$5 Chicken, 4 People, 3 Meals, 1 Dog

Tortilla Soup...another left-over.

About once a month I make my pilgrimage to Costco.  I usually have a list and try not to veer from it. But if you've ever shopped at Costco, you know that it's tough to get out of there, a) for under $100 and b) without buying something you hadn't actually planned on. I never go without picking up a $5 roasted chicken. This is Annabelle's favorite day of the month. 

A girl's best friend.

Her nose wiggles when I walk in the door, anticipation sets in. She knows what's in store for her. I am a naughty dog mom! I make a special bowl of kibble and add all the juices and gelatin that's left over in the container. I'll be a bit sloppier when it comes to carving the meat off the bird, scraping all of the remaining bits from the bones and adding it to the bowl. Extra pieces of skin might slip in there as well. This, and perhaps a daily run, might be why she follows me from room to room, staring at me with loving dog eyes. I should have named her "Shadow" because that is what she is to me.

Me and my shadow. I'm not this tall in person.  ;-)

We eat a bit more than 1/2 the chicken the first night, just some meat, a veg and a starch.
The second day, the remaining chicken usually makes it's way into some sort of soup, that lasts at least 2 nights. Which guarantees that $5 chicken will serve us for at least 3 meals. This is another one of those meals that you can pretty much start preparing around 6 and have it on the table with a salad, by 7. Once you've sauteed the onions, you just dump everything in a pot and heat it up.
Tortilla Soup
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon chili powder
2 or 3 stalks of celery, sliced
2 or 3 sliced carrots
1 large can, peeled diced tomatoes, with juice (28 oz. can)
3 cans chicken broth
2 can kidney or pinto beans, drained
1 small can diced green chilies
3 cups frozen corn
3 cups cooked chicken, breast or thigh meat, shredded or diced

1. Saute onions in olive oil until translucent, 5 min. or so
2. Add garlic, cumin, oregano and chili powder and cook a couple more minutes.
3. Add celery, carrots, tomatoes, beans and chilies. Simmer until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Add corn and shredded chicken and cook another 5-10 minutes or until corn is cooked and chicken is hot.
5. Serve with strips of corn tortillas or tortilla chips, green onions, cilantro and cheese.

Makes about 3 quarts of soup.