Baby it’s cold out side! Angelenos are known to be babies when it comes to any weather below 55. We bust out the fur, the Uggs, the scarf’s and gloves… and soup! Who doesn’t love a hot bowl of goodness on a cold night? This is my go to recipe any time I want something warm, hearty and healthy. This soup is so easy a guy can make it. It’s really hard to mess this recipe up. So what will you need?
- 2 large chicken breast
- 1 can (15oz) black beans
- 1 can (15oz) corn
- 1 can (14 1/2 oz) Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
- 2 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
- 1/2 small onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 4 TBS olive oil
- 2 TSP ground cumin
- 1 TSP chili powder
- 1/2 TSP red chili flakes (or more if you like spice)
- salt to taste
Optional (but recommended)
- tortilla chips (home made or store bought)
- low fat sour cream or yogurt
- avocado
- cheese (pick your favorite. Some kind of Mexican blend works great)
Now I know at this point you may be thinking this is a lot of canned goods in one pot of soup but don’t go thinking just because it’s canned it’s bad for you. I usually pick out my canned products based on sodium content and ingredients. So start reading some labels and choose wisely. (Or if you have time, go fresh!) Now lets get cookin’!
- Take a big pot and pour in your chicken broth. Then open canned, corn, beans and Mexican-style stewed tomatoes. Add to your pot the canned corn with all its juices.
- Then rinse black beans and add to the pot.
- I like my tomatoes in smaller chunks so I take me kitchen scissors to them a couple of times. You can also put it in a food processor and give it a few pulses. Or just open the can and add to the pot as is.
Now that you have all your canned goods in your pot you’re almost done! It’s time to chop an onion! Now I will just gave to derail here for a second and mention I hate watching people cut an onion. There is an efficient way of doing this and most people take the long way and the onion pieces are all a different size and shape and it makes me want to cry! HA Get it? Cry? Ok silly, I know but really, out of all the things that make me cringe the most in kitchen habits, this one takes the cake! So let me demonstrate!
- First cut horizontally but don’t go all the way through the bud of the onion. Then cut vertically but don’t take it all the way to the bud. Then you’re ready to dice your onion into perfect almost same size pieces!
- Add your diced onion and 5 cloves of pressed garlic into a skillet with about 2 tables spoons of olive oil until your onion becomes soft and translucent. Then add this to your pot.
- Then take your chicken and cut into chunks that you would want in your soup. I like mine pretty small but this is up to you.
- Sauté your chicken with about 2 table spoons of olive oil along with your cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes. Cook the chicken about half way done whit the centers still pink. Then add to the pot.
- Put a lid on your pot and bring your soup to a boil. Once its there, turn it to a simmer for about 15 min. Meanwhile chop up your cilantro and add half of it to your pot and keep the other half for garnish.
You’re done! So easy right? Add salt to taste and you’re ready to serve. I assemble my bowl with cheese first, then soup, then yogurt, cilantro and avocado. Add a few chips with this or serve it with some grilled cheese!
ENJOY!
