Fiesta Explosion Soup!!!

Chicken Fiesta Explosion Soup

My daughter calls this "Heaven in a bowl".  And she's right. I decided to make the low fat / low carb version this time, meaning no cheese or sour cream, and only a few corn chips. 

Why, you ask? New Year's resolution? Nope. Not even close. Upcoming beach vacation? Well, yeah... sort of. Utter horror at not being able to wear my skinny jeans?  Or any of my pants? Bingo!!

What we're lacking in fat and carbs, we're making up for in flavor. Break open the spice cabinet, we're on the way to one delicious pot of hearty, filling, good for you and your waistline soup.

 Let's start with some lean, boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs. About 3 will do it. What we're after here are tasty, moist pieces of chicken, not dried out, flavorless chunks of meat. In order to accomplish this, we need to braise the chicken slowly in some really flavorful liquid.

Place the chicken pieces on top of some onion slices (about 1/2 onion) in a baking dish, skillet or pot. Sprinkle with Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon smoky paprika, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano. Lay a handful of fresh whole cilantro sprigs right on top. (You'll be taking the sprigs out later). Dump one 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes on top. Add about 1/2 cup chicken stock to the dish; enough so the liquid reaches half way up the breasts. Smash and peel 4 cloves garlic and put them in the liquid.
Cover. Bake at 300 degrees about 40 minutes, until chicken is done. Set aside.

While the chicken is in the oven, prep the vegetables. We need 3 large carrots' 3 celery stalks, 1 large onion, (any color will do), 1 green zucchini, 1 yellow squash, 2 red peppers, and 2 pasilla peppers. Actually, the red peppers and the Pasilla peppers are optional. You can sub a jar of roasted red peppers and (1) 4 ounce can mild green chiles. 

If roasting your own peppers, place them on a sheet pan and pop them under the broiler. Char them on all sides until completely black, like so.

Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. This helps steam the skins off.

Now peel and cut the carrots and onion and place on a sheet pan. Quarter the carrots and thickly slice the onion. 

 Drizzle with extra light olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin.

 Roast them in a 425 degree oven about 20 minutes, until beginning to brown (caramelize). Chop into bite size pieces.

 If you're out of sheet pans or oven space, or just don't feel like roasting these, no big deal. Chop the veg into bite size pieces, season, and sauté in some olive oil until they get a little color on them. 

Color = flavor. Brown food tastes good.

Peel, seed and chop the roasted peppers.

Remove the Cilantro sprigs from the chicken. Chop celery, zucchini, peppers, and chicken. 

Saute' celery in the soup pot.  On medium high heat, add (1) 28 ounce can Fire Roasted Tomatoes, 1 quart chicken stock, chopped onion, carrots, peppers and 1 cup frozen corn kernels. Add the liquid and veg that the chicken cooked in to the pot.

Add 1 package Taco Seasoning mix. Stir.

Add 1 can drained and rinsed black beans, 1 cup frozen corn kernels, and the chopped chicken.

Note: I was planning to add some brown rice, but I changed my mind, thus the "Success Rice" pic.

Taste. Add more stock as needed to get the consistency you desire. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of Cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes. Heck, add a jar of your favorite salsa for extra flavor. Add more cumin or chili powder to suit your taste.

Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with chopped avocado, fresh chopped cilantro, chopped scallions, and, for those that can still fit into their pants, crushed corn chips, shredded cheddar/jack cheese, and a dollop of sour cream.

This soup freezes well. Fill a few quart size baggies and freeze flat; stacked in your freezer. 

I think I'll have a margarita to wash down the salt....

Ingredients:

One pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

Onion slices (about 1/2 onion)

Kosher salt

Fresh cracked pepper

1+ tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoky paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

6 fresh whole cilantro sprigs

1 packet taco seasoning

One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chicken stock

4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

 3 large carrots, peeled and quartered

 3 celery stalks, peeled and sliced

 1 large onion, (any color will do), peeled and diced

 1 green zucchini: Quartered and diced

 1 yellow squash:Quartered and diced

 2 red peppers : Quartered and diced

 2 pasilla peppers Quartered and diced

(Red peppers and the Pasilla peppers are optional. You can sub a jar of roasted red peppers and (1)  4 ounce can mild green chiles). 

(1) 28 ounce can Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 can drained and rinsed black beans 

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 (or more) quarts chicken stock

Fresh avocado

Sliced scallions

Cheese

Sour cream

Method:

1. Place the chicken pieces on top of some onion slices (about 1/2 onion) in a baking dish, skillet or pot. Sprinkle with Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon smoky paprika, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
2. Lay a handful of fresh whole cilantro sprigs on top.
3. Dump one 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes on top of the chicken.
4. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock to the dish; enough so the liquid reaches half way up the breasts. 
5. Smash and peel 4 cloves garlic and put them in the liquid.
6. Cover. Bake at 300 degrees about 40 minutes, until chicken is done. Set aside.
7. If roasting your own peppers, place them on a sheet pan and pop them under the broiler.
8. Char them on all sides until completely black.
9. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. This helps steam the skins off.
10. Peel and cut the carrots and onion and place on a sheet pan. Quarter the carrots and thickly slice the onion. 
11. Drizzle with extra light olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin.
12. Roast in a 425 degree oven about 20 minutes, until beginning to brown (caramelize). 
13. Chop into bite size pieces.
14. Remove the Cilantro sprigs from the chicken. 
15.  Chop celery, zucchini, peppers, and chicken.
16. Saute' celery in the soup pot.  
17. On medium high heat, add (1) 28 ounce can Fire Roasted Tomatoes, 1 quart chicken stock, chopped onion, carrots, peppers and 1 cup frozen corn kernels. Add the liquid and veg that the chicken cooked in to the pot.
18. Add 1 can drained and rinsed black beans, 1 cup frozen corn kernels, and the chopped chicken.
19. Taste. Add more stock as needed to get the consistency you desire. 
20. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of Cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes. Heck, add a jar of your favorite salsa for extra flavor. Add more cumin or chili powder to suit your taste.
21. Enjoy!

Guacamole, for Ryan, my Kinder pilot

Really Good Guac

I was out on tour (flying) for the last two weeks with one of my favorite pilots, Ryan. I call him "my kinder pilot" because he's about 20 years old, or something crazy like that, and he's flying Lear jets. When I first met him, I thought he was barely old enough to drive car, let alone fly me around the world. Anyway, I told him I would make him some guacamole this last tour, but didn't get a chance. So, Ryan, here's how it's done:

Get yourself a few avocados. Figure 1 per person. You're looking for flesh that's firm, but indents slightly when squeezed. Rock hard avocados will not work. Old squishy avocados will be black inside. Not delish. 

1 tomato

1 shallot

1- 2 cloves garlic
2 tsp fresh lime or lemon juice

2 Tbls chopped cilantro

Olive oil

Kosher salt, pepper

Slice the avocados in half vertically.

Like so.

Take your knife and whack the blade into the pit. Twist slightly and remove the pit.

Slice the avocados, skin side down, both vertically and horizontally, making a diamond pattern No need to get finicky here, we're going to smash them up anyway.

Scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Mash the avocados with a fork.

Now for the tomato. Cut it in half.

Then scoop out the seeds with your finger, then chop into small dice.

For the garlic, smash the clove with the blade of your knife. Take the paper off, and mince finely. If you don't like the flavor of raw garlic, add a few shakes of garlic salt or garlic powder instead.

Throw it in the bowl with the tomato and avocado.

This is a shallot. It's like an onion, only smaller and more mild. If you don't have a shallot, mince up about 2 tablespoons red onion and use that.

Cut off the top of the shallot, then peel the skin off. Slice through horizontally.

Then make a few cuts vertically.

Then slice from front to back, making very small dice.

Put that in the ingredient bowl.

 Squeeze the juice of about 1/4 of a lemon or lime on top.

Drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Sprinkle on some Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. If you used garlic salt, go easy on the salt.

Finely chop a couple tablespoons of cilantro.

And mix it all together with a fork.

Guacamole is done! If you like some heat, seed and finely mince 1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper and add that.
Taste and re-season to your liking.
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
Here's a super speed demon way to make guac: Smash up the avocados, as above. Add a few tablespoons of your favorite salsa. stir.

Tip: If you happen to have any guac left in the bowl, which I doubt will happen, but if it does, drizzle a very thin layer of olive oil on top, then cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic is directly on top of the oil.