Albondigas!
That’s what I think/say when I make anything with meatballs. It’s just a reflex and since it means “meatballs” in spanish, it works. Don’t test me on my knowledge of foreign languages, though…okay? Cause, I will surely fail. Food SO is much easier to understand.
Anyway, this soup begins with searing little, spoonable chicken meatballs flavored with lots of fresh cilantro, some sauteed onion and garlic, and a bit of minced jalapeno for heat and excitement. Once the meatballs are brown and crispy-golden we sauté some more onion and garlic, another jalapeno, plus some carrots. There’s some corn (frozen is totally acceptable) and zucchini in there for health and science. Dried New Mexico chiles ground into a powder and cumin flavor and color the broth. More cilantro is added to brighten the party and bring the soup together. This soup is hearty, but not heavy. The clear broth is light but packed with subtly spiced chile flavor and the meatballs are tender and so flavorful with the cilantro and aromatics. This soup is so warming and with a super cheesy quesadilla on the side, it’s perfection on a cold day.
- Meatballs:
- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno (seeds and ribs removed if desired), minced
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- salt/pepper
- Soup:
- meatballs
- 2 Tablespoons oil (I used
grape seed , light olive or vegetable oil work too) - ½ large
onion, diced fine - 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno (seeds and ribs removed if desired), sliced
- 4 dried New Mexico chiles
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 cup
frozen corn kernels - 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- cilantro to garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
- In a sauté pan heat olive oil and sauté onions, garlic, and jalapeno. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook over medium until onions are tender and translucent Scrape into a bowl and set aside to cool.
- In a mixing bowl mix together the cooled onion/jalapeno mixture with the ground chicken, cilantro, egg, and breadcrumbs. Add salt (I used about ¾ teaspoon) and pepper. Mix gently to combine well. Refrigerate the mixture until ready to shape and sear meatballs.
- Shape meatballs, I shoot for something that fits nicely in the spoon and can be eaten in one bite–think larger than a marble, but smaller than a cherry tomato. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil over medium high heat in the bottom of a dutch oven or soup pot. Sear the meatballs in batches until deep golden brown all around. Place seared meatballs in a dish and set aside.
- Over a gas burner (you could also do this in a hot oven, it may take a few more minutes), lightly char the chiles–the idea is to make them extra dry for easier grinding and to add a touch of smokey flavor. Cool chiles and grind in a spice grinder to a medium-coarse powder. Mix chile powder with cumin and oregano in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add the onion to the remaining oil and whatever brown bits are left in the pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt and sauté, being sure to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan, add the carrots. Cook until onions are just translucent and carrots begin to soften, add the garlic and jalapeno, cook an additional minute. Stir in the ground chile and other spices. Add the corn, zucchini, meatballs, and chicken stock. Bring the soup to a boil, taste for salt and season as needed. Reduce the soup to a simmer and cook an additional 15 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and meatballs are heated through. Serve hot with additional cilantro for garnish.
This sounds so ridiculously delicious, and so perfect for these chilly winter days. Pinning and planning to make ASAP!
yes! let me know if you do!
we’ve only made meatball with turkey, but the chicken sounds good and i definitely will try the panko breadcrumbs next time.
I make them with turkey sometimes too. I like the panko with poultry since it seems to be more moist. Thanks Cindy!!
If I could put cilantro on everything, I totally would. Well you know, maybe not on cookies, but on any savory things, yes. I just love it. I am totally getting into soup-making with all of the cold weather we’ve been having, so this soup will likely be made soon! Have a fantastic weekend, Cindy!
mmm, yes! I love it too! Thanks Amanda!
How much chile powder would we substitute if we can’t find the whole dried chiles? About a palmful? A tbs?
I would do 3-4 Tablespoons. 🙂
This soup sounds so delicious and comforting! We loooove cilantro and we love this blog! 🙂
thank you, Whitney!! 🙂
You had me at meatballs.
And then again at quesadilla.
you’re my kinda guy 😉
Yuummmm!! I feel so bad for those people who think cilantro tastes soapy. They’re missing out because it’s totally my favorite herb. This looks so delicious.
me too! as a kid, I hated it, but now there really is no such thing as too-much-cilantro.
made this, absolutely DELISH!! (applause all around to you)
yay! I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for letting me know, Holly. Cheers!
I made this soup on Sunday night and it was delicious! Leftovers today are good too. I used 1/2 teaspoon chile powder and 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder to replace the dried chiles and it seemed to work out well. Thanks for the recipe!
great! I’m glad you enjoyed it!