A while back we went
over to our good friends house Steve and Sue Coyne's author of the (I
Grow Vegetable's Blog) to spend the day, share a meal and play a
somewhat addicting, sometimes annoying, but always entertaining game
of 'Pegs & Jokers'. For dinner Sue and Steve served us their
variation of this fantastic 'Chicken Tortilla Soup' recipe. Sue
happily gave us the basic recipe she had, but of course like all good
cooks, they tweaked it to fit their own personal preferences.
Not knowing exactly
which additions or substitutions Sue made, I brought the recipe home
and tailored it to fit our own personal preferences. The recipe is
labeled as a 'Chicken Tortilla Soup' but the reality of it is it is
really a 'chowder'. Now a chowder is a soup, that is generally
thickened with flour to give it a rich hearty texture. In the case of
this recipe as written it uses two thickeners. The first, being the
cornstarch that is in the taco seasoning, and the second, is the
addition of flour tortilla's which act very similar to dumplings as
some pieces will dissolve and thicken the sauce when the are cooked
for a while.
I have included two
variations of the original recipe that Sue gave me. One is the
version which I use to make this chicken or rabbit chowder. The
second, is a 'minimalist pantry' version which Includes those
ingredients that you should have at a minimum in your pantry.
Finally, I have included a picture of the original recipe as given to
me by the Coyne's. This chowder goes great with any white or dark
meat (chicken, turkey, or rabbit), so if you raise chickens or
rabbits like we do, you can make excellent chowders with either.
The Recipe
This recipe is
pretty much what I call an 'everybody in the pool' recipe. That is
you saute your vegetables and then all the rest of the ingredients
get thrown into the stockpot or slow cooker to cook, the tortillas
are the one exception here. So you have a couple of options with the
tortillas, one you can add them all at the beginning and allow them
to cook or breakdown into the soup and act as a thickener. Two, you
could add half of the tortillas at the beginning an then add the
remaining tortillas 20 – 30 minutes before serving. In this
version, half of the tortillas break down and help to thicken the
soup while the remaining tortillas add some texture. Lastly, you
could add all of the tortillas 20 – 30 minutes before serving. With
the third version, the tortillas assume the role more of a 'pasta' or
'dumping' addition, and they will continue to breakdown over time
when you reheat the leftovers, if you have any. Personally, I add all
of my tortillas during the last 20 – 30 minutes of cooking, but
this is a matter of personal preference.
TexMex
Chicken/Rabbit Chowder
1 pound chicken
thighs or rabbit hind legs, deboned and browned *
1 quart soup base
(or 32oz chicken broth)
1 onion, diced
1 can (10oz)
tomatoes and chilies
1 can (15oz) corn,
drained
1 can (15oz) can
condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (15oz) can
condensed cream of chicken soup
1 container (8oz)
sour cream (add just before serving)
8 flour tortillas,
cut into small pieces
½ package taco
seasoning
1 tablespoon tomato
paste
* If using rabbit
or chicken that you have canned from your pantry, then substitute one
pint jar for the one pound of deboned chicken or rabbit.
If using chicken
thighs, rabbit hindquarters or any bone in meat, you want to debone
the meat and then brown it in your sauté pan with a little non-stick
cooking spray or olive oil. We are only browning the meat here, you
do not have to cook it all the way through. Try and leave the chicken
or rabbit in as large of pieces as possible, it makes them easier to
brown and you can cut them into bite size pieces before adding them
to the soup. Brown all of the meat and set it aside on a plate and
allow it you cool while you sauté the onions, and any other
additional vegetables you wish to add. If using chicken or rabbit
meat you have canned from your pantry, substitute 1 pint jar.
Once you have the
meat of your choice browned, add the chopped onion to the sauté pan
and cook them just until they are translucent. The moisture in the
onions should start to break away any small bits of meat (fond) that
has stuck to the bottom of the pan as they release their water. If
the onions begin to look dry, add some water one tablespoon at a
time. Once the onions are ready, you want to transfer them to your
stockpot or slow cooker along with any bits of fond left in the
bottom of the pan. You may need to add ¼ cup of water to the sauté
pan and take a wooden spoon or plastic utensil to help release all
that goodness from the bottom of your sauté pan. It of course goes
into the stockpot as well.
Add all of the
remaining ingredients (except the sour cream and tortillas) to the
stockpot and stir them to combine them throughly before adding the
chicken (it just makes it easier this way). Then take your cooled
chicken or rabbit and cut it into bite sized pieces and add it to
your stockpot or slow cooker.
Stove Top Version
Bring the chowder to
a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
While the chowder is cooking take your knife or rolling cutter (I use
a pizza cutter to cut my tortillas) and cut the tortillas into ½ to
1 inch strips each a half inch long making then resemble small flat
noodles. After the chowder has cooked for 30 minutes, add the
tortilla pieces and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes stirring
occasionally. Add the sour cream just before serving.
Slow Cooker Version
Set your slow cooker
on low and cook for 4 to 5 hours. About 30 minutes before it is
ready, take your knife or rolling cutter (I use a pizza cutter to cut
my tortillas) and cut the tortillas into ½ to 1 inch strips each a
half inch long making then resemble small flat noodles. Then add the
tortilla pieces and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes stirring
occasionally. Add the sour cream just before serving.
Minimalist Pantry
Version TexMex Chicken/Rabbit Chowder
4 cups water
3 cans (5oz) cooked
chicken packed in water *
1 onion diced
1 can (10oz)
tomatoes and chilies
1 can (15oz) corn,
drained
1 can (15oz) can
condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (15oz) can
condensed cream of chicken soup
1 container (8oz)
sour cream
8 flour tortillas,
cut into small pieces
½ package taco
seasoning
1 tablespoon chicken
bouillon
1 tablespoon tomato
paste
* If using
rabbit or chicken that you have canned from your pantry, then
substitute one pint jar for the three 5oz cans of commercially canned
chicken.
The easiest version
of all, saute the onions until translucent in a little olive oil,
then put everything (except the sour cream and tortillas) in the
stockpot or slow cooker and cook as described above depending on
whether you are cooking on the stove or using your slow cooker
(crockpot).
Taco Seasoning
The original recipe
for this chowder called for using one package of Taco seasoning. You
know the type you use to make tacos with. Because you may not have a
package on hand, I have included my recipe for making you own taco
seasoning to use with this chowder. It is the same recipe that you
will find in my article 'Fast Food Tacos, The All-American Mexican Food'.
Taco Seasoning
Recipe (Equivalent to 1 package)
2 tablespoons chili
powder
2 teaspoons
cornstarch
2 teaspoons beef
bouillon
1 teaspoon ground
cumin
1 teaspoon onion
powder
1 teaspoon garlic
powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon red
pepper flakes (optional)
Mix all ingredients
together thoroughly. Omit the red pepper flakes if you want a mild
taco seasoning. To make a ½ package recipe, simply cut the taco
seasoning recipe in half.
Conclusion
This recipe has
humble beginnings, originally starting out as an 'open the can and
pour it in the pan' style soup. It still shares some of those
qualities with the original and besides tasting great, it is quick
and easy to make. I made this chowder in my crockpot, because we had
work to do on the homestead and throwing it together and setting it
on low allowed us to do the chores we needed and have a hot meal
ready from when we came in out of the rain. The reality of it is,
most of the ingredients are precooked and the soup only needs to be
heated for about 45 to 60 minutes before it is ready to be served.
A quick and easy
vegetarian version is to substitute yellow or white boiling potatoes
for the chicken or rabbit, and add a can of drained black beans,
making it more like a traditional potato and corn chowder. BTW, black
beans are also a nice addition to this chowder as well. As always, if
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