We are in the south, so the reality is that it doesn’t really get cold – especially not in October – but, today was definitely a dreary, rainy day with milder temperatures than we’ve been experiencing – the perfect day for chicken taco soup!

The ingredients couldn’t be more simple. In addition to chicken and garnishing touches, this recipe consists of some tomatoes, onion, beans, corn and spices.

I started by cooking the chicken. I had approximately 2 pounds of chicken tenders that I cooked in the instant pot. As I have said before, I discovered that the easiest way to do shredded chicken (and I’ve even done pork this way) is to cook it in some stock in the instant pot and shred it with a hand held mixer. You can find more about that, on this post.

While the chicken was cooking, I rough chopped one onion.

In a dutch oven, I added oil and brought up the heat. I then added the onion and sauteed until soft. I added in all the seasonings (except salt) to the onions and stirred it around in the pan to let the seasonings kind of ‘toast’.

Next, I added the chicken into the dutch oven and mixed the onions (and seasonings) in with the chicken. As I used my instant pot to cook the chicken, there was stock still in the pot – I added it all into the dutch oven. The stock helped to pull up any stuck on bits on the bottom of the pan – be sure to stir everything well, to pick up that extra flavor.

After the chicken has been added – it’s time to add in the other items. Dump all the cans into the pot (no need to drain). Add in your salt and bring the pot up to a boil.

Once a boil is achieved, lower the heat to simmer, cover and let simmer for at least 30 minutes (longer is fine too!).

Serve with garnishments of your choice! A perfect meal for a cold(ish) and dreary day!

Chicken Taco Soup

2 lbs chicken breast, shredded
1 onion, rough chopped
1 large can crushed tomatoes
2 cans tomatoes and chilis
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
2/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Garnish:
Sliced avocado
Sour cream
Grated cheese
Chopped cilantro
Pickled Jalapenos
Tortilla chips

• Cook chicken and shred
• In large pot or dutch oven, add olive oil and onions – saute onions until tender
• Add in cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning and stir well (allowing seasonings to ‘toast’)
• Add in shredded chicken (I cooked my chicken in the instant pot, with approx 1 cup of chicken stock – I added it all into the dutch oven, including the stock) and stir
• Add in the cans of vegetables and mix through
• Add in salt
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook for at least 30 minutes (longer is fine)
• Top with garnishments of choice