Mexicanish Chicken & Rice Soup

Submitted by SuBethJimBob

"This recipe started with me wondering what to do with half a jar of salsa, and evolved over the years. It's very low-fat, and very tasty. Use at least a 3 qt slow cooker. If you use a larger one, you can add one can of Jane's chili Beans. Yum. Makes a thick soup, almost a stew consistency. It is slightly spicy. If you want it spicier, use hotter salsa, more cayenne, and/or more jalapeno sauce. I've also made this with 2 turkey thighs instead of 4 chicken thighs."

 

• Ready In: 6hrs 20mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• vegetable oil cooking spray
• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 large diced onion
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 10 ounces spinach, frozen
• 1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth, low-fat
• 3⁄4 cup salsa, I use mild, but I don't like a lot of heat
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Tabasco jalapeno sauce, green, not red (green Tabasco Jalapeno Sauce isn't hot like red Tabasco Sauce. It adds the flavor of jalapeno withou)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies, I use RO*tel
• 1 bay leaf
• 2⁄3 cup brown rice, raw, not instant
• 1 cup light sour cream, for garnish
• 2 green onions, chopped, for garnish

directions

1. Coat bottom of very hot pan with vegetable cooking spray, add chicken, onion and garlic. Stirfry rapidly till chicken is lightly browned & sealed on all sides.
2. Put cooked chicken, onion, and garlic in crockpot with all other ingredients (except sour cream and green onions). Add enough water to come within 1" of top. Cook on low all day. Whoever gets home from work first, stir it and check the water level. If you need to add more water, be sure and turn the pot to "High". AND KEEP THE LID ON FIRMLY!
3. Top with 2 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream (per serving) and some chopped green onion on the soup -- looks pretty. Stir it in -- tastes heavenly!

Reviews

[Michael Wodnicki]

I used what I had on hand, and for the most part, covered all the ingredients. It tastes fantastic. I used medium salsa, which gave a nice spicy finish, and chicken breast instead of thighs. The sour cream gives a great creamy taste. I will be making this often.

 

[Susie D]

I elected to omit the chicken as I was serving it with meat filled Recipe #418995. I upped the veggies by adding carrots, celery, & a half can of rinsed black beans & omitted the cayenne pepper. I also prepared the rice separately as I'm not fond of the mushy texture rice gets from crockpot cooking. Other than that I stayed with the recipe amounts & ingredients. The soup is very thick, spicy without blowing your head off, and was easy to make. The sour cream finished the bowls perfectly adding a creamy note to balance the heat. Made for Pick A Chef Spring 2010.

 

[loof751]

The whole family loved this great soup! I used boneless skinless breasts, otherwise made as directed. Nice and spicy, easy to make, and loved the addition of the spinach. Thanks for posting this recipe! Made for Spring PAC 2010

 

[Maito]

This was good. I followed other reviewers and used chicken breasts, added black beans and celery and left the cayenne out. I have never cooked with rice in the crock pot before and it is true that it falls apart - makes it more like a barley consistency, so if you want it to hold up, put it in later or cook it separately. This makes enough to feed an army, definitely consider halving it!

 

[Tinks599]

This recipe is awesome! I made a few modifications for our family based on convenience and our family's tastes but it was awesome. I used 5 chicken breasts (big family), 1 cup brown rice, 1 full bottle of Herdez Medium salsa, added 1 T of Cumin and subtracted the Bay Leaf because I didn't have any on hand and Tobasco because I thought I had enough heat with the salsa. This would have been great over something; in a tortilla or just as we ate it...by itself! We did have a bit of sour cream and chopped green onion and it did compliment quite well. Two thumbs up, we'll make this again becuase it was so easy!