There are few tasks that are more rewarding than cooking up a meal completely from scratch. Sure, making spaghetti from a premade sauce may taste fine, but making the sauce yourself is so much more satisfying.
While making ingredients for meals from scratch can seem daunting, we wanted to show how simple it can be! That was our goal when we set out to make this tasty chicken taco soup using our Randall Pinto Beans!
Take the stock, for example. It may be much easier to just buy a container and dump it in. However, when you make it yourself you get a chance to really develop the bold and rich flavors.
All it takes is a few fresh ingredients and a couple more minutes, but it is well worth the time and effort!
As for the soup itself, not only is it a great showcase on how to simply prepare simple ingredients from scratch, but it is this recipe perfect for the cool months ahead. Pinto beans, cilantro, lime juice, and a splash of hot sauce really puts the flavors of an authentic chicken taco in every bite.
To build on that, we fried up some homemade tortillas to use as “croutons” for extra texture and as dipping strips to help soak up the soup. Again, buying a bag of tortilla chips is the easy way, but making tortilla chips yourself is so easy and results in even more flavorful chips.
This recipe serves about 8, so adjust accordingly depending on how many mouths there are to feed.
This dish is a perfect way to help even the most amateur chef explore the fun and delicious potential from cooking from scratch at home, so give it a shot for dinner tonight!
Ingredients
- 2 whole chicken breasts
- 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
- 2 ribs celery, coarsely cut-up
- 1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
- 3 sprigs fresh cilantro
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 10.5oz. cans concentrated chicken broth
- 6 cups water
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 6 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, (or 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes)
- 2 cups Randall Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- The reserved chopped chicken and chicken stock
- Salt and hot pepper sauce, to taste
- 6 corn tortillas
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 avocado
Instructions
- To make your own chicken stock; Combine chicken breasts, one peeled and quartered onion, garlic, celery, peppercorns, cilantro, bay leaf, chicken broth, and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is fork-tender.
- Remove chicken to a side dish. Allow to cool. Remove skin and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, cover and set aside. Strain the stock and set aside.
- To prepare the soup; Heat the olive oil in separate a large pot. Add the onion and sauté, stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, beans and chicken stock. Bring to a boil.
- Add the lime juice and reserved chicken. Cook, uncovered for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and hot sauce.
- Fry the tortilla strips in enough 365° oil to cover. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle a handful of the crisp tortilla strips into a large soup bowl.
- Ladle hot soup over the tortillas. Garnish with cilantro and diced avocado and serve immediately. Pass the extra tortilla strips for “croutons.”
Looking for more hot, tasty, and simple soup recipes for winter? Search through our amazing bean soup recipes featuring Randall Beans.
