Smoky Chipotle Chicken Chowder

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 (3 1/2 lb) whole roasting chickens
• 1 head garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 lime, quartered
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt (as needed)
• black pepper (as needed)
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 62 1/2 ounces chicken broth or 62 1/2 ounces stock
• 1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup dry wine
• 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 -6 tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 3 canned chipotle chiles, chopped
• 1 -2 tablespoon adobo sauce (from canned chipotles)
• 1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 3 corn tortillas or 1 cup broken tortilla chips
• oil (as needed, to fry corn tortillas) (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 475°f.
• 2 rinse chicken and pat dry, and stuff cavity with garlic, onion, lime, and cumin seed.
• 3 seal cavity with skewers or toothpicks.
• 4 fold wing tips under bird.
• 5 rub exterior of bird with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
• 6 place on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan and roast, uncovered, at 475f for 15 minutes.
• 7 reduce oven temperature to 375f and continue to cook chicken, for 60-75 minutes or until temperature in the thickest part of thigh reads at least 160°f.
• 8 allow chicken to rest for 30 minutes without carving.
• 9 cook bacon in a skillet until cooked through and crisp; drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tbsp bacon drippings.
• 10 place bacon drippings into the bottom of a large dutch oven, and add onion and garlic.
• 11 cook until tender, then add chicken broth, potatoes, wine, bell pepper, ground cumin, salt, and pepper.
• 12 bring mixture to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through and tender.
• 13 meanwhile, remove meat from chicken, discarding fat, skin, and bone.
• 14 chop chicken coarsely and set aside.
• 15 mix together dry milk with cold water until smooth in a small bowl and set aside.
• 16 heat oil several inches deep in a large skillet.
• 17 using a pizza cutter or kitchen shears, cut tortillas into thin strips.
• 18 fry tortilla strips until crispy and golden, then drain on paper toweling and set aside (or may use broken tortilla chips).
• 19 when potatoes in chowder are tender, add cooked chopped chicken, milk mixture, chopped chipotles with adobo (adjust amount for your own taste), and grated cheese.
• 20 cook, stirring over low heat just until cheese melts- do not boil or cheese will become grainy.
• 21 just before serving, stir in chopped cilantro, and top each bowl of chowder with tortilla strips.