Food Friday - Fiesta Chicken Noodle Soup

I love soup. Sadly, soup season is drawing to a close. We're blessed to be having one of our last soup days today in Arizona, though, with its overcast skies and high winds blowing the trees around and clanging the stove's exhaust vent. (For some reason I love that sound.) That's about as close as we get to a blustery spring day this time of year here in my neck of the woods.

So, here's a yummy soup recipe, a la southwestern style.



Fiesta Chicken Noodle Soup

1 whole chicken, about 3 ½ lbs.
1 yellow onion
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 small can diced tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 white onion, peeled and chopped
8 oz. package fine egg noodles
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
12 oz. can corn, drained and rinsed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
12 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/8 to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the chicken in stock pot and cover with water. Chop yellow onion into quarters and add. Add the 1 tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce to simmer, cover and cook until done, about an hour.

2. Cool chicken and skim the scum off of broth.

3. Puree the tomatoes, garlic and white onion in a food processor. Add the tomato mixture to the broth and stir to combine.

4. Add the noodles, red pepper, corn and cumin; simmer 6 to 8 minutes until noodles are done.

5. Meanwhile, chop chicken into bite-size pieces.

6. Add chicken, ½ cup cilantro, beans and cayenne pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.

7. Garnish with additional cilantro and serve with tortilla chips, if desired.