your soup, but don't lose the delicious liquid it cooked in.
Go ahead and add some salt and pepper in. Be generous. Remember, we used water not chicken broth so there's really very little salt in the soup at this point. Add, taste, adjust as necessary. Put your lid back on after all of your additions are in. I was now waiting for my rice to cook, but you could just wait long enough so it's an hour of cooking time total (from when you added the water) and then dig in.
Serve this soup in a big bowl with a sprinkle of cumin, roughly chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
Perfect meal for a cool winter day. And guess what, the leftovers will be even better as the flavors have a chance to marry and settle in together overnight in the fridge. Thanks for sharing, Mom. :)
Mary
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