Transforming leftovers into delicious new meals is one of my favorite creative challenges! I dislike eating the same dish for more than two days, and I hate wasting food, so creativity is key.
My recent Sunday roasted chicken, for instance, offered a wealth of possibilities. Beyond the popular options like Baked Chicken Taquitos, Chicken Ranch Pizza, and Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Tortilla Soup remains a top favorite. And it's not just the meat—the carcass can be used to make homemade chicken stock, a topic I'll explore further in the future.
This "oh, so good" and comforting soup is especially welcome on chilly Tennessee nights. Since simmering it for an hour can be time-consuming for a busy mom, I often prepare it the night before. This way, I can simply reheat it the next evening, perhaps even whipping up some jalapeno cheddar cornbread if time permits—another recipe idea for my blog!
Ingredients
1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes*
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 chipotle pepper, diced**
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
4 cups chicken stock
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
3 ears of corn, or 1 (8 oz.) package frozen corn
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a large stock pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Wait until olive oil has had time to heat (about 4 minutes). Add the onions, garlic and red bell pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the bell pepper is softened.
While the onions, garlic and peppers are cooking. Add the 2 cans of tomatoes to a blender or food processor. Blend well. Set aside.
Add the chipotle pepper, ground cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper to the pot and stir. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, corn, black beans and chicken to the pot. Mix until combined.
Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer the soup for about 1 hour. Garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream!
*The original recipe asks you to roast roma tomatoes I did not have time for this step and decided to substitute with Fire Roasted Tomatoes instead.
**You can find canned Chipotle Chili Peppers in Adobo sauce in your local grocery store usually in the Mexican Food isle. Although the recipe only calls for 1 pepper, I freeze the remaining peppers for future use. They freeze very well. When I use them for a future recipe I usually don't even thaw it out, I just remove it from the freezer bag and chop it up.
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