Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

My husband loves chicken corn chowder... well the campbell's chunky soup version anyway. I try to keep some on hand for quick bag lunches. Of course, canned chicken corn chowder contains wheat flour, so I have actually never tried it. To be honest, chicken corn chowder doesn't sound that amazing to me, so I was never really all that jealous. But I thought that if my husband was such a big fan, maybe I should give it a try.

I had some leftover chicken breast from a bought rotisserie chicken, and I was planning on making some chicken tacos for supper, but then I came across a recipe for chicken corn chowder and I had an idea: What if I make a Mexican/taco style chicken corn chowder? I knew my husband would love it, and I was excited to finally try a version of the famous chicken corn chowder. So I threw together some vegetables, salsa and taco seasonings, and topped it off with grated cheese and crushed corn chips. It was a hit! If this is anything like regular chicken corn chowder, I can now say that I am a fan too.

I know most chowders have more of a white broth, but we can blame the salsa and the chili powder for the red colour. This is a Mexican chowder... if that even exists... I guess you're just gonna have to work with me on this one!

(serves 6-7 people)

Ingredients

1 medium Onion Chopped

4 cloves Garlic Chopped
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 1/2- 2 cups Chopped Cooked Chicken
1/2 tsp Celery Salt (or 2 stalks chopped celery)
3 T Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Season Salt
1 tsp crushed chili peppers
1/2 tsp Ground Pepper
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger (or fresh if you have it)
3 T Water
(if you like it spicy, add some cayenne pepper)

5 cups Water
1/2 cup Diced Carrot or Yam
4 Potatoes peeled and Diced
1/2 tsp Thyme
2 cups Frozen Corn
2/3 cup Salsa

1/2 cup Half and Half Cream (gives it some colour without adding too much fat) - can substitute milk
1/2 cup Milk
(or substitute 1 cup evaporated milk for cream and milk)

Toppings (optional)
Grated Cheese 
Corn Chips

Directions

In largest pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil for 2 mins.

Add in chicken, spices and 3 T water and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add 5 cups water, yam/carrot, potatoes, Thyme, corn and salsa. Bring to a boil then simmer on medium to low heat for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.

With an immersion hand blender, puree a little bit of the soup to help thicken it. (optional)

Stir in cream and milk (you can add more or less depending on your preferences)
Taste and add more salt/pepper if needed.
Reheat the soup to almost boiling. Serve.

with milk and cream added

 Top with crushed corn chips and grated cheese.