Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tortilla soup has always been a favorite to eat, but I’d never made it myself! Leading up to Cinco de Mayo, I tried out a few new Tex Mex recipes, including this one for spicy chicken tortilla soup. It was love at first bite – very easy to toss together, super colorful, somewhat healthy, and has amazing flavor with all of the peppers and spices.

I slightly adapted the original recipe, excluding hominy and adding some corn and crispy tortilla strips. Side note: to make crispy tortilla strips to top your soup, simply slice a few corn tortillas into strips, put them on a lined baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Super simple and adds a nice texture when you dig in.

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken, shredded or chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (with or without seeds)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 poblano pepper, roasted and diced
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
8 cups chicken broth (2 quarts)
1 4-oz can diced green chilies
1 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 bag frozen corn
1 14-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
4 corn tortillas, cut into strips (plus more if making crispy strips)
Juice of 2 limes
Shredded monterey jack cheese, optional for serving
Chopped cilantro, optional for serving
Sour cream, optional for serving

Yield: Serves 6-8

Directions:
First, roast the poblano pepper over a burner on a gas range stove or under the broiler. You want the pepper to be very dark and charred— almost black. Set aside on a plate to cool then dice. (you can either leave or remove the seeds)

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot. Once hot, add the diced onion and jalapeno and cook for five minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and diced poblano pepper and cook for another minute. Add the chili powder, cumin, and coriander and mix until well combined.

Pour in the chicken stock and add the tomatoes, corn, black beans, green chilies, chicken, and salt. Bring to a boil.

Finally, add the regular tortilla strips and lime juice and cook until tortillas soften. Serve with chopped cilantro and shredded cheese, plus crispy tortilla strips and sour cream if wanted.

Source: Slightly adapted from Eat Live Run

Spicy Peanut Chicken Pasta

I’m such a sucker for peanut sauce – there’s just something about it that’s irresistible to my taste buds. So you can imagine how much I loved this Asian pasta dish with a spicy peanut sauce. The variety of vegetables gives it vibrant color and makes you feel a little healthier eating this tasty dish.

Quick tip: you can add the chopped vegetables to the cooking pasta for about 5 minutes to slightly cook them while still leaving a bit of crunch. Mix in the sauce, top with chopped cilantro, and you have a delicious meal after my own heart.

Spicy Peanut Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 cup shredded or julienne carrots
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 head of broccoli, cut into small pieces
1 cup chopped or shredded cooked chicken breast (2-3 breasts)
8 oz cooked whole grain linguine

For the dressing:
5 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp sesame or canola oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 small piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small pieces
1/2 Tbsp honey
1 clove garlic
1 tsp brown sugar
1/3 cup peanuts
Sriracha sauce (a few dashes – or more to your taste)

Cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Puree all of the dressing ingredients (except peanuts) in a food processor until smooth and creamy.  Add the peanuts last and process until just finely chopped.

Cook the pasta and add the vegetables into the water for the last 5 minutes to soften them a bit. Drain and return to the pot. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Add more sriracha if you want a spicier taste. Top individual servings with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Source: Slightly adapted from Pinch of Yum