Spanish-Style chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
  
• 2 medium-size carrots, chopped
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• 1 to 2 tablespoons (about a palmful) chili powder
  
• 1 bay leaf, use fresh if available
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) chicken stock
  
• 1/2 pound orzo Pasta
  
• 1 pound chicken tenders or chicken cutlets, cut into bite-size pieces
  
• 2 28-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
  
• 1 cup corn, frozen or fresh
  
• 1 15-ounce can black Beans, rinsed
  
• For garnish:
  
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
  
• A couple of handfuls of blue or red corn tortilla chips
  
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Yields: 6 servings, with seconds

Preparation

Heat EVOO in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrots, onions, chili powder and bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2-3 minutes and add chicken stock. Bring to a boil, add the orzo pasta and cook according to the package instructions adding the chicken pieces during the last 4-5 minutes of cooking along with the tomatoes, corn and beans to heat through.

Ladle a portion of soup in a bowl and garnish with sliced scallions and tortilla chips. Serve with lime wedges to add a zip.

I cooked a whole chicken in the crock pot and shredded it to use in a few recipes, this being one of them. I left out the carrots because they didn't sound good in this soup. Also, I sprinkled my soup with 2% shredded mexican cheese and used a few of the Tostitos Light Restaurant Style Tortilla chips. Some may need to leave out the corn and pasta although you can cook this pasta until it is VERY soft and it's small. Just alter it to what works for you. It's Delish!!!

Thank you for the recipe. I love getting watching Rachel Ray and going on the foodnetwork website.