I like to have Southwest Chicken Soup for lunch or dinner. If I want to make the soup stretch to increase the number of servings, I will scoop 1 cup of soup over 1/2 cup of the following: brown rice, elbow noodles, quick cooking barley or bulgur.
This soup is great with a grilled cheese sandwich, vegetable wrap, salad or fruit. If you are adding a sandwich or wrap then reduce the soup serving size to 1 cup for a healthy balance.
Cost Per Serving $3.05 as of October 2022
If you have ZERO ingredients then this recipe will cost about $24.43.
If you have a fully stocked pantry this dish will cost about $18.92.
- Cost per serving reduces to $2.37.
I am assuming you have salt and pepper and do not add it into the recipe total cost.
Crock-Pot
Recipe serves: 8
Serving size: 1.5 cups
Equipment needed: 1 crockpot
Total time: 6-8 hours
Equipment
I like the manual control of the crockpot versus the digital ones with delayed start and timers. We have a lot of power glitches at our house and a digital crockpot will turn off instead continuing to cook when the power shuts off for a few seconds.
Let's grocery shop!
I am assuming you have salt and pepper. It is not included in pantry and spices. If you have a fully stocked pantry there will be a savings of about $5.51.
Pantry & Spices
Total: $5.51 as of October 2022
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bay leaf $2.98
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ground cumin $1.28
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dried oregano $1.25
Grocery
Total: $18.92 as of October 2022
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1 medium onion $0.78
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1 green pepper $0.78
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1 can crushed tomato 28 oz $1.36
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1 can diced tomato and green chili $0.88
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1 jar salsa $2.24
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1 box chicken broth 32 oz $1.33
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1 pound chicken breasts $6.63
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1 block cheddar cheese $2.00
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1 sour cream $1.16
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20 oz frozen corn $1.76
Tip from Me
Eight servings is a lot for two people so I freeze the soup using 1 cup ice cube trays. This gives me meal options at a later date when time is short. After the cubes are frozen I store them in a zip lock freezer bag.
The soup will keep in the freezer for 3 ~ 6 months. Check out our article on other foods you can freeze using an ice cube tray.
Let's prep!
| 1 medium onion |
| 1 medium green pepper |
| 1 can crushed tomatoes 28 ounces |
| 1 can diced tomato with green chili 10 oz |
| 2 cups frozen corn (10 oz) |
| 1 cup salsa |
| 1 bay leaf |
| 2 teaspoons cumin |
| 1/2 teaspoon oregano |
| 4 cups chicken stock |
| 1 cup water |
| 1 pound chicken breasts |
| 1 cup cheddar cheese |
| 1 cup reduced fat sour cream |
- Gather all of your ingredients and measuring tools
- Grate cheddar cheese and place in a plastic bag and refrigerate
- Chop 1 onion
- Chop 1 green pepper
- Cut chicken in half
Let's cook!
- Complete the prep from the prep tab above.
- Add to the cock-pot and stir:
- onion
- green pepper
- crushed tomatoes 28 ounces
- diced tomato with green chili 10 ounces
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups chicken stock (32 ounces)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- Place the chicken in the crock-pot. Take a spoon and press it into the mixture until it is covered.
- Cook on low for 6 – 8 hours
- Remove bay leaf and chicken.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and stir chicken back into the soup. Serve with cheddar cheese and sour cream. Enjoy!
This recipe can also be found in Weekly Dinners for 4 under $100 – Menu 5
