This Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup takes the classic chicken soup to a flavorful, tomato-packed new place. Serve with cilantro, lime wedges and tortillas.
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This is my mother-in-law’s chicken soup. She is of Mexican descent and her soup is held in high esteem in our household.
I simplified and streamlined my mother-in-law’s recipe a bit. She usually starts by poaching a whole chicken and then makes Spanish rice for the soup, but in our busy world, it’s nice to have dinner on the table in 20 minutes.
A key ingredient to making this a “quick” dinner is pre-cooked chicken, which you can use as a base. I almost always have some chicken leftover, and if I don’t have it, I make sure to add it to my weekly meal prep. I either roast a whole chicken for Sunday lunch and set aside some of the meat specifically for this recipe, or I quickly cook some chicken breasts myself so they’re ready to go into this soup.
If your chicken is already done, you’re on the easy road. Fry some diced onion in olive oil, add a can of diced fire roasted tomatoes, some frozen corn and some rice and stir in some chicken broth. Wait 20 minutes and dinner is ready. You have just enough time to check your email or read the article you saved.
What takes this soup from bland to enticing are the side dishes, so don’t skip them. A squeeze of lime, some cilantro leaves, and a pile of warm tortillas will make you almost as happy as my significant other smelling that soup on the stove.
I like to serve this soup with warm corn tortillas for dipping and nibbling between bites. There are two ways you can heat them:
1 Heating over a gas burner: Set a gas burner on medium-low. When the burner grate is hot, place a tortilla directly on the grate for about 20 seconds or until it begins to pop slightly. Turn it over with tongs and let it heat on the other side for a few more seconds. A little charring around the edges adds flavor.
2 Heat in a pan: Place a dry skillet over medium-high heat and heat until hot. Place one tortilla at a time on the hot pan and turn as above.
After heating, wrap the tortillas in a tea towel or cloth napkin to keep them warm at the table and let each tortilla off the stack as you please.
Easy Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup
ingredients
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2 tablespoon olive oil
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1 Middle Onionrolled
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1 teaspoon dried oregano
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1/4 teaspoon Saltor to taste
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1/8 teaspoon black pepperor to taste
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1 (15 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes with juices
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6 cups low sodium chicken broth
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1 Cup fresh or frozen corn grits
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1/3 Cup medium or long grain white rice (not cooked)
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2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (See recipe note)
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leaves of 1/2 bunch fresh sprigs of corianderfor garnish
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1 to 2 Lemonsquartered for garnish
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corn or flour tortillasserve
method
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Cook onion:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add onion and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes or until onion softens. Stir in salt and pepper.
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Cook a soup:
Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, corn and rice. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
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Add the chicken:
Add the chicken and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, or until chicken is hot. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if you like.
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Serve soup:
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot with cilantro and lime wedges on top and warm tortillas on the side.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 451 | calories |
| 15g | Fat |
| 58gr | carbohydrates |
| 24g | protein |
