Weekly Recipe #86: Southwest Chicken Soup

This week's recipe comes from Open Arms chef Cassie, who recommends this comforting soup for chilly fall evenings. "I'm just turning the heat on at home now -- I made this soup last night to have something nice and warm to eat," she says. Pair it with some oven-warmed tortillas or bread to up the cozy factor in your home.

Southwest Chicken Soup

2 large bone-in chicken legs or thighs, skin removed
1 tbsp. granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning
Olive oil
4 medium carrots, large dice
5 stalks of celery, large dice
2 medium onions, large dice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. of rosemary, minced
4 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of brown rice, cooked
1 cup of black beans (about 1 can)
1 tbsp. of paprika
1 tbsp. of cumin
1 tbsp. of coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of collard greens/kale/mustard greens/chard, cut into a large chiffonade

1. Coat chicken with granulated garlic and Montreal steak seasoning.
2. Place a small amount of olive oil in medium-size stock pot and sear chicken on all sides until brown. Be sure to see some pan drippings sticking to the bottom of the pot -- this caramelization will help flavor the soup when stock is added later.
3. Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic and rosemary to the chicken and stir until onions are transparent and carrots are starting to brown. 
4. Pour in chicken stock and de-glaze bottom of pan drippings -- scrape brown spots with spoon as to incorporate flavor into stock. Simmer with lid on low heat for about an hour.
5. After an hour, add brown rice, black beans, paprika, cumin, corriander and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add in collard greens about three minutes before serving to keep them a brilliant green and prevent them from overcooking.
7. Serve, using tongs to separate meat from chicken bone if you prefer.