Shockingly Yummy!

** I wrote this two weeks ago and forgot to post it! **

I am constantly trying to be the #bestwifey to my sweet husband and lately he has been a little under the weather so I thought I would attempt to make him some soup for dinner. He asked me to make chicken tortilla soup and since I am on this new adventure of learning to actually cook I decided this was the perfect opportunity for me to get in some practice. I also decided rather than looking for or using a recipe I was just going to wing it and get creative on my own. I'm not going to lie, I'm really proud of myself, it turned out quite well and best of all my husband loved it! 

 :: The Beginning ::

Again, this is all from my head so excuse the lack of proper measurements. The following made enough to feed approximately four people.

Ingredients

2 enormous chicken breasts

2 boxes or 3 cans of chicken stock

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 large jar of salsa

1 can of black beans

1 small can of tomato paste

1 large red pepper

1 large bunch of fresh basil

4-5 Serrano peppers

2 carrots

2 avocados

1 bag of frozen white corn 

1 medium block of Monterey Jack cheese

tortilla chips for garnish

:: The Base ::

I began by adding the a can of diced tomatoes and salsa and let it simmer over low heat. Meanwhile I had the chance to practice my knife skills as I finely chopped the entire red pepper, the Serrano peppers and most of fresh basil and then added them to the simmering mix. I allowed this to continue to simmer for about an hour and then simply dropped the whole chicken breasts into the mix. I covered the pot and let this cook over medium heat for about 40 minutes. 

:: Simmer Down ::

Once I was sure the chicken was most of the way cooked I removed the breasts and simply shredded them and then added them back into the pot. About an hour before my husband arrived home I added in the corn and black beans and just kept it all simmering on the stove. 

 :: Yummy ::

Once my husband was ready for dinner I garnished the soup with fresh avocado, cheese and crushed tortilla chips. I had no expectations for this little adventure but I'm happy to report that my husband and I both thought this was really flavorful and turned out well. Not to mention that I made this all while watching football so it truly made for a great Sunday!

xo,