Chicken, Jalapeno and Black Bean Soup

Did you know that jalapenos can be tamed, I pinky swear it's true:@) And once tame the majority of us would really like the flavor they add. This Chicken, Jalapeno and Black Bean Soup is a great way to use up a few extra jalapenos from the big bag you get at the produce store!

I will say I find store bought jalapenos milder than ones grown in home gardens.

Don't know why that is, it's just an observation (same goes for radishes...)

How a fully cleaned jalapeno should look: 

The seeds have some heat but most of it is in the membrane. A melon baller works great!

Chicken, Jalapeno and Black Bean Soup-adapted from Old World Garden Farms
1 Tblsp olive oil-maybe a touch more if needed
1/2 lb chicken tenders cut into small cubes-I just used a boneless breast
Pinch of S&P for the chicken
1/2 onion diced
3 stalks celery diced-I came up short and added some celery seed
3 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 green pepper diced
4 C chicken stock
1 clove garlic minced
3 jalapenos sliced-mine were large and cleaned very well
1 tsp garlic salt-I used a pinch of kosher salt
3/4 C rice or ditalini pasta-I used half rice and added some rinsed canned black beans
1/2 tsp black pepper
Chicken Better Than Boullion, optional-just to bump up the flavor if desired, I added some
1 Tblsp cilantro, finely chopped

1. Sprinkle chicken with S&P then brown in olive oil.
2. Add onion, celery, crushed garlic and green pepper, saute for 3 minutes.
3. Add minced garlic, stock, jalapenos and salt. Bring to a low simmering boil.
4. Add rice or pasta and pepper, let simmer for 7 minutes or until rice/pasta is cooked. I used long grain rice and it had to cook longer.
5. I didn't see any notes about the cilantro, my guess is, it should be added towards the end of the cooking time, when there's maybe 5 minutes left. I forgot about it and sprinkled it on at the end.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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