Shredded Chicken Tacos and Tortilla Soup

Okay, I didn't take any pictures of this, because I didn't realize that it was going to turn out so good! I wanted to share though, because it was a pretty easy and healthy dinner, and it was something totally different for us! I wish that I would have taken some pictures, and I am sure that I will the next time. I will hopefully describe it well enough that you can try it yourself!

3 half chicken breasts with skin and bone in
1 yellow onion, sliced in chunky slices
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, shredded
1 fresh lime, quartered
1 box (4 cups) chicken broth
Spices: Cumin, Ground Coriander, Chili Powder, and Cayenne Powder

In your largest pot heat 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil over a medium to high flame. Wash the chicken and pat dry. Place the chicken in the pot, skin side down to brown. Brown for about 10-15 minutes adding the onion, shallot, and garlic while that is cooking. Sprinkle the backs of the chicken breasts with all of the seasonings, generously with the cumin, coriander and chili powder, but just lightly with the cayenne, it's spicy! Once the chicken is browned, flip the pieces over and sprinkle the tops with the same seasonings. Brown the other sides for about 5 minutes, then add the 1/2 of the lime juice and chicken broth and cover. Bring to a boil, then cook at a high simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the onions are soft and translucent. (About 30 minutes) Remove the chicken breasts from the mixture and pull of the meat and transfer it into a medium bowl. Discard the bones and skin. Shred the meat with two forks. Add the shredded carrot to the broth and keep simmering while you shred the chicken. Add 1/4 of the chicken back to the broth for the soup. To the remaining chicken, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the 4 seasonings to taste. Add a little bit of the broth to moisten the meat. Skim the broth for any pieces of skin, and discard. Serve the shredded chicken for tacos or over salad. Spoon the soup into bowls and top with tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro and/or scallions. Serve with the remaining lime wedges.

There are probably those out there that are wondering why I didn't just add water instead of adding more chicken broth. I felt that the relatively short cooking time wasn't really going to allow the water to become brothy enough, and I thought it would have tasted too bland. It was a full bodied soup, so if you have more time, I would recommend trying the water route. If you finish and your soup is just too bland, here are some ideas to thicken and spice it up:

1 can of beans, rinsed and partially pureed or whole (recommended: cannelini, black, or pinto)
Tomatoes- canned or fresh, quartered or diced
Jalapenos
Corn- fresh or frozen (canned would probably work too, just watch the salt content) pureed here might work nicely too
Make a quick roux- melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons of flour (whole wheat is really tasty in something like this) in a small saucepan. Let the mixture bubble for a minute or two without burning before you add it into the soup.

Let me know if you try any of these. I am looking forward to an excuse to make this again soon!