Chicken Soup, Southwestern Style

The holidays are over, and I am ready to share all of my recipes I made over the course of the past week.  First up is a beautiful and tasty southwestern inspired soup. I made this soup while my parents were in town visiting for Christmas.  We had just returned from viewing Christmas lights at the botanic gardens on a cold and breezy night, and this was the perfect remedy to warm us up.  I managed to make the soup mid-afternoon and reheated it upon our return.  My favorite part of the soup is the endless amount of toppings to pile on, and since it's healthy, why not have seconds?  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did.

Ingredients:

1.5 lb. roasted chicken breast, shredded (roast your own, bone in skin on, 350 for 35-40 min. salt pepper and coat with olive oil OR buy a rotisserie chicken)

2 poblanos diced

1 fresno chili diced

1 Anaheim  chili diced

1 white onion diced

4 garlic cloves minced

1 can diced tomatoes

4-6 cups of chicken stock

1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed (such as navy or white kidney)

1T. of agave syrup

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Swirl olive oil in bottom of a dutch oven or soup pot, on med/high heat.  Add all the peppers, onion and garlic season with salt and pepper and sauté until veggies are soft.  Add tomatoes and chicken stock (I added 4c. then add more later if it needs it) bring to a boil, simmer for about 15 minutes.  Pulse the soup with an immersion blender just until the soup is partially pureed (soup should still have some chunks of veggies), this allows the soup to thicken slightly, and allows for a great texture.  Add the chicken, beans and agave, let simmer for another 15 minutes.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.  Serve with lots of delicious toppings (ideas below).  Enjoy!

Topping suggestions:

lime wedges

queso fresco

jalepeno

avocado 

scallions

cilantro

tortilla chips

salsa verde