Chipotle Chicken Corn & Mushroom Chowder!

 (printable recipe here)

I don’t think the picture does this soup justice, its so much better in person. Just the aroma alone will make you want to eat the whole thing! The medley of corn, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and chicken mixed into a creamy soup that gives off just a kick of spice from the chipotle pepper. Oh yum!

Originally I wanted to try the soup recipe I had pinned on Pinterest (Brown Eyed Baker) but then after reading through her recipe and her inspiration for making the soup, I decided to tweak it a bit more to make it even more friendly for those health conscience individuals like myself.

When given the option, I almost never eat canned goods/meals anymore. A lot of times they’re not only filled with loads of sodium but also lacks depth and not as healthy. Maybe I’m just being picky but why not make food with fresh ingredients? Eat food as it was intended to be consumed and that’s not out of a can. I preach, but I still fall victim to the convenience of processed foods though I really try not to as often as I can.

With all that said, though this soup is healthier than most creamy chowders and its canned counter parts, its still on the fattier side of things. If you’re really good, which I’m not because I LOVE cheese, then you can probably tweak the recipe to make it even more healthy and even vegetarian! Just take out the chicken, cheese, and crème fraiche! It’s packed with flavor, so even without the added creaminess from the cheese and crème fraiche, its still an excellent soup. I tasted it at multiple steps along the way, so trust me, its good.

What I love about it is that it doesn’t depend on butter or cream or flour to make the soup creamy and thick, my secret? A blender and potatoes; I love using potatoes as a base for my creamy soups! Its low in fat, brings on board its own load of nutrients, and it doesn’t take anything away from the soup! 

Now enough chit chat from me, here is how you can make your own:

Ingredients:

• 1 chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, chopped
• 1 tbsp adobe sauce (from can of chipotle pepper)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 Portobello mushroom (medium to large), sliced
• 6 small potatoes, diced
• 1 cup corn (frozen or fresh)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups of milk (low fat is okay)
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
• 2 tbsp crème fraiche
• 1 -2 cup Monterey/cheddar cheese mix
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp thyme
• Olive oil
• Garlic salt
• Ground black pepper

Procedures:

1. In a medium to large pan, sauté together bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and corn in a little bit of olive oil. Season with garlic salt, ground cumin, thyme, ground black pepper, and oregano. Set aside
2. In a medium pot, bring 4 cups of chicken stock to a boil, add potatoes and ½ of the sauté veggies mix into the pot and turn the heat down to medium/low and let it simmer for approx 20 minutes, stirring once in a while
3. Once the potatoes are tender, scope approx 1/3 of the potatoes back out and set aside.
4. In a food processor or in batches in a blender, purée the soup mixture and return it to the pot.
5. Add in 2 cups of milk and bring to a broil, then bring back down to a simmer and add the rest of the veggie mixture and potatoes into the soup. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stir periodically or the soup will start to stick to the bottom of the pan.
6. Add in chicken, adobe sauce, cheese, and chipotle pepper and simmer for 5 more minutes and until the cheese is well mixed into the soup
7. Remove soup from heat and stir in the crème fraiche

 It’s winter time, so load up on the soups!