Chicken Chili-Style Soup
Most of my best recipes were mistakes I made while trying to follow someone else's recipe, and this raved-over soup is no exception. My improvising paid off, and now it's become one of my most-requested meals.
Most of my best recipes were mistakes I made while trying to follow someone else's recipe, and this raved-over soup is no exception. My improvising paid off, and now it's become one of my most-requested meals.
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 6 tablespoons sour cream
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 2 teaspoons southwest seasoning
- 2 teaspoons olive oil plus 1 1/2 tablespoons , divided
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 4 oz jalapeã±o chiles diced
- 4 oz chopped green chiles
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 5 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
- 45 oz cannellini beans drained, rinsed
- 1 cup mexican-style cheese shredded
- 1 1/2 cups tortilla chips coarsely crushed
- Carbohydrate 54.2207875089858 g
- Cholesterol 61.5713541666667 mg
- Fat 23.3188225937502 g
- Fiber 4.42952516678292 g
- Protein 38.1554618781576 g
- Saturated Fat 6.97101611637183 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (473g)
- Sodium 584.146363148609 mg
- Sugar 49.7912623422029 g
- Trans Fat 2.39206172430089 g
- Calories 557 calories
Step-by-step
- Sprinkle chicken with Southwest seasoning. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook chicken 10 minutes or until no longer pink in center, turning once. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in large pot until hot. Cook onion 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in chiles, cumin, oregano, chili powder and cayenne pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in broth, beans and chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 to 15 minutes to blend flavors. Serve topped with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.
Standard chili relies on a thick, tomato-forward base and long-simmered beef, whereas this variant builds body from puréed beans and chicken broth. Understanding structural differences prevents confusion at the stove. Temperature readings help, but visual inspection remains critical when working with diced poultry.
Judging Doneness Without a Thermometer
Cooking poultry without a probe requires monitoring visual indicators. Raw muscle tissue is translucent and pink. As heat denatures proteins, light scatters differently and opacity increases. Cook the chicken breasts for ten minutes total, turning once, until the interior shows zero pinkness. When sliced into one-inch pieces, properly cooked meat displays white fibers that tear rather than slide apart. Broth simmering at medium-low for ten to fifteen minutes allows the starches from the cannellini beans to leach into the liquid, thickening the base naturally.Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Overcrowding the skillet prevents proper browning. Sear the mushrooms in batches if necessary so moisture evaporates rather than pooling in the pan. Adding minced garlic too early causes bitter burning; thirty seconds in hot oil is sufficient to release aromatic allyl sulfides without scorching. Control heat levels carefully during the spice-blooming phase to keep the cayenne pepper from scorching.Managing Spices and Texture
Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, a fat-soluble compound. Toasting ground chili spices in oil for five minutes drives flavor compounds into the lipids, distributing heat evenly throughout the pot. Lower-sodium chicken broth permits control over final salinity levels. Shredded Mexican-style cheese and sour cream added at the table provide dairy fats that coat the tongue, mitigating intense capsaicin burn.
