Tomatillo Chicken Soup

I've decided to start including recipes in the blog that I have made and am fond of. I try a LOT of recipes of every shape and size that you can think of. When I am looking for something to make, I always like finding stuff that has been tried and recommended, because I've tried quite a few recipes that ended in a WTF? This is so not good. Marrying into a South Indian family, I have a SERIOUS yen for spicy food. The beautiful thing about cooking is that you can customize food to how you want it to taste. You like less spicy foods? Cut out the chiles, jalapeno, or cayenne. Please note, this does not work with baking, as I have found out on numerous occasions. :-)  I'm also a big fan of slow cooking as it is easy and does amazing things to chicken.  Tomatillos are like small green sour tomatoes. I found them at my supermarket, but you can substitute green tomatoes if you can't find them. Enjoy!

Tomatillo Chicken Soup

6 medium tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed

1 ½ lb skinless bone-in chicken thighs (or chicken breasts, if you lean that way)

1 (32 oz) box chicken broth (low fat/sodium is preferable for your health)

1 medium sweet red bell pepper, chopped

½ C chopped red onion

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis (find in the Latin section of your store, or wherever they have salsa)

2 Tbsp snipped fresh cilantro, or to taste - I happen  to add more because I like it

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp lime juice

2 tsp chili powder, or to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

                                                                                                                                                        

1.       Chop 3 tomatillos. Place 3 remaining tomatillos in a food processor or blender. Cover and blend until smooth. In a 3 ½ - 4 qt slow cooker, combine pureed tomatillos, chopped tomatillos, chicken, broth, sweet pepper, onion, celery, chiles, cilantro, jalapeno, cumin, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic and 1 tsp each salt and pepper. 

2.    Cover. Cook on low 6 – 8 hours or on high for 3 – 3 ½ hours. Shred chicken with 2 forks - it should fall off the bone at this point. If desired, top with sour  cream and add additional chopped red pepper, cilantro, and corn chips.