Columbian Chicken Soup

I have never seen a soup with such a wide range of ingredients as this. It makes me wish there was a Columbian restaurant somewhere nearby.

INGREDIENTS
½      cup brown rice
1 ½   cups  water
 
1    chicken breast, skinless, boneless
2    thinly sliced green onions or 1 small leek
2    cloves garlic, smashed
½   teaspoon ground cumin
¼   cup chopped cilantro, divided
 4   cups low sodium chicken broth
 
1    cup corn kernels
1    small white potato, cubed ½ inch
3    stalks large asparagus, trimmed, cut to ½  inch slices  (3/4 - 1 cup)
1    small avocado, diced to ½ inch
2    teaspoons capers, rinsed, drained

METHOD

In a medium sauce pan, add the rice and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 35 to 45 minutes until the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and set aside for five minutes. Drain if necessary, fluff with a fork and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, add the chicken breast, green onions, garlic, cumin, half of the cilantro and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 12 to 14 minutes until the chicken is completely done. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and strain the broth back into the sauce pan, discarding the solids. When cool enough to hand le, shred the chicken and reserve.

Bring the soup to a boil and add the corn and potatoes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 8 minutes until the potatoes are almost tender. Add the asparagus and cook until both are tender, about 5 to 6 minutes longer. Return the shredded chicken to the pot, stir for a minute and remove from the heat. Ladle the soup into bowls and add the avocado and capers. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve.

Based on a recipe in Food and Wine magazine