Asian Chicken Chili Soup

As I mentioned on my blog last week, I enjoyed a very simple Asian Chicken Chili soup and wanted to share the recipe with you all.

The technical ingredient list is:

6 cups chicken broth
2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced lengthwise and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 to 3 teaspoons Asian hot chili sauce
3 cups (12 ounces) diced poached chicken
1 bunch (6 ounces) watercress, large stems trimmed
2 scallions, thinly sliced lengthwise and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces


1. In a 3-quart saucepan, bring broth, bell peppers, soy sauce, and chili sauce to a simmer; cook until peppers are crisp-tender, about 6 minutes.

2. Add chicken and watercress; cook 1 minute. Ladle into bowls, and top with scallions.

Per serving: 244 calories; 4.7 grams fat; 41 grams protein; 8.3 grams carbohydrates; 1.6 grams fiber

NOTE: I said "technical" ingredient list because I've found it to be really flexible. It's important to keep the proportions on the broth (it's amazing how a little more or a little less soy sauce can ruin the flavor). I use either Siracha or Asian chili garlic sauce for the chili sauce, and I tend to err on the "light" side because those two sauces have a lot of kick (people can add more on their own if they want it hotter). I'm also pretty flexible on the vegetables -- this time I used (for a half-recipe) 1 red bell pepper, 1 carrot, 2 chix breasts and 3 or 4 green onions (couldn't find watercress and didn't want to buy a huge bunch of scallions). I've also added green beans before and, while a bit different, it tasted quite good.