Chicken Stoupli

This is a creamy, hearty stew-soup-chili that is a must-try for any soup lovers out there! And… it can be prepared and cooked in under an hour!

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into cubes
4 Tsp chili powder
2 Tsp ground cumin
1 onion, chopped
2 apples of your choice, peeled and cubed
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1 14 oz. can chicken broth
1/3 cup water
3/4 cup milk
1 15 oz. can pinto beans
1 15 oz. can navy white bean
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese, or sharp cheese of your choice
salt & pepper
*optional for people who like spicy foods— 1 jalapeno, remove seeds and thinly slice
ciabatta bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over med-high heat. Add the chicken, chili powder and cumin. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

In the same pot, heat the remaining olive oil. Add the apples and onion (*and jalapeno) and cook until softened (about 5 or 6 minutes). Transfer to the bowl with the chicken.

In the same pot, melt the butter over med-low heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth, water and milk until thickened (about 3 minutes). Stir in the chicken/apple mixture. Add the beans. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the cheese.

While the stoupli is coming to a simmer, put the bread in the oven. Depending on how crispy you want the bread to be, leave in 5 to 10 minutes. When serving the stoupli, break up pieces of the bread an serve on top, or serve on the side for dipping.