I walked into mom and dad’s apartment this yesterday and was greeted by this:

We took the girls down to the Mission Reach of the Riverwalk on Sunday for a family bike ride. Rachel went off for an 8 miler with Mom and Dad. I took Emily on a much shorter loop.

We had chicken tacos a few days ago, and today I decided to make chicken tortilla soup with the leftovers.

I looked up and down the internets for a recipe, and every one seemed more complicated than the last, and none of them sounded like anything I’d ever had in a San Antonio restaurant.

I finally decided to just trust my instincts and went to the store to pick up a few items.

Here’s how I made it (sorry…no pictures of the process. I had no idea how it would turn out)

2 1/2 cups shredded chicken taco meat (this was the amount we had left over. Recipe to follow)
1 can rotel original
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz)
1/2 can (4 oz) tomato sauce
Comino (cumin for you Yankees) and garlic powder
Shredded Colby jack cheese
Sour cream
Tortilla strips

Combine chicken broth, rotel, chicken, tomato sauce in a sauce pan. Heat thoroughly. Add comino and garlic to taste.

We also happened to have some leftover rice, so when I served the soup, I added a scoop of rice to the bottom of the bowl before ladling the soup in.

Top the soup with shredded cheese, tortilla strips, and a scoop of sour cream.

Total time from pan to mouth: about 15 minutes

Chicken tacos:

Boil chicken meat (boneless breasts, thighs, whatever strikes your fancy) until cooked through. Shred chicken with two forks and transfer to a frying pan. Season with salt, pepper, comino, chilli powder (or be lazy and throw in a packet of taco seasoning), and 1/2 can of tomato sauce. Add water to cover the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil, stirring often. When the water is gone, it’s ready.  Serve in crispy taco shells or flour tortillas.