Creamy Chili-Corn Soup with Chicken and Black Beans

It is important to me to have several dinners that can be thrown together quickly, but are still tasty and satisfying. Like most other households in America, fitting dinner into everyone's schedule is sometimes a daunting task. As I have written many times before on this blog, about once a month I bake up several pounds of Mexican spiced boneless skinless chicken breasts and freeze into meal sized servings. Creamy Chili-Corn Soup with Chicken and Black Beans by Pam Anderson uses my precooked chicken and comes together in about fifteen minutes. A huge thanks to TerriA a trusted member of the Cooking Light BB for suggesting this soup!

Creamy Chili-Corn Soup with Chicken and Black Beans
from The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great
by Pam Anderson

2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) creamed corn
1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and ground black pepper

In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, heat oil and garlic over medium-high heat until garlic starts to sizzle. Add chili powder and cumin and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add corn, tomatoes, broth, beans, chiles and chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, partially covered, to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

377 calories per 2-cup serving

Ingredients, mostly pantry items, for Creamy Chili-Corn Soup with Chicken and Black Beans.

Heat oil and garlic until oil starts to sizzle in a soup pot or dutch oven.

Add chili powder and cumin, saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add in all canned ingredients.

Shred and add chicken to the soup.

Bring the soup to a boil, then down to a simmer, partially covered for five minutes.

Add cilantro to the soup and serve.

Pam Anderson's Creamy Chili-Corn Soup with Chicken and Black Beans is from her cookbook, The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Feeling Great. This soup is extremely flavorful and has a very generous serving size. It was quite spicy, but I could handle it, which means that most people would be able to as well. Pantry ingredients are heavily relied upon, which is nice when cooking last minute and in a hurry. I served Cooking Light's Corn Bread Bites on the side to make a complete meal. Both Terry and I really enjoyed this, and as with most soups, it was even better the next day for lunch. Creamy Chili-Corn Soup with Chicken and Black Beans is a great solution to a busy week night.

-Heather