Easy, Healthy, Chicken and Salsa Soup

Fall is here!!! Woo-hoo! I’m so inspired but I have to mark the cool weather start with soup—we LOVE soups. Chicken and salsa soup is a SUPER easy dinner to make when you are in a hurry and I guarantee it’s a surefire winner of a meal for guests too!

The beauty of this soup is that if you already have cooked chicken on hand, you don’t have to follow the directions below—you can throw all the ingredients in a soup pot and heat until it starts to boil. Then turn off the heat and your soup is ready!


CHICKEN AND SALSA SOUP

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
2 (14.5-ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth (or approx. 3 1/2 cups)
1 to 2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder or 2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. cumin (optional-but good)
1 1/2 cups loose-pack frozen whole kernel corn
1 can black beans (about 14-15 oz), rinsed and drained (optional-but very good)
1 cup bottled chunky salsa (fresh salsa is best-I prefer the Herdez brand if fresh is not available)

For serving:
About 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese—Cheddar or Monterey is good (if your salsa is mild, you can use Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers instead)
*3 cups tortilla chips
Light sour cream (optional)

Combine chicken, water, broth and chili powder in large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

Cover; cook for 8 minutes. Uncover; add corn. Cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Stir in salsa; heat through. Sprinkle cheese over each serving. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream or any other toppings of your choice.

Makes about 6 servings.

**I like to use baked corn tortilla strips as a topping instead of tortilla chips: Cut about 10-12 corn tortillas into strips (any size) and spray lightly with olive oil (the olive oil version of ‘Pam’) and sprinkle lightly with salt (optional) and cumin/chili powder. Bake at 325-350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or so—when they start to turn brown, take them out of the oven. They help thicken the soup, when added before serving, and provide a great texture!