Comfort Food

It is dreary here today. We are on the fringe of all of the icy weather, so we have had solid rain with some icing. It means that bridges are closed, and school was cancelled. What do you do on a day like this? Cook soup. Since I was in my pajamas when I had this brainstorm, I sent TheRoomDad to the grocery store for Taco Soup ingredients. Not only is the soup delicious on a cold day, it is also the perfect soup for eating dinner in front of the TV and watching winter Olympics.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken breast
• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 32-oz. chicken broth (sometimes I use an additional 16-oz. can)
• 1 4-oz. can mild chopped green chiles
• 1 16-oz. can yellow corn (I like shoepeg corn)
• 1 16-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 16-oz. can light rd kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 16-oz. cans diced tomatoes (drain 1 can and leave juices in 1 can)
• 1 package original taco seasoning mix
• 1 package dry ranch dressing mix

Toppings

• grated Mexican cheese blend
• sour cream
• tortilla chips

Directions

• Trim any fat off the chicken breasts and cut in half. Put halved chicken breasts in a large soup pot with chopped onions, garlic, and 32-oz. chicken broth.
• Simmer until meat shreds (about an hour or so). I take the pot off the heat and with two forks, pull the chicken apart in the soup pot. If it is not pulling apart easily, cook longer.

• Add all other soup ingredients through the ranch dressing mix.

• Cook another hour or two on low heat. If you would like to thin the soup at all, add some more chicken broth.
• Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Notes

• This is a great crock pot recipe. Put the chicken, onions, garlic, and broth in the crock pot on low in the morning. At the end of the day (about 3:00) shred the chicken. Add the other ingredients and cook a few more hours on low.
• The longer it sits, the better it tastes!
• Freezes well.