Good Morning! I know, I know… I’ve been quite neglectful in my posting. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in everything else that other things fall by the wayside and this, unfortunately, has been one of them. So to apologize, I’ll be doubling up on my recipe posting! Yes, yes. You’re welcome 😉 Stay tuned for some Paleo goodness later this week!

It’s been quote a while since I’ve posted something yummy, so here’s a recipe that’s spicy, delicious, and easy! Let’s get to it!

Gather your ingredients: 4-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, onion, jalapeños, carrots (I know, not Paleo-friendly, but I add them in every now and again. Go ahead, stone me. I could probably use the cardio whilst running away ;)), celery, cilantro, garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, olive oil, water, S&P, and Franks Red Hot (if you’re feeling particularly spicy).

So about that chicken – the protein here is flexible. You can use boneless chicken breasts or thighs or even a whole chicken, but it’s completely up to you. Here, I used 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs boiled for about an hour and pulled. If you want to be lazy, you can pull a whole cooked roaster or even use the canned shredded chicken. If you have lots of time on your hands, you can boil the chicken and use the water as chicken stock. See here for a pictorial how-to.

Now chop, chop, chop…one yellow onion… 
Slice and seed two jalapeños. To do this, cut off the stem and slice length-wise. Carefully scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and set aside. If you want an extra kick to your soup, add some in. Otherwise, toss them OR remove seeds from the flesh and set aside to dry. Why? Because you can plant them and be AWESOME. I suggest that option. Agriculture4E. Truth.
Finally, crush the garlic. You can mince it if you like, but this does just as well. 
Now break out the grater. I know, I haven’t used mine since Thanksgiving so it took me a minute to remember where it was. Chop the stem and tip off of the carrot and don’t bother peeling it – just wash all the dirt away.
Grate the carrots carefully, being sure not to shave off the tips of your nails and ruin your manicure like I usually do. Give the celery a rough chop. Take a small bunch of cilantro and remove the leaves from the stems. Fun fact: you can reuse spice stems! The stems produce just as much flavor as the leaves but aren’t as sexy in a garnish – SO save the stems and use them in a herb packet to season soups, broths, and stocks! We <3 no waste!  Look at that beautiful pile of flavor.  Chop the cilantro as big or as small as you like it. This will be used as a garnish, so it’s up to you how you do it! Finally to the cooking – add some olive oil to a medium soup pot and sauté the onions, garlic, jalapeños over medium-high heat until soft – about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and cover completely with water. Simmer covered on low for about 2 hours. Season to taste. Add Franks Red Hot if you’re feeling dangerous. Serve with cilantro. Easy as that!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you enjoy this delicious soup! It might not be the quickest dish, but it’s pretty low maintenance and travels well. Aloha!

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Paleo-Friendly Meals: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Total Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes

Number of servings: 6

Per Serving 156 calories

Fat 7 g

Carbs 19 g

Protein 6 g

6

Ingredients

• Meat from 4-6 chicken thighs, boiled and shredded
• 1 28 ounce can organic diced tomatoes
• 32 ounces organic chicken broth (or homemade, if you're fancy and prepared)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 jalapeños, de-seeded and diced
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• S&P
• Olive Oil
• 3-4 cups water
• Franks Red Hot (optional)

Instructions

1. If you want to pre-cook your chicken, place the 4-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in a large pot and boil for about 1 hour, or until meat is tender. Remove thighs from water, let cool, de-bone, and shred. Set aside.
2. In a medium soup pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, jalapeño, S&P and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients and cover completely with water. Cover and cook on low for about 2 hours. Season to taste with S&P and Franks.
4. Top with fresh cilantro and enjoy!