Recipe: $5.14 ($3.79 w/o chicken) | Per Serving: $0.86 | Yield: 6
We've had some real winners over here at Frugal Nutrition lately.
I had one really fantastic week of making some delicious dishes, including Beef & Butternut Empanadas, Red Lentil Thai Stew/Curry, Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes, and this Jalapeño Salsa Verde Soup. This soup is probably my favorite item of that successful week because it required the least amount of work. (It was actually totally inspired by Pinch of Yum's Jalapeño Lime Chicken Soup, but I cut back on the chicken and put it in a slow cooker!)
But then, I followed up with not-so-good Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with Date Streusel and Cream Cheese Vanilla Frosting. The frosting was great, the streusel was delicious, but the cinnamon rolls were...dry? Weird? Not so good. I found that the middle was still pretty good, but the outside was not light and fluffy at all. It was hard. This is all unfortunate as it is the only dish of the bunch that was made to SERVE OTHERS. Yeah, we had a going away brunch, and I brought cinnamon rolls. I was ambitious, and the pictures looked SO GOOD. But I made a big mistake in using the whole wheat flour I had on hand (which was 50% of the reason I was making them), instead of whole wheat cake flour, as recommended by the recipe. FAIL. Follow the recipe. I should have made banana pancakes!
Lesson learned. It isn't even the first time I've done something like that though. Let's hope this one sticks.
I am going to try and keep the rest of this short. But I have to tell you, this soup is really really good. Top it with lime, you must. I really liked the addition of crispy tortilla strips on the day I made this, but they're not as necessary as the lime. Same goes for the cheese and cilantro. Use it if you have it, but don't stress if you don't.
The best thing about this is not that it goes in the slow cooker, but that you can use 95% pantry/freezer ingredients! The only fresh item you need is jalapeños. And if I'm being honest, you could probably substitute 'em with red pepper flakes if you don't feel like going to the grocery store. I won't tell anybody.
For Vegetarian: Omit chicken, maybe increase white beans
For Paleo: Omit white beans and increase chicken
Jalapeño Salsa Verde Soup (Slow Cooker Version)
Ingredients
- ½ pound chicken breasts or thighs, I used a mix of white and dark.
- 2 cups broth chicken or vegetable
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups white beans cooked , from 1 cup dry
- 2-3 jalapeños minced
- 12 ounces salsa verde just about 1 cup
- ½ medium onion 1 cup minced
- 2 cloves garlic
- salt pepper to taste
- juice from 2 limes
Crispy Tortilla Strips
- 2 corn tortillas
- oil for brushing
Instructions
- Place all ingredients (excluding the salt and pepper) in slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours. This soup can be cooked for much longer, probably up to 10 hours, if that is more convenient for you!
- When ready to serve, season to taste with salt and pepper, then shred the chicken with two forks. (I do this right in the slow cooker.) Remove any bones, skin, or undesirable chicken pieces and serve!
For Crispy Tortilla Strips
- Brush one or both sides of a corn tortilla with coconut or olive oil. Dust with salt, then slice into thin strips. Bake on 400º for about 8-10 minutes or until crispy.
Notes
I recommend dark meat - it's the best!
I recommend pre-salting the beans. (Or using canned beans.) Once they're cooked, just add a Tablespoon of salt (while still on the stove), and let them soak 5-10 minutes. This will help them stay firm in the slow cooker. Unsalted beans might get a bit mushy.
For awesome from-scratch soup, make your own tomatillo salsa verde!
Nutrition
I've been making the Pinch of Yum version for a year or so and just love it! Nice to have a slow cooker option. Just don't forget the lime juice! It really makes this recipe. We even squeeze extra into our bowls. It's a great soup!
I LOVE her recipe! I just made it a little cheaper, and slow cooker versions are always good. I totally agree about the lime! It is the best!!