Tuesday, January 27, 2015

White Queso Chicken and Rice Soup

There are few things I love more than a tortilla chip plunged into cheesy queso dip, then shoveled into my mouth. At a Mexican restaurant I have never eaten so many chips and queso that I'm not even hungry for dinner. Nope, not me! Have you ever wanted to just eat the stuff with a spoon? Well, here's your chance, my friends. All the things you love about queso in a soup and it's guilt-free…aside from the cheese, that is…and any chips that you'll want to eat with it for dunking. Okay, not completely guilt-free but it does have way fewer calories than queso dip and the payoff in flavor is the same. Just try to avoid eating an entire bag of tortilla chips with your bowl of soup; save them for the salsa!

White Queso Chicken and Rice Soup (adapted from iowagirleats.com)

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
9 1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth, divided
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 T. unsalted butter
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 c. 1% milk, divided
2 (10 oz.) cans mild Rotel
1 1/2 T. chili powder
1 1/4 c. white rice
1/4 c. + 2T. all purpose flour
12 oz. shredded Velveeta queso blanco cheese

Place the chicken breasts in a 4 qt. slow cooker that has been sprayed with cooking spray, add 1/2 c. chicken broth and season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours until chicken is cooked through and shreds easily. Shred the chicken and set aside. 


Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat then add the pepper and onion and season with salt and pepper. Saute until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the remaining chicken broth, 2 1/2 c. milk, rotel and chili powder then turn the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Add the rice then turn the heat down to medium low, place a lid on top and cook until the rice is al dente, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.


Whisk remaining 1/2 c. milk with the flour in a small bowl then drizzle it slowly into the soup. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat then slowly sprinkle in the cheese, stirring continuously making sure the cheese melts evenly. Ladle into bowls and serve!


11 servings (318 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com

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