Creamy Spicy Chicken Soup

I don't know about you but I'm adoring these cold temperatures! Not really surprising but people in the South do not know how to prepare for cold weather. The high today in Raleigh was 43. I dressed in dress pants, a sweater, scarf, thick socks, boots, a peacoat and gloves to go on my daily walk around the State Capital and honestly I got a little warm. On my walk I encountered women wearing tank tops and flip flops and complaining to their walking companions about how they were cold. DUH! You're practically naked in 40 degree weather, no wonder you're cold!

To ring in this magnificent temperature change, I knew I wanted to make soup and what better way to warm yourself up than with a big bowl of hot soup? My Pinterest board is stuffed with delicious-sounding soup recipes, but since it is Pinterest, I'm sure there are a lot of recipe duds so obviously I was skeptical with this recipe but it turned out wonderfully! As with most other Pinterest recipes I use, I didn't follow the recipe to-the-letter but I'm sure the original interpretation would have been just as good. Here's the link to the original recipe Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Creamy Spicy Chicken Soup

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 32 oz carton chicken broth
2 Tsp chili powder
2 Tsp cumin
2 Tsp paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes with green chile
1 1/3 C milk
1/3 C Masa Harina (you can find this in the International Section of your grocery store)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can yellow corn kernels, drained
2/3 C heavy cream
1/2 C sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
Tortilla chips, for serving

In a large, heavy stock pot saute the onion and jalapeno until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic cloves and saute for 30 seconds.

Pour in the the chicken broth and seasonings. Add in the chicken breasts (keep them whole) and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cover. Boil the chicken until cooked through, this should take about 15 minutes.

Remove the breasts from the pot and allow them to rest for 5 minutes. After they've rested shred the chicken using 2 forks.

Add in the diced tomatoes and chile, juice and all. I happened to have a almost-too-ripe tomato on hand so I diced it up and added it to the pot as well.

Using a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together milk and Masa Harina and pour into the pot. Boil until the soup thickens, it won't thicken significantly but you'll notice a subtle change in consistency.

Add the shredded chicken, black beans and corn to the pot. Stir in heavy cream and sour cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

I topped our soup with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese and a few tortilla chips.

The soup was creamy and definitely filling! I had worked out prior to cooking and was ravenous and was only able to fit one bowl in my stomach before feeling like I was about to explode. I hope you're enjoying your frosty temperatures this weekend and if you're not one for cold temperatures this soup will warm you right up.