Chicken Tomatillo Soup

There is this wonderful food co-op called the Bountiful Basket Food Co-op. I just got my first basket this past Saturday, and let me tell you- I was like a little kid at Christmas. I was up before the sun, and I couldn't wait to see what was in my basket. I was so happy when I went there and saw all of the amazing produce I got for 15.00! It's such an incredible deal. I also got the Mexican pack, of course, because I love to cook Mexican food. I was so happy to see about 10 tomatillos in the pack because just a day or two before I saw a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens that I really wanted to try. I looked at this recipe again, and every produce ingredient I needed was in that darn Mexican pack. It's like it was planned or something. I made the soup tonight, and it was so tasty. My little Sony Cybershot does not do this soup justice. You've got to try it. The flavor is so bold. It's got a little kick to it, but nothing that will floor someone with severe heartburn. I'll be getting the Mexican pack every time this soup is on my dinner list. Enjoy!
Tomatillo Chicken Soup:
Source: Better Homes and Gardens November 2010

6 tomatillos, husks removed and washed
1 1/2 lb chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 medium green sweet pepper, chopped
1/2 c chopped onion
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
2 T snipped fresh cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 T cumin
1 T lime juice
2 t chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced

Dice three of the washed tomatillos and place in a large saucepan. *This recipe is originally done in a crockpot, but I did it on the stove for 1 1/2 hours.

Place the remaining tomatillos in the blender. I quartered mine to ease of blending them up. Before:After:
Add the pureed tomatillos and the chicken broth.
I used a little red pepper instead of a green one. Dice it up.
Dice the onion.
Dice the jalapeno. I also cut the veins out of the jalapeno.
Dice the celery. Add all the diced vegetables into the soup.
Add the canned diced green chilies. I only used about half of the can, and there was still plenty of flavor and heat. You can add the whole can if you're feeling crazy.
Add the chopped cilantro. Wait! I wasn't too keen on the idea of soggy cilantro. Wait to add this right before serving. You'll be glad you did! I added it early, and it was kinda dark green and floppy. I like cilantro bright green and not floppy.

Add the cumin, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic. I cooked a chicken breast in a skillet with butter and shredded it. Once it's shredded, you can add that to the soup as well. Simmer for 90 minutes. If you're using the crockpot method, cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3 - 3 1/2 hours.
I didn't get another picture of the soup in the pan after it had simmered for 90 minutes. The first picture was the finished product though. You've really got to try this. It's such a good soup. Now that winter is coming, you'll need all kinds of good soup recipes on hand. This one won't disappoint you!