Wednesday: Southwest Chicken Soup

I'm the kind of person who always reads reviews...on anything.  Computers, camera's, kid stuff, and especially recipes.  Not just to find out if other people liked it, but I also love to see what they did to change things up.  I find a lot of people "like" a recipe, but they've totally strayed from the original.  Not that it's a bad thing to do...I mean get creative and all, but I always wonder if the original was better or is their creation the way to go?  I tend to follow the original, at least the first time around.  I'm able to see what the initial recipe tastes like and then I can decide what to change up from there.  

I spotted this soup, saw it got good reviews and proceeded to read through them.  So, this time, I'm going to stray from my inner control freak and tweak the original recipe by using some of the suggestions from other cooks.  I think it's going to make for a fantastic soup.  Going to crisp some flour tortillas for dipping too.  Happy cooking! 

smokey goodness...mmmmm

Ingredients (recipe adapted from Cooking Light)

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
4 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (depending on how "soupy" you want it)
• 1/4 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (16-ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 3/4 cup diced peeled avocado (about 1 medium)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 6 lime wedges

• Preparation

  • Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 3 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, rice, cumin, and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in chicken, cilantro, pepper, and salt; simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.
  • Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.
  • Spoon into bowls and top with avocado.  Serve with lime wedges.