White Bean And Chicken Soup

As soon as the weather cooled down a bit my mind went to soup. Well, not literally, but I did start to think about soup recipes. Soup and recipes used together is a bit of a stretch for me because usually I just make my own soup. Really, you just need some sort of broth or liquid, some vegetables, maybe some meat or poultry, seasonings, maybe a starch and a bit of creativity. However, I have used a couple of different recipes for white soup or chili and yesterday I used a combination of several and a couple of twists of my own to come up with what I am calling White Bean And Chicken Soup. It isn't thick enough to be considered chili in my mind, but you could make it so. 

White Bean And Chicken Chili

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 large onion, diced

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3 cans (14.5 oz) chicken broth

2 cans Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans (4 oz) chopped green chilies

1 1/2 cup corn 

1/2 tsp. salt (optional)

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. ceyenne pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, and garlic powder to saucepan and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add broth, beans, green chilies, corn, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Just before serving, stir in sour cream. Yield: 8 servings

Make It Your Own . . .

Your soup doesn't have to be like my soup! If you want it to be thicker, use two cans of chicken broth or even just one. Add in one with the beans and other ingredients, then add one or two more if desired. 

If you want it more spicy, ramp up the ceyenne or add in a splash or two of hot sauce. You could chop up a jalepeno and cook it with the chicken. 

I like to stir in the sour cream, but you might want to put it on the table and use as a garnish instead.

Add a tablespoon or so of fresh lime juice to brighten up the flavor just a bit.

Cannelini beans are the creamiest of the white beans, in my opinion. For a creamier texture put one can of the beans and a bit of the broth in a blender or food processor before adding to the soup. It will make it the soup more creamy and less chunky. You can use any other white bean in the soup but the Cannelini works best if you want to blend some of them. Otherwise, feel free to try white kidney beans, great northern beans, or even garbanzo beans.

You might want to omit the salt and add it later to taste. There is a lot of salt in the chicken broth and you might not need it.

Garnish To Your Heart's Desire . . .

You can serve with corn chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, or salsa. How about adding in a few bits or diced tomatoes, green peppers or diced onion?

And Then . . .

One of the things I have always liked about making soup is the fact that it is usually cook once, eat more often. Soup in almost any form is as good or better the second or third day. Soup reheats easily on the stove or in the microwave. Most kinds of soup freeze well, too, in a freezer bag or a plastic container. 

Enjoy! Soup's on!