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–+ servings

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.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 people

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!