Recipe Favorites: Chicken, Black Bean, and Cilantro Soup

(Updated January 2008) Sometimes when I look back on these old photos I positively shudder, like this one for WHB #9 with soup spilled all over the bowl! I hope you can ignore the messy photo and just enjoy this recipe because it's one of my favorite soups and really deserves to be picked for Recipe Favorites. Looks like I need to make some of this soup soon so I can take a new photo!

For years I organized houseboat trips at Lake Powell in Southern Utah. I learned never to plan a dish that used cilantro without checking if everyone liked it. There isn't much middle ground on this herb, also called coriander leaf, or Chinese Parsley. When I did some cilantro research, pretty much every source mentioned the strong flavor of cilantro. Still, despite the detractors, I wonder if cilantro might be one of the most universally used herbs. It's used in cooking in Mexico, South America, Asia, India, the Mediterranean, and Africa. If you're a cilantro lover like I am, you'll love this soup.

Chicken, Black Bean and Cilantro Soup
(Makes 6-8 servings, recipe created by Kalyn.)

1 small onion, diced small
1 cup celery, diced small (use celery leaves if available)
2 tsp. olive oil
4 cups homemade chicken stock (or 2 cans chicken broth)
1 can vegetable broth
1 can diced tomatoes (I recommend Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes)
1 cup salsa (I used Pace Picante Sauce)
1 T ground cumin
1 T chile powder
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. garlic powder or garlic puree
6-8 drops Green Tabasco Sauce (or use your favorite hot sauce)
1 can black beans (not drained unless you choose to rinse the beans to reduce the amount of sodium)
2 cups cooked chicken, cut in very small pieces (I like breast and thigh meat both for depth of flavor. I used 2 breasts and 3 boneless thighs to get 2 cups of meat.)
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems (chop the stems very small)
3 T fresh lime juice

In a large heavy soup pot, saute onions and celery in olive oil 3-5 minutes, until soft but not browned. Add chicken stock, vegetable broth, tomatoes, salsa, cumin, chile powder, celery seed, and garlic and simmer 10 minutes. Taste for hotness and add green Tabasco if desired. Add black beans and chicken and simmer 15-20 minutes. Add fresh cilantro and cook 5 minutes, add lime juice and cook 2-3 minutes more. Serve hot with fresh limes to squeeze into the soup and additional chopped cilantro to sprinkle on top.

To make a delicious vegetarian soup, use 3 cans vegetable broth and eliminate the chicken stock, and 3 cans black beans and eliminate the chicken.

South Beach Suggestions:
Black beans are actually allowed for any phase of the South Beach Diet, but if you prefer, for phase one you can use 4 cups of cooked chicken and eliminate the beans.

More Soups with Cilantro:
Black Bean and Rice Soup with Cilantro and Lime
Chicken and Pinto Bean Soup with Lime and Cilantro
Thai Chicken Soup
Chicken and Tomatillo Soup

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There's a great way to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
It's easy to find out who's hosting Weekend Herb Blogging this week.
There are actual rules for Weekend Herb Blogging.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Tags:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Diabetes Friendly Recipes Weekend Herb Blogging