Burrito Soup

The weather here in Minnesota was gray and rainy today. Rainy days always make me want comfort food, like soup or chili. One of my favorite soups is tortilla soup, but it's a bit time intensive and requires a lot of ingredients. I always feel like chili has too many steps, too, and with all of the chopping and browning the meat there are dozens of dishes to do at the end. My goal today was to make something somewhere between the two, with a similar flavor palate to tortilla soup and the heartiness of chili. After a bit of internet research (and a trip to the grocery store) I came up with a plan without knowing exactly how it would turn out, a risk I don't usually take in cooking. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised with the Burrito Soup that resulted.

Many of my friends might wonder what Minnesota has done to me when they find out exactly what went into the slow-cooker this morning. Remember, though, that the groceries are currently being paid for by one indebted law school student and one temporarily employed teacher, so budget is a huge consideration when I'm choosing ingredients. If you have any qualms about using canned or pre-prepared ingredients, avert your eyes now. (Don't worry, though, no cream of chicken soup, EVER, I promise!)

The recipe for this dish is almost contradictorily simple compared to the flavors that develop. I had defrosted three frozen chicken breasts yesterday, so this morning I put everything together before going to work. First into the crock pot went the chicken, followed by one packet of taco seasoning (I used the low sodium kind), one can of black beans, one can of corn, and one 12oz jar of salsa (I used Trader Jose's Salsa Authentica). I included the liquid from the beans and corn because my main fear from cooking chicken in the slow-cooker was that it would dry out. If you're anti- canned vegetable juice you can easily substitute chicken broth. After putting everything in, though, I realized I had gone overboard with liquid so I threw in a still-frozen chicken breast hoping it would thaw and cook. I set the cooker on low and left it alone for eight hours.

Eight hours for chicken? Yes, that seems like a long time, but it worked, I promise. In fact, after eight hours, I pulled the chicken breasts into smaller chunks with forks and left it for another two and a half hours! One thing that kind of grossed me out was that, since I poured the taco seasoning directly onto the chicken initially, it was still stuck there those eight hours later. It easily scraped off into the broth with a fork and left behind some of the flavor in the chicken. At this point I also realized that there was quite a bit more broth than I had anticipated, turning it more into soup than really juicy chicken. Adam had the idea of making up some brown rice and topping off our bowls with some freshly grated cheese, both of which lent a great deal to the end result.

The first bite was instantly recognizable -- burrito. You know how sometimes you make a burrito so full that all the insides fall out of the tortilla into mushy goodness? It was like that. Absolutely delicous. I wanted mine a bit spicier so I added a couple drops of hot sauce, and when I reheat a bowl for lunch tomorrow I plan on dicing up a tomato to go on top, but I think that's part of what makes this dish so neat. Just like making a burrito, once you have the basics you can easliy add the accents so that it's just the way you like it. And, one of my favorite parts of the dish? Only the slow-cooker, rice pot, bowls and spoons to wash in the end.

**UPDATE
It SNOWED here today in Minnesota! Burrito soup was a definite must for dinner so that we could warm up from the inside-out. Here's the exact recipe I used today, an improvement from last time.

• 1 lb defrosted boneless skinless chicken (I used breasts)
• 8 oz hot chipotle salsa (for the spicy and smokey)
• 8 oz salsa verde (I prefer Herdez since it doesn't have onions)
• 1 can black beans (drained)
• 1 can whole kernel corn (drained)
• 2 cups chicken broth

1. Layer the chipotle salsa across the bottom of the crock pot.
2. Place the chicken on the salsa in an even layer in the bottom of the pot to cover the salsa.
3. Pour the salsa verde on top of the chicken.
4. Add the cans of black beans and corn.
5. Slowly pour the chicken broth into the pot.
6. Set the slow cooker on low. If yours has a timer, set it for 7 hours.
   
7. After 7 hours of cooking, use forks to pull apart the chicken. The chicken has hopefully only been in contact with the two salsas, so this will be the first time the layers all get mixed up. Add salt/chicken broth to taste, cook for 1/2 hour more.

I enjoyed this on top of rice, but you may enjoy it without as well!