Southwestern Chicken Soup

Serves: 8

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ pounds chicken thighs, skinless and trimmed of fat
  • 1 ½ cups diced celery stalks
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 2 cups diced onion
  • 1 ½ cups diced red pepper
  • 1 ½ cups diced poblano chiles
  • 6 large or 8 smaller cloves of garlic
  • 2 ½ quarts cold water
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaf
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon MSG
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chile ancho or chile powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
  • 15 oz can pinto beans, drained
  • 16 oz mild or medium salsa
  • Tortilla chips
  • Diced avocado
  • Grated cotija cheese
  • Chopped cilantro
  • 8 lime wedges

Instructions

  1. Combine chicken, celery, carrots, onion, red pepper, poblano chile, garlic, and water in the large stock pot.
  2. Bring to a boil and immediately skim off any foam that appears.
  3. Reduce heat to a simmer and add oregano, bay leaves, MSG, salt, chile ancho or chile powder, and cumin. Simmer until the chicken is tender (about 1 hour). If the water reduces too much, simply replace with additional water.
  4. Remove the chicken from the pot and when cool enough to handle, remove the bones trying to keep the chicken in as large of pieces as possible.
  5. Put the thigh meat back into the stock pot and add garbanzo beans, pinto beans and salsa. Cover pot and cook for an additional 20-30 minutes.
  6. Add more salt or hot sauce to taste.
  7. Serve the soup with garnishes on the side.
  • Calories: 370
  • Fat: 12g
  • Cholesterol: 100mg
  • Protein: 35g
  • Sodium: 1110mg
  • Carbohydrate: 29g
  • Fiber: 4g