Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 5 - 6 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped - your preference
• 4 - 5 pickled jalapenos, roughly chopped use more or fewer depending on your tolerance
• 3 - 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces I imagine this could be made with whatever chicken you hapeen to have lying about
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon regular paprika This is more for the colour than the taste as I don't think paprika is particularly hot or tasty
• 1 teaspoon peri-peri powder This can be quite spicy, so start with a 1/4 teaspoon and work your way up from there
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coriadner powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano You can use fresh, I just never happen to have any on hand
• 1 can Mexican style diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 can black beans or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn kernels, rinsed and drained Optional
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 red onion, chopped To serve
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into rough cubes To serve
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add some olive oil to it.

When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic and jalapenos and saute until the onion is translucent and the garlic and jalapenos fragrant – about 5 mins.

When the onions have cooked and are just starting to colour, add the chicken pieces to the pot and spread them out in a layer on the bottom. Don’t worry if you can’t spread them all out in a single layer. Leave the chicken without stirring it for a couple of minutes, then stir to get it lightly browned all over.

When the chicken is lightly browned, add the smoked paprika, regular paprika, peri-peri powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and dried oregano to the pot. Stir the ingredients together until thoroughly mixed, scraping the bottom of the pot with your spoon.

Once the chicken pieces have a coating of spices and herbs, add the tomatoes and chicken stock, stirring again.

Alllow this to come to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for at least 20 minutes.

After simmering, add the cilantro and let it cook for about a minute.

To serve, dish up a generous portion of soup and squeeze a lime wedge over it. Top with a few chunks of avocado and some chopped red onion and enjoy.