Tasty Tuesday~One Pot Pepper Jack Chicken fajita & rice soup

One Pot Pepper Jack Chicken Fajita and Rice Soup

Recipe & photo via Carlsbad Cravings.com

Servings 6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients:

 2 tablespoons olive oil
 1 tablespoon butter
 2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced (1 pound)
 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
 1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
 1 small orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
 1 small yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
 4 garlic cloves, minced
 2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
1 tsp EACH salt, chili powder, ground cumin
1/2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, pepper, dried oregano 3/4 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
14 oz. can mild diced green chilies
1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
4 14.5 oz. cans low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup freshly grated Pepper Jack cheese or more to taste

Garnish
Tortilla chips/strips
fresh cilantro
sour cream
avocado
Tomatoes
Hot sauce to taste

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in olive oil over medium high heat in a large Dutch oven/soup pot. Add chicken and onions and sauté for 3 minutes.

2. Add bell peppers, garlic, flour and all seasonings/spices.
Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

3. Stir in rice, black beans, green chilies, crushed tomatoes and 3 cans chicken broth. Mix cornstarch with last can chicken broth and add to soup. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer on medium low, stirring occasionally, for 8-12 minutes or until rice is cooked.

4. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Add additional chicken broth/water to thin soup if desired. Garnish individual servings with desired toppings.

*Note: Cooking time may vary depending on how long it takes to bring your soup to a boil so I suggest checking the rice occasionally until done. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Add additional chicken broth/water to thin soup if desired. Garnish individual servings with desired toppings. Recipe Notes

*This is a hearty soup with a thicker enchilada sauce like broth. If you prefer a thinner broth then you can leave out the flour and cornstarch.
**The Pepper Jack Cheese can be left out of the soup if preferred and used as a garnish instead.