Kemal and I were very pleased with how the soup turned out, and I think Kemal must have told me a dozen times yesterday how much he enjoyed it. He said his stomach just purred like a kitten after he ate it. It makes you feel all warm and cozy inside, especially on chilly days like today.
Chicken Fajita Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 lb. chicken thighs
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 bunch green onions, diced
- 3 fresh tomatoes, diced
- 1 can tomato soup
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 cup prepared jalepeno ranch dressing (You can make your own easily by mixing finely chopped jalepenos to prepared ranch dressing)
- 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix or make your own seasoning mix (I used carne arsada seasoning mix which included chili powder, course salt, black pepper, red pepper, and lime)
- 1 can black beans
- 2 large poblano peppers, diced
- 2 habanero peppers (substitute with milder peppers if you don’t like really hot peppers)
- 2 red chili peppers, diced
- 1 small yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- dried cilantro
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 4 medium-sized potatoes, diced
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Optional: 1/2 cup frozen corn (I was going to add it, but I forgot)
- Optional: 1/2 cup dried red lentils
Instructions:
- Take the corn out of the freezer if you decide to add it to your soup, and set it on the counter top to thaw out.
- Wash the potatoes and then dice them with the skin on.
- Now dice your celery.
- In a large pot, cook the chicken thighs and potatoes in about 6 cups of water on high heat until the water starts to boil. (If you want to add lentils to your soup, add them with the chicken and potatoes.)
- Then, add the diced celery and turn the heat down to medium high and continue cooking.
- While the chicken and potatoes are cooking, clean and dice the remaining vegetables (except the corn).
Note: I never remove the pepper seeds with the exception of habanero pepper seeds which are very hot. If you don’t want your soup to set your mouth on fire, remove the habanero pepper seeds before dicing them.
- Take the diced green onions, yellow onions, and habanero peppers and fry them in some olive oil until they’re soft. Set them aside.
- Take the remaining diced vegetables (not the fried onions/habaneros) and puree them in the blender.
- After the chicken and potatoes are cooked, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer. If you decide to put corn in your soup, add it now.
- Remove the cooked chicken pieces while the soup is simmering, and let them cool.
- After the chicken cools a little, then cut the thighs into small pieces, putting it back in the pot when done.
- Add the pureed vegetables, the black beans, the can of tomato soup, the ranch dressing, and the seasonings to the chicken and potatoes. Don’t drain the water.
- Simmer on low heat about 30 minutes or so.
Note: When you put the soup in a bowl to serve it, you can then garnish it with sour cream, jalepeno ranch dressing, or shredded Monterey Jack cheese if you like. Corn chips, corn tortilla chips, and/or cornbread make an excellent accompaniment to the soup. I garnished my soup with jalepeno ranch dressing and used blue corn tortilla chips that were covered in chili powder to accompany our soup.
Now that you’ve made chicken fajita soup, you might be interested in making the taco soup that my mom makes. It’s really delicious, and here’s the recipe if you’re interested in trying it:
Mom’s Taco Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 can tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 can cream-style corn
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 2 cups water
- 1 pkg of dry ranch dressing
- 1 pkg taco seasoning
- 1 can yellow hominy
- 2 cans of beans of your choice (Mom uses black beans, Great Northern beans, and a handful of red lentils)
- Optional: sour cream
Instructions:
- Brown the ground beef and cook the onions with the beef.
- Transfer the beef and onions into a large pot and then add the remaining ingredients (except the sour cream)
- Simmer for 30 minutes and serve.
- Add a dollop of sour cream on top of the soup if you like. You can also grate some cheese and add that to the top if you prefer.
- Enjoy the soup with corn chips, corn tortillas, or cornbread.
