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WW Recipe of the Day: Low Fat Chicken, White Bean & Salsa Soup
I got the idea for this simple chicken soup with salsa and canned white beans from a Weight Watchers friend. While chatting with her one day, I mentioned that I needed an idea for how to use up the remains of a recently purchased rotisserie chicken.
She explained that she always made an easy soup with white beans and salsa from her leftover chicken. I jotted down the ingredients and immediately came home and stirred up a pot of her quick and easy chicken white bean salsa soup.
If you need more ideas for using cooked rotisserie chicken, my best-selling bundle of WW Friendly eCookbooks includes a book full of recipes!
You won’t believe how deliciously satisfying this super simple chicken soup is. It has quickly become a staple at our house, especially at this time of year, when quick and easy is the name of the game.
I decided it would be perfect this week as the recipe for our little group of bloggers working its way through Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients (affiliate link) by Martha Stewart and the editors of Whole Living Magazine, where the featured ingredient is dried beans.
With so many more expensive, exotic super foods taking up most of the limelight these days, it’s easy to forget that beans, one of the most basic, affordable, and widely available of foods, also provide myriad health benefits.
Health Benefits of Beans
Beans are high in antioxidants, fiber, protein, B vitamins, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and zinc. Research suggests that eating beans regularly may decrease your risk of diabetes, heart disease, colorectal cancer, and help with weight management, because they’re so filling you can eat less but still feel satisfied.
A half-cup of beans has only about 100 calories.
Common varieties of beans include black beans, kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, white beans, soybeans (edamame), and garbanzo beans (chickpeas).
You can soak and simmer dried varieties in a slow cooker all day, or use canned beans when time is short, which is what I tend to do most often.
Recipe Notes
This quick and easy chicken white bean salsa soup is the kind of dish that barely qualifies as a recipe. Just stir together some chopped cooked chicken, chicken broth, salsa and a couple of cans of drained white beans and add chili powder and cumin to taste.
I call this maximum reward for minimal effort. No peeling, chopping or dicing vegetables. And no sauteeing needed, so calories are reduced because no oil is added.
You can make it on the stove top or let it simmer in the slow cooker, whatever works best for you. And this soup can be modified in lots of ways too: Use black beans instead of white. Or green salsa instead of red. Add a can of corn. Stir in some cilantro.
For spicier soup, use hot salsa. Or keep it family-friendly with mild. The choice is yours. Feel free to have fun and experiment.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Chicken Salsa White Bean Soup?
According to my calculations, each serving has 159 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
3 SmartPoints (Green plan)
0 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
0 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
4 PointsPlus (Old plan)
If you’ve made this Zero Point Chicken & White Bean Salsa Soup, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Chicken White Bean Salsa Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 12 ounces salsa (I used red, but green would be good too)
- 2 cans (about 15 ounces each) white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chopped cooked lean chicken
- 1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin, optional
- Garnish with cilantro, cheese, corn chips, etc., if desired
Instructions
- Empty the salsa into a large saucepan. Cook for 2 minutes over medium-high heat, then add the chicken, beans, broth, chili powder and cumin (if desired).
- Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Alternatively, to make in a slow cooker, add all ingredient into your slow cooker and cook covered on low until hot, about 4 to 6 hours.
- Use a masher or immersion blender (affiliate link) to mash up some of the soup and make it a little thicker if desired.
- Top each bowl with a sprinkling of green onions or cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, and or some low-fat baked tortilla chips (if desired).
- Makes about 8 cups of soup.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 3 SmartPoints (Green plan) 0 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 0 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 4 PointsPlus (Old plan) You can make it on the stove top or let it simmer in the slow cooker, whatever works best for you. And this soup can be modified in lots of ways too: Use black beans instead of white. Or green salsa instead of red. Add a can of corn. Stir in some cilantro. For spicier soup, use hot salsa. Or keep it family-friendly with mild. The choice is yours. Feel free to have fun and experiment. To make this work with WW Simply Filling (enjoy without garnishes or with WW Power Food garnishes)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe sources:
- Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients (affiliate link) by the Editors of Whole Living Magazine
- Why Beans are Nature’s Perfect Food (UCLA Health)
Delicious; it was so easy to make, and it tastes even better as a leftover.
This was absolutely delicious! I did top with a little shredded Mexican blend cheese and it was great. I’ll make this over and over again. Very filling.
Thanks for taking the time to let us know, Syd. We very much appreciate it. ~Martha
This was so easy and my whole family loved it! Your recipes have made the difference in my weight loss success!!!
Thanks Sharon!!!
Fantastic recipe! Made as directed.