Chili Chicken Soup

This soup warms your tummy.  It is a comfort food and the
toppings allow you to customize it.

I have this friend Betty who is a marvelous cook.  At our last First Friday potluck, she volunteered to bring this soup to our home.  We worked out the logistics of serving soup to 20 people with simple cups and plastic spoons and it served as a great first course for our meal.  Although it has the texture of a cream based soup, there is no cream in it.  This is also a great meal in itself with its toppings and a side salad.

The soup has five ingredients.  Not counting the toppings.  Yup, that easy.  The toppings are vital  to make it so yummy.   I chose to make it in a crockpot, as Betty did, and let it simmer all day with the bonus of making our house smell so inviting.  Normally I would use my own homemade tomatillo sauce and chicken broth in this recipe but chose to purchase all the ingredients (well, except for the broth mix) from Trader Joes.  I was not disappointed.

This particular salsa was a little spicy but I couldn't find basic green salsa.
 Flavor was great though.  Second time around I did find green salsa
and used a mix of the two.  The heat was lower.

This soup can be prepared in a crockpot or on the stovetop.  Below are both preparation methods.

Slow-cooker method:
Serves: 6 - 8
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time:  Crockpot on low, 6 - 8 hours until chicken is cooked through

6 C. chicken broth
2 - 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained
2 C. green salsa
2 tsp. ground cumin
Topping suggestions:  cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, diced avocado

Add chicken broth, uncooked chicken breasts, beans, salsa, and cumin to a slow cooker and stir to combine.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork.  Remove the breasts, shred the meat and add back to soup.  Stir thoroughly before serving.

Serve warm with desired toppings.

Crockpot cooking leaves time for other activities although the
stovetop cooking method goes fairly quickly.

Stovetop Method:
Serves 6 - 8
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes

6 C. chicken broth
2 - 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained
2 C. green salsa
2 tsp. ground cumin
Optional toppings:  cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, diced avocado

Place chicken broth in a large saucepan.

In a separate pan, poach chicken breasts and shred the meat.  Add to the saucepan with drained beans, salsa, and cumin.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve soup in bowls and offer your choice of toppings.  Cheddar cheese is shown below, but Monterey jack melts nicely into the soup.

Add what you like!

Each serving (1/6) provides approximately 370 calories, 7 g fiber, 40 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, and 9 g fat.  This does not include toppings which are discretionary.  A large green salad is a perfect compliment.

I am pretty sure this is an adaptable recipe if you wish to swap out chicken for firm cubed tofu and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth to make it vegetarian.  Explore!

- Kim Fielding