Chicken Chili Soup

I feel terrible. I made this soup the other day with the full intention to take pictures of the process and then, in the middle of it all, I realized I hadn't snapped one shot. So, I hope you are able to make a soup, based on a recipe, without pictures to walk you through it. I apologize. In my defense, I was starving, trying to get my children lunch, trying to get this soup going and I had three young friends show up. I love having young mom's over because I always feel like they come over, see my children and the utter insanity and chaos and think "My life could be worse!", and go home happy with their one child. Anyway, these three gals were were awesome and so I was very busy visiting and cooking and pictures went out the window. Have I apologized yet?

You will need ...

6 cups chicken stock or broth

12 oz chicken breast, diced (it can be cooked, uncooked, or from the can. Whichever you prefer.)

1 15 oz can black beans, undrained

16 oz chunky salsa

2 T taco seasoning

1/2 c corn

1/2 c brown rice

Get a large soup pot and place it over med-high heat. Put everything into the pot. Here is why you can use raw chicken ... everything is going to boil for about 45 minutes so the chicken will cook and will absorb all the awesome Mexican flavors. Since I rarely have fresh chicken on hand, and I don't feel like trying to defrost the frozen breasts stocked up in my freezer, I usually end up using a can of chicken. Make sure to drain it if you choose this route. Get the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring every so often, and let it boil away for about 45 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken (if you used raw) is cooked. This recipe makes about 10 one-cup servings. If you are calorie conscious, it's about 2 Weight Watchers points per serving. I like to have mine with some cheese on top or to put a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese in and stir it around. Either way, it's good.

Oh, and this soup keeps really well and our kids love it. I started making it years ago when my good friend Melissa gave me her recipe. This is modified quite a bit from her original version but I never would have come up with it without her inspiration. Thanks Melis!

I guess I managed to get one picture taken. How's that for presentation? 

Click HERE for a printable version of this recipe