Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup

I made this last night and it was oh so good and cozy to eat by the fire! I used rotisserie chicken I keep from Costco and I love it! It makes so many dishes quick and easy to prepare. It's a little more expensive but sometimes worth it when we want a quick meal. So I have added the option of how to cook this using regular uncooked chicken breast or already cooked rotisserie chicken.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil (I used hot chili oil)

• 1 medium yellow onion

• 3 stalks celery

• 1 medium jalapeno

• 4 cloves garlic

• ¾ lb. chicken breast OR Rotisserie Chicken (I buy the already packaged white meat rotisserie at Costco and keep it in my freezer in bags for up to 4 servings. Makes it quick and easy)

• 6 cups chicken broth

• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles or jalapenos

• 2 bags of brown minute rice

• 1 tsp oregano

• ½ Tbsp cumin

• ½ Tbsp corriander

• 1 medium lime

• ½ bunch cilantro

• 1 medium avocado

Instructions

• Dice the onion, celery, and jalapeno (scrape the seeds out of the jalapeno before dicing). Mince the garlic. Cook the onion, celery, jalapeno, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.

• Add the chicken breast, chicken broth, canned tomatoes with chiles, rice, oregano, cumin, and corriander to the pot. Bring the whole pot up to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to low, place a lid on top, and let simmer for one hour.

• IF you are using the already cooked rotisserie chicken it doesn't need to cook for an hour. Let the flavors combine for about 20 minutes. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the soup. Get as much juice as possible from the lime by using a spoon to scrape the inside of the lime and skip the next step and go straight to the last step of adding cilantro.

• IF using uncooked chicken breast - After simmering for an hour with a lid on, carefully remove the chicken breast from the pot and use two forks to shred the meat. Return the meat to the pot. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the soup. Get as much juice as possible from the lime by using a spoon to scrape the inside of the lime.

• Rinse the cilantro and then roughly chop the leaves. Add to the pot, give it a quick stir, and serve. Dice the avocado and add a few chunks to each bowl.

Enjoy and stay warm!

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20