Southwest Chicken Chowder
2013 – Gluten Free Living
Southwest Chicken Chowder is a terrific recipe. It’s especially delicious on cold fall or winter nights when you’re looking for something to heat you up a little bit. 🙂 It’s a very tasty and hearty chicken chowder with chick peas, pinto beans, corn, carrots, onions, leeks, red potatoes and spinach. It’s seasoned with parsley, thyme, cumin and sage. You can also add cilantro and jalapeno peppers if you desire. I call it southwestern because I added pinto beans and corn along with the garbanzo beans.
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Last week I tried out a delicious new soup recipe with chicken, chick peas, and potatoes, along with many other veggies. I made a few improvements but I wanted to make another batch with some significant differences–black or pinto beans and corn–yet, I didn’t want to add chili powder or a lot of hot spices because we were having small children for dinner who don’t like spicy food. I also needed to make it dairy free due to food allergies from one of my guests.
If you’re looking for a wonderful healthy, low calorie, gluten free and dairy free chowder recipe consider giving this one a try. I really enjoyed this chowder and I believe you will too, especially if you’re a fan of pinto bean s and garbanzo beans.
When I initially posted this recipe in January of 2013, it was before the advent of my new Canon camera so my pictures were not of particularly great quality. I recently remade this recipe (May 2015), and since it was for John and me (and no kids), I went ahead and made some changes.
This time I added additional cumin and green chilies to give it some more kick. I also made it and had it before I pureed part of the soup and afterwards, so I have pictures both ways. Black beans don’t particularly make a soup look all that great after pureeing so I decided to take before and after pictures this time.
I really enjoyed this healthy, clean-eating soup and because it makes SO much, I gave half of it to some friends who were moving into a new home. I had frozen part of the soup so I brought it along with the meal I was providing and they were able to have another meal a couple of days later when they finished up the first batch of food! Everybody was very happy. 🙂
I know by now you think I’m a picture and recipe fanatic! 🙂 But I wasn’t totally happy with the pictures from May 2015. This really isn’t a soup you can puree in the blender. Black beans and spinach turn it into a sickly greenish/grayish color that’s not appealing at all. I decided to remake this recipe again (February 2018), but made no attempt to puree the soup. I decided to use pinto beans instead of black beans and I liked that much better. While I didn’t use a ton of broth, you can always add more or add water if you want to stretch the soup a little.
While John and I ate most of it, I also sent some to a friend when we had lunch together. I thought she could use it for lunches at work during the week. I got a text back from her later that day exclaiming over how tasty she thought the soup was. This delicious Southwest Chicken Chowder really is wonderful. It’s perfect not only for regular dinner meals, but for company and lunches. It’s great reheated for leftovers. It’s also chocked full of veggies and healthy ingredients so it’s clean eating and low calorie as well. If you enjoy Tex-Mex flavors, you’ll love this soup.
Southwest Chicken Chowder is one of our favorite soup recipes. It’s perfect for cold winter nights when you want to warm up!
This savory soup is just what the doctor ordered! It’s chocked full of veggies and healthy ingredients.
Southwest Chicken Chowder is hearty and delicious.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients. I used pre-shredded chicken purchased from the grocery store. I also had diced onions on hand that I wanted to use up so I used that instead of a fresh onion.
Add a few splashes of olive oil into a large stock pot. Add diced onions.
I love adding leeks to soups and chowders. Cut off the top green leafy portion and discard. You will probably see the dirt and sand in the layers of the leeks. Run water over the leeks and peel back some of the layers in order to clean out the sand. Once clean, slice the leeks. Add to the stock pot.
Add diced celery. Add garlic, thyme, sage and cumin. I prefer rubbed sage rather than ground. Add parsley, salt and pepper. Stir all the ingredients together.
Saute a few minutes.
Add chicken broth.
Add red potatoes, carrots, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, green chilies, chicken and corn. My corn was frozen.
Stir to combine. Cover with lid and cook about 30-45 minutes until veggies are tender.
Add chopped spinach and heat through.
Serve Southwest Chicken Chowder garnished with fresh thyme, if desired.
Southwest Chicken Chowder tastes delicious enough to serve for company!
Southwest Chicken Chowder is served! If you enjoy Tex-Mex flavors, you’ll love this soup.
This flavorful soup is so filling and nourishing. It’s packed with lots of vitamins from all the veggies added to it. This recipe provides 6 substantial portions. Serve with your favorite bread and you have a complete meal!
Here’s the recipe.
SOUTHWEST CHICKEN CHOWDER
(My own concoction)
Southwest Chicken Chowder
Equipment
- 1 large soup pot
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 vegetable peeler
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 soup ladle
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup onions chopped
- 1/2 cup celery finely chopped
- 1 leek green top removed, washed thoroughly and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried sage
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1-2 tsp. cumin depending on taste
- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 3-4 cups cooked chicken diced
- 2-1/2 cups red potatoes unpeeled and diced
- 15 oz. can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 cup carrots peeled and sliced
- 15 oz. can pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 16 oz. frozen corn (you can also use fresh or canned corn)
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach chopped
- 4 oz. can green chiles mild, diced
Instructions
- To large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.
- Add onions, leeks, garlic, celery, thyme, cumin, sage, parsley, salt, and black pepper and cook 6-7 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables are tender.
- Add chicken broth, chicken, potatoes, chickpeas, carrots, pinto beans, green chilies and corn and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook 30-45 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
- Stir in spinach, immediately remove from heat, and serve.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
- 1 glug olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 1 leek, green top removed, sliced
- 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic from a jar
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried sage
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1-2 tsp. cumin, depending on taste
- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, baked and cubed (I used the meat from one whole rotisserie chicken)
- 2-1/2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1-15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1-15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained,
- 10-oz. frozen corn (I used 16-oz.)
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
- 7-oz. can mild diced green chiles
- 1 quart water, as needed
- To large soup pot over medium-high heat, add olive oil; add onions, leeks, garlic, celery, thyme, cumin, sage, parsley, salt, and black pepper and cook 6-7 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables are tender.
- Add chicken broth, chicken, potatoes, chickpeas, carrots, black beans, green chiles and corn and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook 30-45 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
- If desired, using an immersion blender, puree soup lightly (you’ll want to retain the texture of some whole veggies and chicken); stir in spinach, immediately remove from heat, and serve.
You will love this pleasing and mouthwatering Tex-Mex soup.
Southwest Chicken Chowder is healthy, low calorie, gluten free, dairy free and clean eating.
I’ve saved a bowl of Southwest Chicken Chowder for you. Come and enjoy!
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Herb Roasted Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Southwest Chicken Chowder
Equipment
- 1 large soup pot
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 vegetable peeler
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 soup ladle
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup onions chopped
- 1/2 cup celery finely chopped
- 1 leek green top removed, washed thoroughly and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried sage
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1-2 tsp. cumin depending on taste
- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 3-4 cups cooked chicken diced
- 2-1/2 cups red potatoes unpeeled and diced
- 15 oz. can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 cup carrots peeled and sliced
- 15 oz. can pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 16 oz. frozen corn (you can also use fresh or canned corn)
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach chopped
- 4 oz. can green chiles mild, diced
Instructions
- To large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.
- Add onions, leeks, garlic, celery, thyme, cumin, sage, parsley, salt, and black pepper and cook 6-7 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables are tender.
- Add chicken broth, chicken, potatoes, chickpeas, carrots, pinto beans, green chilies and corn and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook 30-45 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
- Stir in spinach, immediately remove from heat, and serve.