Spicy Chicken Corn Chowder and Menu Monday!

Yes, it's 100 degrees outside, but I'm craving soup...so I tackled this recipe that I ripped out of Better Homes and Garden's July issue. It was pretty labor intensive, but I'm going to break it down for you so you can save some time, money and effort.

Spicy Chicken-Corn Chowder

8 slices of bacon
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups chopped red sweet pepper
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1 to 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
2 large Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
2 cups fresh sweet corn kernals
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves

1. In a 5-6 quart Dutch oven cook bacon until crisp. Remove with spoon, set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in pan.
2. Add chicken to pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir over medium-high heat until chicken is no longer pink; remove chicken. Add sweet pepper and onion to pan. Cook and stir until tender. Add jalapenos and garlic, cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in flour. Cook and stir 1 minute. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or just until potatoes are tender; stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken, corn, cream, cayenne, and bay leaves. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes; stir occasionally. Discard bay leaves. Top with bacon and jalapeno slices. Makes 8 servings.

Time Saver Tip: Now those are the "big girl/boy ingredients" and that means a lot of chopping!! I'm a sub par chopper, so I'm saying next time I make this...I will buy: Frozen chopped red pepper, chopped sweet onion, frozen corn and then that leaves the chicken, jalapeno and potatoes to be chopped. Bam, just saved you time.
Quick Fix: Bacon...mmm. We love bacon, but I hate the mess and I need it on the fly. So I bought this microwaveable bacon when it was on sale. I am in love. Easy, quick, delicious. Squeeze the "bacon pad" for the tablespoon of drippings. Voila!

Beware: Cutting jalapenos can burn your skin. I always itch my nose so when I had gave myself "jalapeno nose" I felt a duty to inform you, wear gloves. Also, it's easier to cut the jalapeno down the middle and remove the seeds.

My assistants...one kept me entertained and the other kept the floor clean. You can figure out which one did what task.


That was last night...so here we go for the rest of the week.

Monday: 4th of July cookout with the Settles! I'm off for the night.
Tuesday: Fast Chicken Fettuccine with Salad (Better Homes and Garden July issue)
Wednesday: 5 Spice Pork Kabobs with angel hair pasta and sauteed zucchini (Better H&G)
Thursday: Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Verde Sauce (Skinnytaste.com)
Friday: Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries (Costco)
Saturday: Cajun Chicken and Rice with Salad (improv meal where I get creative with Uncle Ben's Cajun rice, chicken thighs that were on sale and spices.)

There you go...that's what is going down in the Holder Haven kitchen this week. Happy Cooking!