Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

When the temps start falling, and the nights get a little bite to them, then it’s autumn, and to me, that means soups and stews. I love cooking up a big pot of stew, baking some fresh bread to sop it up, and settling in for a toasty warm dinner. This stew is a full meal all by itself. A plate of warm corn muffins, a cold beer, and I’m good to go.

Like so many of my fav recipes, this one lends itself to tinkering around with to suit differing tastes. The other thing that is great about this stew, is that you pretty much dump everything into one pot and heat. The ingredients are ones that are easy to find, and may already be in your pantry.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

¼ cup celery, chopped
¼ cup red pepper, chopped
¼ cup green onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 ½ cup milk
1 package taco seasoning
1 can whole kernel yellow corn, drained
1 can cream of potato soup, undiluted
1 can Rotel (green chiles and tomatoes), undrained
3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 ounces Velveeta, cubed (I use Pepper Jack)
8 ounces sour cream

In a dutch oven over medium high heat, sauté celery, pepper and onion in the olive oil until tender-crisp. Blend in remaining ingredients (except Velveeta and sour cream). Stir well, continue cooking over low heat until bubbly. Add Velveeta and heat until melted, stirring occasionally, being careful the cheese doesn’t scorch on the bottom of the pan. Just before serving, mix in sour cream stirring until well blended.

This soup reheats and freezes well. If freezing, omit the sour cream, adding after reheating thoroughly. You can also pour the stew into a slow cooker, on low, for all-day noshing.

Depending on how spicy your tastes run, substitute salsa for the Rotel, or add a few jalapeños, or a dash – or 2 or 3 – of hot sauce. Regular or the Mexican Mild Velveeta is also good in this recipe.