Chipotle Chicken and Chickpea Soup

#FlashbackFriday with this delicious low Smartpoint Soup Recipe thanks to WWFreestyle zero point foods. This One Point Chipotle Chicken soup recipe is one I knew I’d fall in love with just from the title and will warm you up from the inside. This soup not only has chicken and chickpeas, but, it has the flavor of smoked, spicy chipotles.

In this recipe, the chickpeas are sorta “hidden” though because you blend them into a paste, think, hummus, to help bring a creamy, thick texture to this spin on classic chicken, tortilla soup.  The diced tomatoes with green chilies spice things up a bit more, but, your mouth is cooled off by the fresh tomatoes and avocado.

I can definitely see this soup becoming a favorite in our house this winter because it truly does warm you up from the inside out.   Oh and who doesn’t love adding a bunch of toppings to their soup, especially when it includes, cheese, fresh tomatoes and avocado!

I originally received this recipe idea from a South Beach Diet Daily Recipe email, but, like any recipe, I didn’t really stick to the ingredients and added my own flare 🙂

Give this soup a whirl (literally) and be sure to let me know what you think!

CHIPOTLE CHICKEN & CHICKPEA SOUP (print it!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp ground or dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

TOPPINGS, optional, count points:

• 1/2 avocado, chopped
• 4 Tbsp 2% shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 roma tomatoes, chopped

Additional ideas ~ cilantro, green onions, sour cream, tortilla chips, anything you love in to top your soups

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Dice chicken into bite-size pieces. Toss with salt, pepper, cumin oregano, and thyme.

2.  Remove 1 chipotle chile from can (reserve the remaining chiles and sauce for another use) and puree with chickpeas and cilantro in food processor until smooth. Add enough chicken stock to make a thick but spreadable paste.

3.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté bell pepper, onions, and garlic, about 5 minutes. Add seasoned chicken and continue to cook, stirring to sear chicken on all sides, about 3 minutes. Stir in chickpea mixture and cook just until it becomes aromatic.

4.  Add canned tomatoes and additional chicken stock to your preferred thickness. Bring to a boil for just a minute, and then reduce to a simmer for at least another 5 to 10 minutes to let the flavors mix and develop. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

4.  Top each serving with all of your favorite toppings ~  Add a little avocado, tomatoes,  tablespoon of  low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro, etc & Enjoy!

Makes 4 large servings, approximately 2 cups each. 1 WWFreestyle Smartpoint, excluding toppings and 4 Smartpoints with all toppings.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING INCLUDING ALL TOPPINGS:

STEP – BY – STEP:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pan.  Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add cumin, thyme and oregano to your diced chicken. Set aside.

To a food processor or blender, add the chickpeas, cilantro and chipotle pepper with just enough broth to make a thick spreadable paste.

NOTE: I keep my extra chiles in the freezer then scoop one out at a time as needed since it would be way too hot to add the entire can.

After your peppers and onions have softened, add your chicken and cook through, about 7 minutes.

Once your chicken is cooked, add your Chipotle Chickpea paste, stirring to combine.

Add your diced tomatoes and green chiles

With enough chicken broth to thicken to your desired consistency.  I use about 3 cups, so it’s thick and creamy, yet, still thin like soup, not chili.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve it up with all of your favorite toppings and Enjoy!

I think the best part about this soup aside from being super easy to make, is that the flavor gets better each day and it freezes well.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SOUP TOPPER? 

Mine is by far cheese, but avocado is up there too.

Night all!