New Recipe

I am not what you would call "a cook".  I don't especially love to cook or bake, but I do enjoy eating and we don't eat out a lot so that leaves me with little option but to cook.  I am probably like most people, I have 4-5 standard go-to meals that I don't need a recipe for, that go together quickly and that everyone in my house likes.  One of those is Taco Soup.  Big hit, I've had many other people's recipes as well and never met one that I didn't like!

I found "my" taco soup recipe in a magazine in college.  It looked cheap and easy so I made it!  It has stuck around for quite a while.  But a couple of months ago, a wild thought popped into my head: "Why can't I use chicken in my taco soup instead of beef?  People eat chicken tacos don't they?"  And so it began...I subbed in chicken for ground beef...THEN, I subbed in lime and cilantro for sauteed onion!  CrAzY!  And what I mean by crazy, is crazy good.  I often experiment in the kitchen, it rarely goes well.  But this, was worth writing down.  

So here goes, Chicken Taco Soup.  Feel free to make it your own :)

Poach 2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes. (reserve 2 cups of the broth for the soup later)

Into a BIG pot add:

2 cans pinto beans

2 cans corn

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 small can tomato sauce

1 small can chopped green chilis

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 packet of ranch seasoning

1/2 oz fresh lime juice (or about 1/3 of the lime juice from a whole lime)

1/4 cup of chopped cilantro (or about 1/3 of a bunch)

Add the chicken and the broth whenever they're ready!

This could not be easier and it is delicious with cornbread, chips, sour cream, what ever you want!

[edit: I buy 1 clump of cilantro and 1 lime, chop and squeeze appropriately, use 1/3 of each for this soup and sock away the rest in the freezer for 2 future soups!]