King Ranch Chicken Soup
Several years ago (6 to be exact) while on bed rest with our second child, one of my dear friends mailed me a bunch of magazines to read. Among them were several cooking magazines, talk about torture for a pregnant woman who can do nothing but lay around for months looking at dreamy food in magazines. Ha!
During those months of bed rest I complied a binder full of recipes to try once that sweet baby of ours was born and I was on my feet again. I specifically remember one of the recipes I tore out was King Ranch Chicken Casserole. It looked delicious with layers of Mexican food.
Fast forward 6 years with three young kids, building a house and a busy farming husband and there that large binder of recipes sits collecting dust. Still haven’t made that King Ranch Chicken Casserole. However, when I came across this easy looking recipe for King Ranch Chicken Soup, I jumped right on it. Absolutely delicious and easy to make. Give it a try! And if I ever get around to making that casserole I will let you know 
- 6 Tbs butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 4 cup chicken broth, I use reduced sodium
- 4 tsp chili powder
- 1 Tbs ground cumin
- 1 Tbs garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (left over rotisserie works well)
- 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilis
- ½ medium jalapeno minced (seeds and membranes removed)
- 2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Colby or Mexican blend)
- cilantro and additional jalapeno for topping (optional)
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Add the garlic and sauté until its fragrant. Stir in the flour and whish continuously for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in chicken broth and increase heat to a simmer and whisk continuously for approx. 4 minutes until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
- Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and salt. Add black pepper to taste.
- Add in tomatoes with green chilies, shredded chicken and jalapeno. Return pan to stovetop and over medium low heat stir in cheese until melted and soup heated through.
- Top with optional jalapeno, cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.
