Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Garbanzo beans
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Lard
• 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Onion, Finely chopped
• 7-8 Cups chicken Stock
• 1/2 Chicken divided into parts or 1 whole bone-in chicken breast (tailbone and feet add nice flavor)
• 2 Corn Cobs, Shucked and cut into medium-sized pieces (or 2 cups canned corn if prefered)
• 2 Potatos, cubed
• 3-4 Carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 Sprig Epazote
• 2 Cups green beans, halved
• 2 Medium Zucchinis, sliced and halved
• 2-4 Chipotle chiles in adobo (depending on how spicy you like it), finely diced
• 1 1/2 Cups Tomato Puree
• Salt to Taste
• Pepper to Taste
• 1/2-1 Cup Cilantro
• 1 Avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
• 3 Lime, halved
• 1/2-1 Cup Panela Cheese, cubed, optional

Directions:

Soak garbanzo beans in 4-5 cups of water in the refrigerator overnight.

In a Heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat, saute garlic and onion in the olive oil or lard until tender. Add chicken, and garbanzo beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 20 minutes.

Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Add the corn cob pieces (if using canned corn instead, wait to add it), potatos, carrots, and epazote to the soup and simmer 10 minutes.

Add green beans to soup and continue to simmer another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, remove chicken from the bones.

Add zucchini, chipotle chiles (including  the adobo sauce), tomato puree, shredded chicken, and salt and pepper to taste. (add canned corn at this point if not using corn cobs.) Simmer another 10 minutes or so, making sure the vegetables are tender.

Serve soup hot with cilantro, avocado, limes, and cheese on the side to garnish to taste.

This soup is easy to make vegetarian by eliminating the chicken and substituing vegetable broth for the chicken stock – healthy and delicious!

Posted by Lindsay