Monday, November 4, 2013

Slow Cooker White Bean and Chicken Soup

Source: Mel, of course

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (I cooked this much but then ended up freezing and saving about 2/3 of the chicken for use later in other recipes since it seemed like there way more chicken than the soup really needed)
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (I did closer to a cup, probably)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 poblano pepper or large green pepper, diced (I used half a green pepper + 1 roasted chile from my freezer)
32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth (I did 3 cans broth + 1 can water)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 cans (15-ounces each) white beans (like Great Northern), rinsed and drained
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

garnishes like: sour cream, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, tortilla chips

Directions:
Place the chicken in the bottom of a round, 5-quart slow cooker. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until rippling and hot. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper and saute for 3-4 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker.

Add the chicken broth and stir in the cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, and chili powder.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the chicken and shred into bite-sized pieces. Stir in the rinsed and drained beans. Cook on high for 30 minutes until beans/soup are heated through. Stir in the lime and cilantro and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with garnishes.

Notes:
I made this for a delicious Halloween dinner paired with some of this family-famous Oatmeal Wheat Bread.  The house smelled amazing all day and the soup + bread were so darn tasty.  Good grub.