1 chicken carcass (the leftover Spice-Rubbed Beer Can Chicken carcass is awesome in this soup)
4 cups water
1 tbsp butter
2 carrots, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1/4 cup salsa
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup leftover chicken, cut into bits (or whatever you have left. If you have none that's okay too)
1/2 can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn
Salt & pepper
2 cups whole wheat rotini
Cover chicken carcass in water, put a lid on and simmer on low for about 3-4 hours. Let cool.
Pick any chicken meat off the bones and set aside. Strain the stock of all the bones and bits left in the bottom.
In a medium saucepan add butter and turn to medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and onions and saute for a couple minutes until starting to get soft. Add the garlic and saute another minute or so. You want to add the garlic near the end so that it doesn't burn. Burned garlic is very bitter. Pour your chicken stock over the vegetables and add the salsa, cumin, chili powder, thyme, red pepper flakes, leftover chicken and black beans. Turn heat down to medium-low and let simmer for at least an hour to let the flavors meld. 15 minutes before you are about to eat, put a medium pot of salted water on to boil. Add about 2 cups of rotini and prepare to package directions. I like to keep my pasta separate from the soup so that the pasta stays fresh and firm. If you add the pasta right to the soup, your leftover soup will have no liquid and the pasta will be soggy and mushy. Add the frozen corn and stir through the soup. Now is the time to season your soup with salt and pepper. I use kosher salt and I seasoned quite liberally to make it pop with flavor. I used probably 1/2 - 1 tsp kosher, but regular iodized salt is more "salty". Just keep seasoning and tasting until you've got it right.
To serve, place pasta into each bowl and ladle soup over top.
