Savory Southwestern Soup-South Beach Friendly!
"This recipe was inspired by Progresso's Southwest Chicken Soup which my husband loves. We wanted a version that was easy to make, economical and still heart healthy. You can easily adapt this recipe to your own tastes, if you're not on a low sodium, low fat diet (like we are) try it with chicken thighs for added flavor! The healthy version uses no salt beans, tomatoes, & chicken broth, chicken breasts and low sodium salt. You can also easily make this recipe in a crockpot. To make it "South Beach Diet" friendly just omit the corn and rice for phase 1. Manja guilt free!"
photo by _Pixie_
- Ready In:
- 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 16
- Serves:
-
10-12
ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 (14 ounce) can Mexican-style tomatoes (go for plain, low sugar canned tomatoes if on the South Beach diet)
- 1 (24 ounce) jar salsa (we use southwestern style)
- 7 garlic cloves, chopped finely
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons cumin powder (or to taste)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 1 (14 ounce) can black beans, rinsed (can increase to 2 cans)
- 2 (32 ounce) containers fat free chicken broth
- 1⁄2 lb frozen corn (omit if on the South Beach diet)
- 1⁄2 lb frozen cut green beans
- 1⁄4 cup cilantro leaf, chopped finely (optional)
- 2 cups Minute brown rice, cooked (omit if on phase 1 of the South Beach diet)
directions
- Chop the chicken breasts into 1/2 in cubes and sprinkle with the dry spices and mix well to coat.
- In a large, heavy bottomed soup pot, brown the coated chicken in hot oil 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the onion and garlic and mix well. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- Add the can of tomatoes and stir. Then add the jar of salsa and stir again. When this mixture begins to boil add the containers of chicken broth. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Add the beans, frozen corn and green beans. Note: may need to break the beans so they are bite sized (about 1/2 inch each).
- Bring to a boil again and reduce heat to simmer. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes until the beans and corn are tender.
- If rice is desired, cook separately according to package directions and add 1/4 cup to each bowl when serving.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Note: Omit corn and rice if you're on the South Beach Diet and increase beans to 2 cans. Also consider adding jicama for fiber and a lovely crunchy texture.
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Reviews
-
Excellent South Beach recipe and great recipe to warm you up in the winter! I scaled this recipe for two and used leftover turkey so I just added everything to the pot and let it simmer. I left out the oil, corn and rice and subbed green pepper for the green beans. I'll definitely be making this again, thanks for posting. -
LOVE IT! Tastes EXACTLY like the Progresso but without the canned taste I HATE. I cut the chicken breasts to one half pound, skipped the onion (my chili had plenty), skipped the cilantro, and skipped the rice. It's REALLY GOOD!! I made the recipe as prepared and froze 11 servings of appx 1 cup each. VERY Weight Watchers friendly! Thanks for sharing! -
Yum! This soup is absolutely wonderful! Instead of the tomatoes and salsa called for, I used what was in my pantry, 2 10-oz. cans of Mexican Rotel and a 16 oz. jar of salsa. Also added cooked brown rice at serving instead of Minute Rice. Cooking the chicken with spices adds so much flavor. I make a lot of soup, and will definitely make this one again! Thanks for sharing your recipe! -
Similar to previous reviewer, this soup was great for our low carb diet. My husband ate this for a whole week! Very hearty and economical. -
Great soup-great flavors-i used a can of mild rotel and left the cumin,and cilantro out (little strong for my taste),soup was delicious,thanks for posting.I give this 5 stars and it deserves more,i am diabetic and found it very carb friendly.
Tweaks
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Excellent South Beach recipe and great recipe to warm you up in the winter! I scaled this recipe for two and used leftover turkey so I just added everything to the pot and let it simmer. I left out the oil, corn and rice and subbed green pepper for the green beans. I'll definitely be making this again, thanks for posting.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Elementary reading teacher who loves to cook. Good food, good friends and good conversation are my passions.
