Chicken and Roasted Poblano Pepper Soup

I really love it when the weather turns cool. I have to wait a while because I'm so far south, but it's worth it. The cool weather makes soup so much more enjoyable to me. I love making hearty soups, chili, and big pots of beans accompanied by mountains of warm, buttery cornbread. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off of my keyboard!

I seem to have a thing here lately with Poblano peppers. Poblano peppers are lovely, dark green, mild chili peppers. If you ever eat chilies rellenos at your favorite Mexican restaurant, then you have eaten them. Occasionally you might find a spicy one, but usually they are mild and full of flavor.

This soup was inspired by my latest pepper kick, a whole stack of soup recipes, and cool weather. It makes a BIG pot of soup, so if you are feeding only 2-3 people, you might want to cut it in half or freeze part for later. But my best advise is to make it a day ahead and enjoy it the next day. It is one of those dishes that gets better the next day because the flavors have longer to "marry." Regardless, I heartily recommend this yummy soup. Enjoy!

Chicken & Roasted Poblano Pepper Soup

1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups diced or chopped carrots
3 Poblano peppers, fresh
3 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
1 roasted chicken
2 cups frozen sweet corn
1cup long grain rice, uncooked
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup flour
shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

 

Wash and dry the fresh Poblano peppers. Place them on a broiling pan, and place in the broiler. Turn peppers once the tops of their skins have bubbled and blackened. This will take just a few minutes. Allow both sides to bubble and blacken.

Remove from broiler and immediately place in a paper or plastic bag. Seal and allow to sit for 20 minutes. After steaming for 20 minutes, remove the blackened skin, stems, seeds, and veins of the peppers. Dice the peppers and reserve.

Preheat a large saucepan. Add olive oil, diced carrots, and onions. Stir and cook until soft. Add garlic, cumin, thyme, poblanos, cilantro, and salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Add chicken broth, corn, and the diced meat from one roasted chicken. Cover and bring to a simmer. Add rice, stir, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When about 5 minutes of cooking time are remaining, melt butter in a small sauce pan. Add flour and stir constantly. Cook for 4-5 minutes to cook roux. Add roux to soup and mix well. Simmer soup for 5-10 more minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve hot and top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and fresh chopped cilantro if desired.

My Favorite Salsa

There are lots of different opinions when it comes to salsa. As for me, I love fresh salsa's taste and texture so much more than stuff from a jar.

When I planned my garden back in February, I planned on growing everything I needed to make my fresh salsa except garlic. Garlic just doesn't do well in my zone. So here I find myself craving salsa like a crazy woman in April. The only ingredients from my garden that are ready are my jalapeños and cilantro.
So, I am relying on my local produce department for the rest until I have everything ready.

I did a salsa post last year, but I realized on looking back at it that if you were just scanning for a recipe, you'd probably get the wrong one. You see, I gave the two other recipes that inspired my version. So I hope to clear the air now. I've also tweaked my recipe just a tad, and now I can proclaim that it's, "the best salsa in the history of the world... Ever!" lol Inside joke. Sorry!

My Favorite Salsa

3 large, ripe tomatoes, quartered

1 fresh jalapeño (seeded and deveined)

juice of 1 lime or 5 key limes

1/2 cup cilantro or more to taste

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 of a medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 10 oz. can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles)

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse 10-15 times. Let sit 1 hour and then dive in!

NOTE: I've found through experimentation that if I put my fresh ingredients in the bottom of my food processor and then pour in the canned tomatoes last, I get a better texture for the end result. Just don't over process.

now that you've made the salsa, reserve 1/4 cup of it and make some Love Dip. You're sure to love it as well.

Happy dipping!
Keep lovin', and keep cookin'.