Creamy Chipotle Corn Chicken Chowder

"Chickity China the Chinese Chicken." That's all I could think of when I was typing the title of this post. Ya know, the Barenaked Ladies song? Yeah. Try it with this soup title, it's hilarious!

Creamy Chipotle Corn Chicken Chowder

Anywho! So it went from lovely and fally here in Kansas City to freakin' freezing overnight! Brrrr. I went for a morning jog outside and it lasted 46 seconds before I turned around and went back inside. Hmmm, I wonder how many calories I burned in 46 seconds. These are the things I think about. I know, I need help!

Chowder helps. When it's 18 degrees outside, creamy corn chowder really helps! It's warm and filling and sweet and smokey. Mmmmmm, soup.

Creamy Chipotle Corn Chicken Chowder

     serves 6-8

adapted from brown eyed baker

2 T butter

2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce from can, seeded and diced

2 tsp adobo sauce from chipotle chilies in can

1 red onion, diced

1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 tsp ground cumin

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 T all-purpose flour

2 C chicken stock, reduced sodium

3 C reduced fat milk

6 small red potatoes, diced into small cubes

4 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

4 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 C cooked chicken breast, diced

1 30oz can sweet corn

1 15oz can cream-style corn

Chopped green onion for garnish

Over medium heat, melt butter in a large stock pot or French oven. Add the chipotle peppers, onion, poblano and bell pepper and cumin and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until the peppers get slightly soft. Add the garlic and stir for an additional 30 seconds. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the raw flour is mixed in. Pour in the chicken stock and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the milk and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork. Add the cheese a handful at a time and stir until cheese is completely melted. Lastly, stir in cans of corn, chicken and 2 tsp of adobo sauce and cop until everything is warmed through. Serve and top with chopped green onions.

This chowder has so much flavor going on with the chilies and peppers that it seems like a cross between corn chowder and a thick chicken tortilla soup. For that reason, I served it with tortilla chips. Yum!

This really is a healthy dish. With the reduced fat milk, the chicken breast, all the peppers and corn it is a well rounded, comfort meal. The other thing I served with this lower fat corn chowder were these little chipotle cornbread biscuits called ebelskivers. What a fun, corny meal. :)