Winter colds have made their way into our home.  Even though my teenagers and hubby are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves for the most part, I still feel so sorry for them and want to baby everyone as much as possible.  One of my favorite “treatments” for a nasty cold is homemade chicken soup.  Although I don’t think it’s been proven, I truly believe there are medicinal properties to be found in a hot bowl of soup.

If nothing else, a bowl of piping hot soup is so comforting.

Since our taste buds seem to lose their power when colds take over I opted out of traditional chicken noodle soup (which is one of our favorites), and decided to get a little creative with a spicy southwestern flavored chicken soup for our supper last night.

It was warm, comforting, and spicy; everything I had hoped for.

And a real hit with the fam.

 Ingredients:

6 chicken breast, stewed and diced

1 medium red onion, diced

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

1 large tomato, diced

2 avocado

limes

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon sea salt

cilantro

jalapeños (optional)

2 cartons unsalted chicken stock

Directions:

**Heat the chicken stock in a large stockpot on medium-high heat on the stove top.  Add onion, celery, carrots, tomatoes, & dried spices followed by the diced chicken.  Simmer about 20 minutes.

**Dice the avocado and add to the simmering soup, followed the by the juice of one lime (cut into quarters and squeeze) then toss in the juiced pieces.

**Simmer another 10 minutes, then ladle into bowls.  Garnish with a lime slice, cilantro and jalapeño (if you want it even more spicy).

And ENJOY!

I love this recipe for so many reasons; easy, fast (especially if you menu plan & cook your chicken ahead of time), healthy and clean.  Nothing processed in this bowl!

Do you have a favorite soup when colds hit your homes?