Spicy Lime Chicken Soup.

**We’re currently soaking in some Bay Area sunshine! In the meantime, here’s a recipe to warm you up (that would be delicious using leftover turkey!). Until next week!**

A scratchy throat. A day spent in the snow. Temperatures in the teens. Sure, a cup of tea is soothing- but sometimes, you just want a hot bowl of chicken soup.

Last Friday night, my low energy level demanded something simple. I’d pinned a tasty recipe for chicken and lime soup earlier in the week, and I somehow had everything on hand. It was meant to be.

The most difficult part of this recipe was chopping up some onion, celery, jalapeno and garlic. Seriously! I sautéed it all in a little bit of olive oil, shaking in some garlic salt and black pepper.

When the veggies were tender, I placed two chicken breasts in the pot and poured a container of organic chicken stock in, too. I added a can of diced tomatoes (with green chiles) and a spoonful each of cumin, oregano, and crushed red pepper. I gave it a stir and let it come to a boil.

Simple doesn’t always mean FAST. Once the soup was boiling, I reduced the heat to simmer and put a lid on the pot. Then I left it alone for an hour. So easy!

After an hour, I took the chicken out of the pot with a pair of tongs and used two forks to shred the meat. The shredded chicken went back into the pot, along with some fresh lime juice, a little bit of fresh oregano, and lots of cilantro. And that’s all, folks.

I let the soup simmer for a few more minutes while I heated some tortillas and set the table. When I served the soup, I topped it with a sprinkling of cilantro and a lime wedge. Lovely!

This soup was flavorful, bright, and fresh. Cooking the chicken in the stock left it super moist, and the heat from the crushed red pepper helped balance the acidity of the lime.

Minimal effort and impressive flavor– perfect for a low-energy night when you want something homemade and easy. Before our trip to California, I had a long to-do list and no time to make dinner- three cheers for scrumptious leftovers!

Psst… This soup would work well with leftover turkey.  Just add shredded turkey to the broth and cut down the cooking time!

Like I said- meant to be.

What’s your “easy homemade” recipe? Share with me!

*Two years ago: Big Survey Plantation, South Carolina

Spicy Lime Chicken Soup (thank you, Budget Bytes)

You’ll need:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 medium jalapeno
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 chicken breasts
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 medium lime
• ½ bunch cilantro
• 1 medium avocado (for garnish)

Dice the onion, celery, and jalapeno (scrape the seeds out of the jalapeno before dicing). Mince the garlic. Cook the onion, celery, jalapeno, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.

Add the chicken breast, chicken broth, canned tomatoes with chiles, oregano, and cumin to the pot. Bring the whole pot up to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to low, place a lid on top, and let simmer for one hour.

After simmering for an hour with a lid on, carefully remove the chicken breast from the pot and use two forks to shred the meat. Return the meat to the pot. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the soup. Get as much juice as possible from the lime by using a spoon to scrape the inside of the lime.

Rinse the cilantro and then roughly chop the leaves. Add to the pot, give it a quick stir, and serve. Dice the avocado and add a few chunks to each bowl. Yum!

**Hungry for more? Check out the FOOD BLISS link above!**