The kids and I took a little trip to Indianapolis earlier this week to meet up with our best friends.  It was a last-minute trip, and I’m so glad we decided to go.  However, the trip was an unexpected expense, so when we returned home I had to balance the family budget.

The first step was trimming the week’s grocery budget.  We have so much in the freezer and pantry, and I find that when I pull from what we already have we can save a lot of money.  Plus, using what’s on-hand forces me to get creative!

Frozen chicken breasts from C&D Family Farms were in the freezer – we’ve had them since last fall’s farmers market, so it was about time to use them!  We had a nice assortment of fresh vegetables lurking in the fridge.  And, I had two quarts of homemade chicken broth and a jar of my favorite salsa.  All the fixin’s for a slow cooker soup.  I’ve seen about a million variations of “taco soup” floating around the Internet – here’s my fresh riff on this old standby.

P.S. Plenty leftover for my husband’s lunch the next day!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Salsa Soup

2 bone-in chicken breasts (a little more than 1 pound total), frozen

1 jalapeno, sliced

1 pasillo pepper, sliced

2 small onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

5 carrots, sliced

1 large potato, diced

1 jar salsa (I love Frontera brand if I’m not making homemade salsa)

6 cups chicken broth (I use homemade chicken broth)

2 tablespoons cumin

1 tablespoon oregano

salt

Put all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove chicken from the cooker and shred the meat off the bones.  Discard the bones and skin, and return the chicken meat to the pot. Stir well.

Ladle into bowls and serve.  Garnish with avocado or cilantro, if desired.