Chicken Jalapeño Popper Soup

I love all things Jalapeño Popper, so when my writing friend Doreen Gadow (Our Homeschool Ohana) shared the link for this recipe, I knew I had to try it! It was originally found on Trim Healthy Momma, and is it ever GOOD! I only changed a few things around (haha): I used green peppers for red, less jalapeños, spices, and chicken, increased the black beans, and threw in a carrot. It worked, so I shall now share it with you.

So, let’s get cooking!

First prepare the cauliflower, because you can set it to cooking and then do the rest of the prep work while it’s on the stove. You want to cut the cauli into florets if you’re using fresh cauliflower, which is what I did. Place them in a large soup pot with the chicken broth and cook, covered, until tender.

Dice the onion, bell peppers, and jalapeños. Be sure to wear gloves when handling the jalapeños, and don’t touch your face, especially your eyes. Wash the knife, cutting board or surface, and your hands immediately when done. Mince the garlic.

Cut the chicken into small bite size pieces.

When the cauliflower is done, set it aside in a large bowl.

In the same soup pot you used for the cauliflower, add a little oil and sauté the diced chicken until tender and cooked through. Set aside when done.

While the chicken is cooking, you need to blend the cooked cauliflower with the chicken broth it was cooked in. You can use a blender if you choose. I used my handy dandy hand blender. I love that thing!

Cut up the cream cheese and add to the cauliflower/broth mixture. Blend in thoroughly.

Grate the carrot.

Now sauté the onion, bell pepper, jalapeños, and garlic in the large soup pot with a little oil until tender. After a few minutes, add in the grated carrot and cook for about a minute or so.

Add the blended cauliflower/broth mixture to the veggies in the soup pot. Use a rubber spatula to get every tasty drop! ;)

Drain the black beans (and rinse!). Add the beans, the chicken (plus any juices), the diced tomatoes, and the spices. Heat through for a few minutes.

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Chicken Jalapeño Popper Soup

1 large head cauliflower

   (or 2 bags frozen)

4 c chicken broth

1 Vidalia onion

1 green bell pepper

4 jalapeños

3 cloves garlic

1 1/4 lbs chicken breast

8 oz cream cheese

1 large carrot

1 can black beans

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin