Southwestern Chicken Soup

I was looking for some cooking inspiration, so I decided to check out a listing of national food holidays.  Did you know that just about every day of the year is a specific food holiday?

As it turns out, today (January 13) is National Peach Melba Day.

Huh.  No offense, peach melba lovers, but I don't exactly feel inspired.

However, while I was on the national food holidays website, I did notice that January is National Soup Month.  This is something I can work with.

After all, I had some leftover Chicken Tortellini Soup for lunch today.

There's a pot of lentil soup simmering on my stove top as I type this, and my daughters have both requested (ahem, begged) me to PLEASE make some broccoli cheddar soup ASAP.

Recipes for all of the above-mentioned soups can be found by clicking on the links.

If there is a such a thing as a go-to soup, the recipe I am going to give you today, Southwestern Chicken Soup, is my go-to soup.  Don't be afraid to change things up, if you don't like sweet potatoes use a white potato or rice or noodles or pasta.  

Don't omit the cumin, lime or cilantro, however!  It's what makes it Southwestern!  And the chopped avocado & Monterey Jack sprinkled on top takes it over the top, in my opinion.

Today's Playlist

"Little Bird"...The White Stripes

"Hey There Delilah"...Plain White Tees

"How Far We've Come"...Matchbox Twenty

"Perfect Situation"...Weezer

"1983"...Neon Trees

"I'm Shakin'"...Jack White

"Henrietta"...The Fratellis

"On My Way"...Billy Boy On Poison

"Offend In Every Way"...The White Stripes

"Why Don't You Get A Job?"...The Offspring

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Printable Recipe

• 1 large sweet potato, cubed into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• generous 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups shredded (or diced into bite-sized pieces) cooked chicken
• 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (or 1 14-oz can of diced--preferably fire-roasted)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro

for garnish:  additional cilantro, diced avocado, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, crushed tortilla chips

Gather your ingredients.

Do your prep work.  Dice the sweet potato, chicken and onion, chop the tomatoes and cilantro, juice the lime, peel the garlic (You will crush it directly into the pan).

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large (6 to 8 quart) stock pot.  Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften and brown around the edges.

Crush the garlic directly into the pan.

Add the cumin.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  I used about 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and since I did not use low-sodium chicken broth, I did not add any salt.  

Pour in the chicken broth.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.

When the broth begins to boil, add the sweet potatoes.   Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook the sweet potatoes until they are easily pierced with a knife, about 5 minutes.  When the sweet potatoes are soft, stir in the chicken and tomatoes.

Pour in the lime juice.

Stir in the cilantro.

That's it! Turn off the heat, you are done!

After you ladle the soup into bowls, don't forget to top it with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and chopped avocado.  You could also add a dollop of sour cream and crushed tortillas!

Enjoy!!