Thick and creamy potato corn chowder loaded up with tender pulled chicken and smoky bacon, poblano and red bell peppers, onions, garlic, sweet summer grape tomatoes and zucchini, with a kick of southwest spice. Hearty, wholesome comfort food delivered with an explosion of flavor and soul.
THIS SOUTHWEST CHICKEN CHILI CORN CHOWDER may just be the greatest in all of chowder history.
Hands-down my new favorite soup recipe. It has the love and soul of a rich creamy chowder, the complexity and zing of an enchilada, the heartiness of a protein-packed chili, and freshness of a summer veggie soup.
Flavor
The tantalizing spice profile takes this simple comfort food to a whole new dimension…poblano peppers, red onion, lots of garlic, chili powder, and cumin enhanced by the sweetness of fresh juicy summer corn and bursting tomatoes, with a umami-rich, smoky char on the veggies, pull-apart chicken, and salty, smoky, thick and crispy turkey bacon.
For reference, poblano is on the upper end of mild, about 1500 on the Scoville heat scale. Milder than jalapeño (2500-8000), spicier than pepperoni (100-500) and bell pepper (0).
Texture
Most of the magic in texture comes from blending the corn, potatoes, and peppers after searing and simmering with the broth and spices. This creates a luxuriously thick and smooth base, so only a touch of half & half with cornstarch is needed to achieve unbelievable richness. (No need to mess around with a butter-flour roux.) Then the charred zucchini and tomatoes return with the shredded chicken and bacon for the ultimate medley of creamy and meaty and tender-crisp and juicy textures.
Finally, don’t forget about melty cheese to top it off (Monterrey jack, pepper jack, or sharp white cheddar), along with a dollop of tangy sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt) and chopped fresh green onion (or jalapeño for an extra kick).
Makes for unbelievable leftovers and freezes too!
Southwest Chicken Chili Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 1-2 slices turkey bacon
- 3 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
- high-heat oil for pan (such as avocado oil or almond oil)
- 1/2 large zucchini, cubed
- ~10 sweet grape tomatoes, halved
- ~1/2 poblano pepper, diced
- ~1/4 red onion, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 110g golden baby potatoes, halved or quartered
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 oz fresh corn (1 large ear shaved from cob)
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 3/8 tsp sea salt (plus a few extra pinches)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup half & half
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- Toppings: freshly shredded cheese (Monterrey jack, pepper jack, or sharp white cheddar), green onion (or diced jalapeño for an extra kick), sour cream/creme fraiche/plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Heat your pot (cast iron dutch oven, wide stock pot, or braising pan recommended) over medium. Lightly coat with oil (1/2 - 1 tsp).
- Pound the chicken to even thickness as needed. Season the chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides. Add the chicken and bacon to the pan and turn to medium-low. Cook chicken about 4 minutes per side, or just until cooked through. Cook bacon on each side until crisp. Transfer both to a cutting board to rest.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, and add the cubed zucchini, tomatoes, and another pinch of salt and pepper. Sear until zucchini is tender-crisp and tomatoes are charred and just about to burst. Set aside in a bowl.
- Add ~1 tsp additional oil (more or less as needed) and swirl to coat. Add poblano, onion, bell pepper, and potatoes. Sauté 2-3 minutes. Then stir in garlic, corn, chili powder, cumin, and a sprinkle black pepper. Cook a couple more minutes, stirring occasionally, until corn is lightly charred and garlic is toasty.
- Pour in a splash of broth while scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Then stir in remaining broth and 3/8 tsp salt.
- Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook covered at a light boil about 25 minutes, or until potatoes soft.
- Remove soup from heat. Transfer about 2/3 of the cooked soup to a blender. Purée until smooth. Return blended soup to the pot. Bring to low heat.
- In a measuring cup, whisk 1/4 cup half & half with 2 tsp cornstarch until completely dissolved. Slowly stir into the soup.
- Shred chicken by hand and tear bacon into pieces. Mix shredded chicken, bacon, charred zucchini and tomatoes back into the soup.
- Rest over low heat about 10 minutes to marry the flavors and finish thickening.
- Divide between two bowls and top as desired. Serve with toasted bread and enjoy!
Nutrition info does not include extra toppings or bread.
Looks delicious Margaret!! Thanks for all your amazing recipes!!
Happy to do it and thank you so much!! Hope you get a chance to try it out!