Chicken Enchilada Soup

I'm all by my lonesome this weekend.  My husband took the dog to West Virginia to go camping with some of his friends.  I don't really understand why camping in regular Virginia isn't good enough, but I don't make the rules.  Well, actually....I do make the rules.  Just not the camping rules because camping isn't my thing.

I have been camping once or twice, and I will admit that there ARE some fun things about it.  Like fires and s'mores and singing Kumbaya and drinking wine out of a red Solo cup.  But really, you can make all of those things happen in your backyard and then sleep in your own bed.  Plus, you can sing Kumbaya any time you want, even indoors.

So anyway, I was really excited about my quiet, relaxing weekend.  Except that they've been gone for approximately 5 hours and I'm already bored.  I walked to the gym, did my personal trainer workout (personal trainer - if you are reading this, I've totally been doing the workout religiously like you instructed), and then walked home.  Then I booked a flight to Boston for work and gossiped on IM with a co-worker.  And now its 7:30 and I'm sad that I already watched all of my trashy TV on the DVR.  So I guess its time to pour a glass of wine and get to blogging.


So - my husband had asked me to make him "something kind of like chili but not chili" that he could bring camping.  I decided that chicken enchilada soup is totally kind of like chili but not chili, and I had most of the ingredients on hand.  I did some googling and came across some ideas, but nothing sounded exactly how I wanted the soup to be.  So I just sort of winged it and figured that my husband and his friends would likely be a few drinks in before they ate the soup.  That sort of thing gives you some leeway.  Turns out I didn't even need leeway because this soup was delish!  Yum - I'm going to have the one bowl that didn't fit in the Tupperware right now.

Enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Soup
Source: My own, inspired by Emeril and Dainty Chef

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
4 cups chicken stock
1 16 oz. can enchilada sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin
6-8 corn tortillas, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 Anaheim pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1 cubanelle pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons garlic paste (either make it yourself by pasting minced garlic with salt, or from a tube from the grocery store)
1 can Rotel (tomatoes and green chiles)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and shredded
sour cream and cilantro for garnish

Melt butter in a large dutch oven.  Add flour, stirring constantly until smooth to make a roux.  Alternate adding in milk and chicken stock slowly, and stir to combine.  Bring to a soft boil and simmer for a few minutes, allowing mixture to thicken.

Add enchilada sauce, tomato paste, spices (onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne), and corn tortilla pieces.  Stir to combine and continue to let simmer.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a separate skillet.  Add onions, all peppers (Anaheim, jalapeno, and cubanelle), and garlic paste.  Saute for several minutes until vegetables are soft.  Add to soup mixture, and stir to combine.

Add the black beans, corn, and shredded chicken to the soup pan.  Simmer on medium-low for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Serve with sour cream (I used low fat) and cilantro.