Southwestern Cream of Chicken Soup

Manami's Note:

Nothing beats chicken soup, whenever! Few foods are easier to make, more impressive to serve, or comforting to eat than soup. Especially the thick, creamy kind. Falling into three catehories -- cream soups, pureed soups, and bisques or chowders -- with this recipe, you'll be well on your way to decadent dinners in a bowl. This Southwestern Cream of Chicken Soup is thickened with a roux before adding cheese for texture and flavor. When adding cheese, even a great meltting one like pepper Jack, separatng is possible -- so here's is how to avoid it: (1) Don't let soup boil the cheese will break up & curdle.. (2) Use an acid like wine or beer to help prevent curdling. (3) Be sure to use whole milk. Its high milk fat content means it's less likely to curdle.:) Try this spiced-up version with tortilla or pita chips for dipping. CuisineAtHome - Issue 83 - October, 2010.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 red bell pepper , seeded and diced
• 1 poblano chile , seeded and diced
• ½ cup diced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour , divided
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup beer (such as Corona)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• ½ cup dry converted white rice
• 3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 8 sprigs cilantro , as garnish (optional)
• lime slice (optional)
• tortilla chips (optional) or seasoned pita chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large pot. Stir in bell pepper, poblano, onion, garlic, chilli powder, cumin aand coiander. Sweat mixture until peppers begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Whisk in 3 T flour to coat vegetables; cook 2 minutes.(Make sue all vegetables are copated because if not it will taste like flour!) Whisk in milk, beer, and broth until smooth.
3. Bring mixture to a simmer. Stir in rice; simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Combine cheese with remaining 3 T flour in a resealable plastic bag; toss to coat. Add cheese to soup a handful at a time, stirring to melt completely before adding the next handful.
5. Add chicken and cilantro to heat, 3-5 minutes.
6. Garnish each serving of soup with lime slices and tortilla or pita chips.