$7.76 RECIPE / $1.29 SERVING
I’m the kind of person that eats soup all year.
This Chicken and Lime Soup is the place to be. The transparent broth is refreshing in the summer and contains a pleasantly spicy, sour, and salty soup that will keep you going back for more.
This Chicken and Lime Soup is a great way to switch up your chicken soup routine!
This Chicken and Lime Soup were inspired by a trip to a Mexican restaurant where I sampled the most delectable sour Caldo Xochitl.
Because I’m a lime junkie, I added more lime, which gave the soup the right balance of spicy, salty, and sour — the same legendary combination that makes Chinese hot and sour soup so delicious.
That flavor combination just tickles all the perfect places on your tongue!
CHICKEN AND LIME SOUP SHOULD BE LIGHT
The recipe is quite spicy as indicated. The jalapeno pepper and chopped tomatoes with green chilies provide the spiciness.
To make your Chicken and Lime Soup milder, omit the jalapeno pepper and replace the tomatoes with green chilis with a 15 oz. can of ordinary diced tomatoes or fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
SUBSTITUTES FOR DICED TOMATOES AND GREEN CHILES
Food: Chicken And Lime SoupSource: One Lovely Life
If you can’t find canned diced tomatoes with green chilis in your area, use a 15 oz. can of tiny diced tomatoes and one 4 oz. can of diced green chilis instead.
Alternatively, omit the green chilis and replace them with a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes. You can also sauté a fresh hatch green chili with the onion, celery, and garlic at the start of the recipe.
ADD MORE CHICKEN IF NECESSARY
I’ve made it a point to use only a tiny amount of meat in my recipes, so that’s what I did here. I only required one chicken breast, shredded so that every spoonful had a tiny bit.
If you prefer more meat in your dishes, you may make this recipe with two chicken breasts without making any other changes.
SOUP WITH CHICKEN AND LIME AS A TOPPING
Topping soup with a variety of things is half the fun for me, and you have a lot of alternatives with this one.
I included avocado in the recipe because I believe it is essential in rounding out the tastes of the soup, but the rest is entirely optional.
When I have tortilla chips on hand, I smash them up and use them as crackers in other soups, allowing them to soak up the delicious broth. A dollop of sour cream and a couple of pickled red onions would be fantastic additions.
CHICKEN AND LIME SOUP
INGREDIENTS
- 1 yellow onion ($0.21)
- 3 ribs celery (about 1/4 bunch) ($0.37)
- 1 jalapeño ($0.17)
- 4 cloves of garlic ($0.32)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.) ($2.32)
- 6 cups chicken broth* ($0.78)
- 2 10oz. cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel) ($0.90)
- 1 tsp oregano ($0.10)
- 1/2 Tbsp. cumin ($0.15)
- 1 lime ($0.22)
- 1/2 bunch cilantro ($0.40)
- 1 avocado ($1.50)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Remove the seeds from the jalapeno before slicing the onion, celery, and jalapeno. Garlic must be minced. In a large soup pot, combine the onion, celery, jalapeno, garlic, and olive oil and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender and translucent.
- Toss together the chicken breasts, chicken broth, diced tomatoes with chilis (and juices), oregano, and cumin in a large pot. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Once the saucepan has to a boil, reduce the heat to low and leave it to simmer for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes of simmering, carefully take the chicken breast from the stove and shred it with two forks. Toss the shredded meat back into the pot. 1 lime, squeezed into the soup (2-3 Tbsp. juice).
- Rinse the cilantro leaves and chop them coarsely. Add the chopped cilantro to the soup, stir briefly, and serve. Add a couple of slices of avocado to each bowl.
NOTES
*I make my broth with Better Than Bouillon chicken soup base because it’s less expensive than buying canned or boxed broth.
NUTRITION
- Serving: 1.5 Cups
- Calories: 202.58 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 12.35 g
- Protein: 15.9 g
- Fat: 11.27 g
- Sodium: 1289.98 mg
- Fiber: 3.73 g
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING CHICKEN AND LIME SOUP
Food: Chicken And Lime SoupSource: One Lovely Life
- Dice One yellow onion, three celery ribs, and one jalapeno pepper. Mince four garlic cloves.
- Slice the jalapeno in half lengthwise and scrape away the white ribs and seeds with a spoon before dicing. Because these are the jalapeno’s hottest sections, removing them first will offer you more jalapeno flavor and less heat.
- In a large soup saucepan, combine the celery, onion, jalapeno, and garlic with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté for 5 minutes over medium heat, or until the onions are tender and transparent.
- Toss in one boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 pound) into the saucepan. After that, pour in 6 cups of chicken broth.
- Add two 10 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies to the mix next. You can use one of the 15 oz. cans if you can’t find any other size. If you can’t find canned diced tomatoes with green chilis, use chopped tomatoes and one 4 oz. can of green chilis instead, or just use fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon dried oregano to the diced tomatoes with green chilies.
- Cover the saucepan, increase the heat to high, and let it to come to a boil. Once the soup has to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 45 minutes (lid on).
- The chicken should be soft enough to shred after 45 minutes of cooking. Carefully transfer the meat to a clean cutting board, then shred it with two forks into small pieces. Return to the soup pot with the shredded meat.
- Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice into the soup (approximately 2-3 tbsp.).
- Rinse the cilantro to make sure there isn’t any sand in it, then coarsely chop it. You don’t have to go through the trouble of properly removing all of the stems. The stems of cilantro are soft enough to eat. Add the cilantro to the soup and mix well.
- Just before serving, slice the avocado and add a couple of pieces to each bowl!
Enjoy!