Red Chicken Chili

Yesterday was cold and we wanted soup ( or something like it ) for dinner.  I thought of chili, but didn't have any ground meat.  I did have skinless, boneless chicken breasts in the freezer, so I took two out, defrosted them and then browned and baked them for the chili.  Adding zucchini and corn gave us a complete meal in a bowl.  This made about three to four quarts.

1 Tbl olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup diced green pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
2 Tbl chili powder
2 Tbl ground cumin
1  14 to 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1  12 ounce can V-8 or tomato juice
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups diced zucchini
3 cups diced, cooked chicken
1 14-16 ounce can white beans, with the liquid
1 cup frozen corn
salt and pepper to taste






In a soup pot, saute the onion, green pepper, garlic, and serrano or jalapeno until the onion softens a bit.  Add the chili powder and cumin and continue to saute until the spices become aromatic. Add the diced tomatoes, juice and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the zucchini and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the chicken, beans and corn and simmer for another 10.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

NOTE: Garnish with green onion, shredded cheese, black olives, and sour cream if desired.