Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
  • 1 sweet red bell pepper (chopped)
  • 1/2 or 1 jalapeno pepper (stemmed, seeded and finely chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
  • 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried ground cumin
  • 64 ounces chicken broth
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (16-ounce) jar pace picante sauce, (mild)
  • 1 (11-ounce) can whole corn, (drained)
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans  black beans, (drained and rinsed)
  • 6 chicken breast halves (cooked and shredded)
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
  • 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
  • tortilla chips (coarsely crushed)

Instruction

  • Saute onion, red pepper, and jalapeno in a large pot until very soft.  Add garlic and saute for about 2 minutes. Add salt, black pepper, chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, and cumin saute for about 1 minute.
  • Add all the rest of the ingredients except the chicken. Simmer on medium-low for 1 1/2 hours to allow all flavors to develop. Add water, as needed, to to the soup if it gets too thick. Add chicken and heat through. Garnish soup with cilantro, tortillas chips, and cheese. This soup is even better if made and refrigerated a day ahead of serving.
  • If you are in a hurry don't worry about the long simmer time. The soup is still wonderful if you just heat everything through after you saute the veggies. I like the long simmer because I like the canned veggies to soften and the flavors to really mingle.