Healthy Eats: Chili-Spiced Chicken Soup with Avocado Relish

When you’re sick, the convenience of a one-dish meal simmering on the stove can’t be beat!

Not only will the fresh, high-impact flavors found in this recipe give you a soup with a made-from-scratch taste that cannot be beat – it might even help clear your sinuses!

Ingredients

Spice blend:

• 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Soup:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
• 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• 2 cups chopped sweet onion
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1 (32-ounce) carton fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 diced jalapeño (optional)
• Cayenne pepper (optional; add to-taste)

Relish:

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 3 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
• 1 diced peeled avocado
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Prepare spice blend by combining first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.

To prepare soup, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of spice blend over chicken. Sauté approximately 8 minutes, then remove from heat and cool. Chop chicken; set aside.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat; add onion, bell peppers, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with remaining spice blend; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. If desired, add diced jalapeño and cayenne pepper to give this dish more heat. Stir in chicken, corn, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Add lime juice.

To make the relish, combine chopped cilantro with green onion, lime rind, queso fresco and avocado.

Ladle 1 1/4 cups soup into bowls; top with 1/4 cup relish. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

(Adapted from Jamie Miller’s recipe for CookingLight)