Chicken Chili the Simple Way

The story:
As you will come to know through my recipes, I love spicy, salty Mexican flavors. One of my favorite things to eat is a good Tortilla soup. I have never really found a good one that I would go back for again and again. I decided to start experimenting with some of the flavors in Tortilla soup to see if I could replicate and enhance it to my taste expectations. In addition, I was looking for something easy to prepare.

This recipe was originally intended to be a soup however, with all of the ingredients it evolved into more of a chili, thus the name, TexMex Chicken Chili. It is another one of my family’s favorites. A few of them even eat it as a dip instead of a chili.

It may look complicated and inundating but it really isn't. It is cheap and easy and the kids love it. It is amazing how great it can taste using all of the short cuts of canned food. I am all about easy but only if it tastes good. I am sure you could spend a lot more time boiling and deboning a chicken, but why bother when this tastes fantastic?

The Ingredients:
3 Lg. Cans Chunk White Chicken Breast (Drained)
2 C. Dice Carrots ( I use fresh but you could use frozen as a short cut)
3 T. Butter or Margerine
1 Can Hot Rotel
1 Can chopped tomatoes w/green chiles
1 Can green chiles
2 C. Frozen Corn
4 cans Chicken Broth
1 Bushel Cilantro (remove the stems and chop finely)
1 Med. White Onion (peeled & Diced)
1 Package 2 Alarm Chili Mix
1/4c. Lime juice
1 Pkg Ranch Dressing Mix

The Accompaniments:
Shredded Colby & Jack Cheese
Guacamole for Garnishing
Tortilla Chips
1 Bushel Green Onion (for the chives)
Sour Cream

The Preparations:
In a large skillet add Butter, Diced Onions, finely chopped cilantro and all 3 cans of chicken. If using fresh carrots, add them in this step. If using frozen diced carrots, add them in with the corn into the soup pot. Cook on medium heat until the onions turn clear and the chicken becomes shredded. This is an important step in that the chicken does not taste good unless it is cooked literally to shreds. It takes approximately 15-20 minutes of cooking over medium heat to reach this state.

Add in all components of the 2 Alarm Chili mix adding in the mesa powder last. Pour in the can of tomatoes with green chiles, do not drain and it will thin out the mix just enough. Finally, pour the entire contents of the skillet into the large soup pot.

In a separate and small bowl or cup, slowly mix the ranch dressing mix with the ¼ c. of lime juice. Mix thoroughly and slowly to avoid lumps. Pour into the soup pot once mixed well.

In a separate soup pot, add in all 4 cans of chicken broth, Rotel (do not drain), Frozen Corn, Frozen Diced Carrots (unless using fresh) and Green Chiles (do not drain). Cook on high heat until boiling reduce to medium heat and cook 20 minutes more. When the carrots are soft, the soup is done.

The Serving Instructions:
Serve over broken tortilla chips, topped with Shredded Colby & Jack Cheese, chives, sour cream and guacamole.