Chicken Taco Soup

This morning we were surprised with snow! Hubby and I had planned on completing several projects this weekend so the sight of snow this morning was just plain annoying (especially since we have gotten some 5ft or so of it this year). Despite the kink in our plans, we ran some errands and got supplies to build our chicken coop and garden beds. But I was so caught up in running around town that I totally forgot dinner! I had nothing planned or prepped and dinner was an hour away. *cue dramatic music*

So I turned to a favorite recipe I had learned from my mother-in-law. Taco Soup! What I love about this dish is that it is a "garbage recipe". You just kinda use a little bit of whatever you've got lying around the pantry. And it always turns out great!

So, I'll just tell you how I made today's version and you can insert or take out whatever you want to suit your needs.

I had three chicken breasts thawed, so I cut them into chunks and threw them into a large pan with a cup of chicken stock. When the meat had mostly cooked I tossed them with some taco seasoning.

Now, I would like to thank the genius who shared with the world how you can use your Kitchen Aid stand mixer to shred chicken. This nameless saint should be given some sort of Nobel Prize for helping busy mom's everywhere with this bit of knowledge. Silently send a thankful prayer out to that person, wherever they are, as you place your cooked chicken chunks into your stand mixer to shred (if you have to do this part by hand, I'm sorry for your burden).

Return your shredded chicken to a large pot with 3 cups chicken stock and 1 cup of water. Add one can of diced tomatoes, a can of chili beans (drained), and a can of corn (drained). Now spice to taste with your typical Mexican food seasoning. No measuring required. I added some thyme, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and a few dashes of Tabasco.

Bring to a low boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes.

When you serve your fantastic soup, garnish it just as you would a taco. We like to put sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos on ours. We also love adding avocado if we have some.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts, thawed
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can corn (drained)
• 1 can chili beans (drained)
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cayenne
• Thyme
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Nacho Cheese Doritos

Directions

1. Cut chicken into large chunks and place in large pan with 1 cup chicken stock.
2. Cook until mostly done, add taco seasoning.
3. Shred chicken.
4. Return to large pot with 3 cups chicken stock and 1 cup water.
5. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, and spices.
6. Bring to low boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes.
7. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed Doritos.

And so it begins...

Today is the day I would say the Fox & Bear Homestead is born. This afternoon we picked up our first chicks from our local Agway. It was pretty exciting to know that this is the first step to really establishing our homestead.

We were greeted (or more so, Arlette was greeted) by the staff as soon as we walked into the store. We had spent about an hour in there earlier in the week getting supplies for our garden and to get supplies for the chicks. Everyone wished Arlette a Happy Birthday (which was yesterday) and one of the employees took some photos of her with her "birthday chicks".

We picked up 5 Buff Orpingtons and 5 Speckled Sussex. Both provide a steady egg supply (about 4-5 eggs/week) and are friendly and social birds. Baby Girl squealed when I opened the box for her to peek inside at them.

When we got everybody home we introduced the dogs and cat to the new members of the herd. The cat of course perked right up and while she didn't do anything that would suggest she would turn our chicks into nuggets, the wheels were definitely turning. Demolition was very interested and excited about them, but was cautious knowing that he would be in trouble should he bring harm to them. Katana wanted to play, roughly, with her new friends. Overall though, everyone was on their best behavior (phew).

When the chicks have grown a little more and have markings that allow us to more easily differentiate them, we'll dish out names. We've decided to name each chicken a chicken food related name. Things like Gumbo, Marsala, Noodle, etc. Why? Because it's fun.

I am so excited to document and blog about or journey and I hope you all enjoy following us!