…ok so it’s not really. but it is finally getting cooler around here and that’s what matters. see, when you live in the south and aren’t a big fan on 100F weather, you take what you can get. and i’ll take 40F nights and 70F days. i’d prefer it to be cooler all the time but hey… beggers can’t be choosers. (although i think that’s a semi-load of crap 🙂 ) colder weather is not just a great zac brown band song but also means that it’s soup and gumbo time!! holla!!
which i should just warn ya’ll… if i was forced to eat one meal every single day, that meal could quite possibly be chicken and sausage gumbo. seriously. no joke. i freaking love it. but that’s another time, another blog post.
but just as much as i love gumbo, i love me a good soup. i mean is there anything else that warms you quite like a good soup? i think not and politely disagree with you if you think i’m wrong. so this cold snap hits and i am so much about making a soup that words cannot quite contain the excitement. i’m all about making a soup. not a gumbo this weekend but a soup.
so i did.
once again, i originally found the recipe on pinterest. shocker i know. this one came via a pin by my friend alicia. yes, i repinned her pin. but that’s what it’s all about. this was a very straightforward soup but the title deceives you…. better homes and garden’s website (which is where it was originally found) calls it spicy chicken-corn chowder. but let me tell you. they miss the potatoes in the chowder. i mean i get it. it has chicken and corn and some jalapenos to make it spicy. but seriously. it has potatoes too. and how can you forget those little nuggets of deliciousness?? so i officially decided to call it, get this, spicy chicken, corn and potato chowder. super creative no? i know i know but give me a break.
anyway this soup/chowder was everything that it should have been. i mean it was spicy without being inedible. and the little nuggets of deliciousness known as potatoes… well they melted in your mouth. i mean who would think you would ever describe potatoes as melting in your mouth?? not me. but they did. they kept their shape and then just melted away. to be honest, i was leary about the chicken in the chowder. don’t get me wrong, i like chicken in soups and chowders and such but i wasn’t sure about it in what most people would initially consider to be a corn and potato chowder. i felt like maybe the chicken was that kid on the playground that didn’t have any friends so you invited them to the party because you felt bad for them. but no. maybe that’s how it started out but they ended up being a party starter. the corn provided exactly what the corn was there to provide… that little burst of corny goodness. i’m telling you… try this soup. it was bomb.com.
spicy chicken, corn and potato chowder
- 8 slices bacon, chopped (the package i bought had 10 slices so i used all 10)
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in bite size pieces (season with salt, pepper and slap ya mama)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 onion
- 1-2 jalapenos, diced (i actually used 2 1/2 because jalapenos don’t scare me)
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1/3 cup flour
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 large yukon gold potatoes (i used 4 potatoes because mine were not what i would call large. more like small/medium that wanted to be big time)
- 2 cups fresh sweet corn kernels (so it’s colder weather, that means it’s not summer which in turn means corn’s not in season. buy 2 cans of corn, you’ll thank me for the trouble saved)
- 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp cayenne (i used more slap ya mama because i didn’t know that i was out of cayenne until i went to use it)
- 2 bay leaves
- in a 5-6 qt dutch oven, cook bacon pieces (you’ll want to get them crispy). remove when browned nicely and set aside.
- add chicken to the bacon drippings; brown over medium / medium-high heat until it is cooked all the way through. remove from the pan.
- add the red pepper and onion (i put these through a whirl in my food processor because i’m not a huge fan of chunks of seasonings) to the pan. cook about 5 minutes then add the jalapenos and garlic. cook about 3 minutes. stir in flour and cook another minute.
- add the stock and potatoes. (make sure to stir/wisk well so you can get all the flour clumps taken care of). bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low. cook uncovered 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- stir in chicken, corn, cream, cayenne and bay leaves. simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- remove bay leaves before serving. top with jalapeno slices if you so choose to. you can also top with the reserved bacon that the original recipe never told you what to do with it other than set aside. i used as a garnish and it was DELISH. makes 8 servings.
you really need to try this soup. i’m just saying.
oh and a semi-tangent here… did you know that spike mendelsohn was competing on the next iron chef on food network??? i didn’t know that until this week and it really bums me out that he was eliminated. (sorry if you dvr’ed it and hadn’t watched it yet.) chef spike owns this really cool burger joint in one of my all time favorite cities, DC. it’s a place called good stuff eatery. if you’re ever in DC you should go check it out. they have really yummy milkshakes too – one of which is a toasted marshmallow kind!! he also opened a pizza joint next door. we didn’t get to eat there last time i was there but you can bet i’m going to try it next time i’m there. i just thought i would share that because i was so bummed to see him go.
anywho…
go get to soup making! 🙂
kisses.
Pink Tiger in the Kitchen 