Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small white onion (peeled and diced)
• 2 medium carrots (diced)
• 1 jalapeño pepper (cored and diced (optional))
• 5 cloves garlic (minced)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup whole-kernel corn (frozen or canned)
• 2 (15-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• 1 cup (4 ounces) uncooked fideos (or broken-up spaghetti noodles)
• juice of 1 lime (plus extra lime wedges for serving (if desired))
• optional garnishes: chopped fresh cilantro (diced avocado, lime wedges, jalapeño slices, cotija cheese)

Steps

1. 1

   Sauté the veggies: Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion, carrots and jalapeño and sauté for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.  Add garlic and sauté for 2 additional minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. 2

   Add the broth ingredients:  Add the chicken stock, cooked chicken, corn, diced tomatoes, green chiles, chili powder, cumin and oregano, and stir to combine.  Continue cooking until the broth reaches a simmer.

3. 3

   Add the noodles: Reduce heat to medium-low, to maintain the simmer.  Stir in the fideos (or broken-up spaghetti).  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the noodles are al dente.

4. 4

   Season the soup: Stir in the lime juice.  Taste the soup, and season with salt and pepper as needed.

5. 5

   Serve: Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes.