White bean, chicken, and chili soup

We heated this up one evening at our campsite in Florida and the kids loved it! I served it with cornbread, and instead of melting the cheese in the soup as the recipe suggests, I served it shredded to top the soup with so it could be dairy-free for those who had a preference.

This will be on our menu again soon, I'm sure!

Makes 15 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 large pinch cayenne (optional)
1 large pinch allspice
2 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chilies
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced (cook them to your liking before you dice them, if you'd rather)
4 cups chicken broth (a 32-ounce box)
3 (15-ounce) cans white beans (great northern or navy), 2 drained, 1 with liquid
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen corn kernels
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat and sauté onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, spices, and chilies, and sauté for another minute. Add diced chicken and broth, and simmer until the chicken is opaque (if you used raw chicken), about 15 minutes. Add beans, corn, and half the cheese, and simmer another 15 minutes. Taste for salt, and serve with remaining cheese to sprinkle on top.

I found this recipe in a recent issue of "Wonder time" magazine. You can find a link to the recipe here.