em + the kitchen - chipotle chicken chowder.

Even though the weather outside isn't truly cooperating with the season (60* in December? REALLY?), I'm still choosing to move forward with my favorite seasonal recipes.

For me, that means helloooo soup season!

I love a good creamy + hearty soup which is why this one is so right up my alley.

Plus, Peter can't eat it due to his poultry allergy so that's more for me! (He is so lucky to have me. Hahaha.)

The 2 cups of cream in this recipe just serve to provide me with an extra layer of fat for my winter hibernation so I have no problem with it. Plus, it's delicious.

Chipotle Chicken Chowder

(adapted from here, serves 6)

Ingredients:

6 slices of bacon, cooked + chopped

1 onion, diced

4 russet potatoes, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups chicken stock

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cups heavy cream

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce OR 1/4-1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder**

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

S&P to taste

In a large soup pot, fry bacon until crispy. Set aside and chop when cool.

Add diced onion and potatoes to bacon grease and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft.

Add garlic and cook for about a minute more until fragrant.

Next, add chicken stock and cut up chicken breasts into pot. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Add heavy cream and spices; simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

At this point, you can either top each serving with your chopped bacon bits or do as I did which was to just throw it all in with the soup to add a bit more flavor.

**A note about chipotles in adobo sauce and/or chipotle chili powder: This site is super helpful and will alleviate any nerves regarding this ingredient. It's a fabulous one that I use often because the smoky + spicy flavor can't be beat!

I'm okay with pretending the weather is wintry outside if it means I get to have hearty soups like this one!

-e.