There is something about Mexican food that is so fresh and light, even when it is a wintery dish.  This delicious, flavour packed soup was just the thing on a cold Sunday evening and the smell of my kitchen while it was cooking was to die for!  It has a few steps but if you are into loading up on the weekend for some week day meals then this is perfect and the flavour intensity just got better and better…..

Prep time:   40  Minutes             Cooking time:  1 Hour                $-$$  Low – Medium Budget

Serves 8-10

Olive oil for frying

3 x chicken breast fillets

3 tbs of Mexican Spice Blend* http://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/mexican-spice-blend/

2 brown onions, finely diced

1 long green chilli, finely chopped (seeds removed if you want to take a bit of heat out)

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 small green capsicum, cut into small cubes

1 small red capsicum, cut into small cubes

2 carrots, peeled and finely diced

3 whole corn cobs, husks removed

11/2 cups of dried black turtle beans*

3 litres of chicken stock (I prefer salt reduced)

1 litre of water

2 x 400gm cans of diced tomatoes

2 tbs of tomato paste

1 tsp of sugar

Juice of 2 limes

1 bunch of coriander

Sea salt and cracked pepper

Sour cream and cheese filled tortillas to serve

Heat a large stock pot and add a little oil.  Lightly fry the onion until it is starting to soften and then add the garlic and chilli.  Fry for a minute or so and then add the spice blend, stirring to prevent sticking until aromatic.  Add the stock and water and bring the mixture to a low simmer before adding the breast fillets.  Poach the fillets for approximately 15 minutes until cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the pot, place in a tray and cover loosely with foil and allow to cool.

Add the beans to the stock and bring back to the boil.  Boil for about 50 minutes until the beans are just tender.

Heat a griddle pan or BBQ grill and lightly baste the corn cobs with a little oil.  Cook on all sides until they are nice and lightly charred.  Remove and allow to cool slightly before running your knife down the side of the cobs to remove all the kernels.  Add the corn, carrots, capsicum and tinned tomatoes to the soup stock and continue simmering for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Using a pair of tongs, shred the chicken breast fillets into nice stringy chunks and add them to the soup along with the tomato paste, sugar and lime juice.  Season generously with salt and pepper and stir well to combine.  Just before serving stir the coriander through the soup.

To serve, ladle a generous helping of soup into serving bowls.  Top with a dollop of sour cream and a smattering of coriander leaves.  I like to serve this soup with tortillas, folded in half and stuffed with a nice, sharp cheddar cheese.  Cook them in a griddle pan or on a BBQ grill and serve with the delicious soup!!

*  Black turtle beans are found in specialty food stores and health food shops.  If you can’t find them then red kidney beans are a perfect substitute.  I love making my own spice blends so just follow the link to Em’s Mexican spice blend above to get the recipe.  If you really can’t be bothered making your own then you can substitute with a couple of packets of Taco mix.  I personally wouldn’t as they are full of preservatives and very high in sodium content and it literally takes 5 minutes to make your own.