Hearty Chipotle Chicken Soup/ Chipotle Chicken Chili

First time when I made this soup, I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing. But it turned out really really good. Luckily I remembered what all I did and immediately noted the recipe. My kiddos say that "this is the BEST soup you have ever made". Same exact words from their mouth every time I make it. It's a complete meal by itself, with beans, rice and chicken, this soup fills you up. It's very versatile and you can play with different vegetables and meats. Pictured here, I have paired it with my Cranberry Pecan Kale Salad.

Prep Time: 40 min| Cooking Time: 40 min | Serves: 5

Ingredients:

Shredded Chicken * - 1 Cup
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.Onion - 1 Medium - Cubed
Garlic - 4 Cloves (Crushed)
Bell Pepper - 1 Medium - Cubed
Brown Rice (Cooked) - 1 Cup
Pinto Beans - 1 Can
Vegetable/ Chicken Stock - 2 Cups
Water - 2 Cups
Lime Juice - From half of lime ( About 1 tbsp)
Cilantro (optional) - handful
Salt - 1 tsp. *Careful with quantity, if using stock

For Chipotle Sauce:
Ground Chipotle Chile - 1 tsp. (or 2 chopped Chipotle Chile from can)
Chili Powder - 1 tsp.
Brown Sugar - 1 tsp.
Tabasco Sauce - 1 tsp.
Ketchup/ Tomato Sauce - 1 tbsp.
Paprika - 1 tsp.
White Vinegar - 1 tsp. (optional)

Method of Preparation:

~ For shredded chicken below are various methods to do
1. Boil 4 cups of water and add uncooked chicken. Once they are cooked completely (after 15 min), fish out the chicken and let it cool. You can use this water for soup. Shred the chicken once you are able to handle it.
2. Canned Cooked Chicken in water. Shred them and use.
3. You can always use left over chicken from any dish you have prepared.

~ Prepare the brown rice ahead of time and keep it handy.
~ Mix all the ingredients under chipotle sauce in a small bowl and keep it aside.
~ In a large stock pot, heat olive oil and add onion, bell pepper and crushed garlic.
~ Fry until onion are opaque. Add the chipotle sauce and continue to fry until the raw swell goes away.
~ Drain the water from pinto beans and add it to the pot along with water and chicken stock.
~ Bring it to boil, add brown rice, cover and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
~ Check for salt and add as needed. Top it with lime juice, cilantro and serve it hot.

Note: You can substitute chicken for fresh soy meat or skip the meat altogether.

You might also be interested in:
Cranberry Pecan Kale Salad
Vegetarian Chili
Brunswick Chicken Stew
Thai Basil Chicken
Turkey Ragu