Mexican Chicken soup

This recipe was rather a MacGyver-type creation I came up with tonight. As my 6 year old called it the "Best soup ever, well, at least since the last soup", I decided to write it down while it's still fresh in my brain.

I boiled the two chicken carcasses from the other night for a while, and stripped the meat off. Then I strained the grease off the broth. I had quite a bit of liquid - probably 10 or 12 cups. It's tastier than commercial chicken broth, but next time, I would probably use less liquid and save the rest for another tasty recipe.

With about 10 cups of broth, and 2 to 3 cups of chopped chicken meat, I had my soup base, and needed some inspiration. Mexican style!

Here's what I added to the base
- one chopped green pepper
- 2 tbsps of tomato paste
- 3/4 cup of "instant" lentils (I'd use regular red ones next time)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 cup salsa - we have mild
- one jar of homemade green tomato relish (ask me if you want a jar, or just double the salsa)
- a cup or so of frozen corn
- can of black beans

Add everything, simmer about 20 minutes and serve. I topped the soup bowls with some shredded cheddar, and had sliced up tortillas on the side for dipping. Yum!

The hubby thought it could have used more spice, and I agree. However, the meal was milder with the younger members of the family in mind.