Chili-Spiced Chicken Soup

For this rainy day I thought I’d make a tasty Chicken Soup and I found this Chili Spiced version from Cooking Light.  This is not spicy so if your looking for some real heat double up on the Chili Powder or use Indian Chili Powder.  I decided instead of making the presentation of it look good for this post as I always try to do with my recipes I’m going to do a post about portion sizes.  I normally use this large white plate to do my photography and it’s bigger than the actual portion size that I eat.  It’s very important to understand when your counting calories that portion sizes is what will make you maintain or lose weight.  I bought these children Disney Plates from the Disney Store awhile back and I use them to eat out of because this is the actual serving size vs. the bowls that we purchase in the stores.  So if your trying to lose weight and want to know what a portion size is buy kids plates and you got the portion size that you should be eating.  Surprising but true.  I eat out of kids plates. 🙂   When you go out to eat, you will know when it’s too much food even though they serve you on these gigantic plates.  I’m guilty of eating an entire plate of food if the food is of 5 star quality but after I do I’m tired, sleepy and need to walk just to digest it more quickly.  Over eating makes you feel stuffed, exhausted and doesn’t help you lose weight either.

Serving Size…Plate Size Matters…Start measuring your food in a measuring cup too.

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, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 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

1. 1. To prepare spice blend, combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.
2. 2. To prepare soup, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons spice blend over chicken. Sauté 8 minutes or until done; cool. Chop chicken; set aside.
3. 3. 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. Stir in chicken, corn, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Add lime juice.
4. 4. To prepare relish, combine chopped cilantro and next 4 ingredients (through avocado).
5. 5. Ladle 1 1/4 cups soup into bowls; top with 1/4 cup relish. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Jamie Miller, Maple Grove, Minnesota, Cooking Light
MARCH 2010

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 285
• Fat: 9.6g
• Saturated fat: 2.1g
• Monounsaturated fat: 4.7g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.8g
• Protein: 27.2g
• Carbohydrate: 23.1g
• Fiber: 5.5g
• Cholesterol: 648mg
• Iron: 3.1mg
• Sodium: 773mg
• Calcium: 99mg