Mexican-style Chicken Rice and Black Bean Soup
One day I was making a basic chicken soup, then I decided to spice things up a bit. LOL! This soup was a MAJOR hit at my house. I made a ton of it too, so it lasted for a few meals and (re)heated up REALLY well. So good!This one takes longer to make but not a ton of active cooking. I will note some shortcuts below too.
Equipment
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Rice cooker or pot For rice
- 1 Large soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 Quart Chicken broth
- 2 Large carrots Chopped
- 1 Medium onion (yellow) Diced
- 2 tbsp Dried Parsley
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1.5 cup Dry organic brown rice* See notes below
- 2 cups Pulled or chopped COOKED chicken* See notes below
- 1 can Organic black beans Drained and rinsed
- 1 Lime, juiced
- 1 tbsp Chili flakes or to taste
- 1 can Diced tomatoes or fresh cherry tomatoes chopped
- 1 can Tomato Paste
- 1/2 cup Chopped fresh cilantro optional
- Pinch Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp Chili powder optional
- 2 tbsp cumin powder (can be excluded if needed)
- 1 Avocado (chopped) optional
Instructions
Rice*
- If you have a rice cooker, use it. Otherwise, cook rice as directed. Then set aside.
Soup
- Combine: Broth, onions, carrots, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, S/P. Let it heat to a low boil, then simmer for 10 min to allow flavors to come together.
- Add cooked rice, chicken, and black beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, chili flakes, cumin and chili powder. Let simmer for at last 20 minutes on low.
- Taste test to ensure you like the flavor. Adjust the spices as needed. Then squeeze in lime juice. Taste again if you choose.
Serve!
- Top with chopped fresh cilantro, avocado, sour cream (or vegan sour cream)
Notes
Tips and suggestions:
To save time, use a rice cooker or at least cook the rice ahead of time.
Purchase a pre-cooked roasted chicken and pull off the meat. Or... cook 2 large chicken breasts ahead of time or cook them in a crockpot with a little bit of water until they fall apart. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Pro health tip: Use your own homemade bone broth as the base. If you use the meat of the organic chicken, then use the bones to make bone broth too! I use a slow cooker/crockpot to make broth ahead of time. (We drink bone broth at home, so if I have some made, I use it in this recipe (vs. a carton of store bought).
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!