Tex-Mex Cheesy Chicken Chowder

Hey Jude's Note:

This came highly recommended from one of my co-workers and, honestly, I was kind of skeptical because of a couple of the ingredients. I'm usually not interested in recipes that have convenience foods in them but I gave this one a shot and, boy, is it good! I'm still not thrilled with the Velveeta and would like to find an easy-melting cheese to replace it so if anyone trying this recipe can come up with something, I'm all ears! This makes up a big pot of thick, hearty chowder that would be perfect for a Super Bowl party, or any get-together with lots of guys and kids...it's just something that would appeal to that group, you know? You can easily adjust the heat by the type of salsa you use....I used a mild salsa and it was perfect for us. Oh, my co-worker's neighbor got this recipe from Midwest Living magazine.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 16

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces (I used 3 breast halves, they were big)
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (32 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes (loose-pack diced)
• 1 (2 2/3 ounce) package country gravy mix
• 2 cups milk
• 1 (8 ounce) package processed cheese spread, cut into chunks (such as Velveeta)
• 1 (16 ounce) jar chunky salsa
• 1 (4 1/2 ounce) can diced green chilies
• corn chips

Directions:

1. In a 6-quart Dutch oven, cook and stir onion, celery and garlic in hot oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until onion is tender; add chicken and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or till no longer pink; add broth and potatoes; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 12-15 minutes or till potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
2. In a medium bowl, dissolve gravy mix into milk; stir milk mixture into soup mixture; stir in cheese, salsa and green chilies, reduce heat to low; cook and stir till cheese is melted.
3. Serve with corn chips.

Reviews

[Chef #524015]

Loved this recipe! The only thing that I did different was add a little green salsa for an extra kick. This is going to become a repeat in my house!

[Chef #1082961]

Very good recipe and very forgiving of substitutions. Each component can be replaced with something similar and the resulting soup still tastes delicious. I used homemade turkey broth and leftover turkey, a can of nacho cheese, a can of Rotel, a can of cream of mushroom soup, a large dose of Louisiana hot sauce, fresh green onions and unpeeled diced potatoes along with the rest of the ingredients as listed. Of course, it took longer to cook because the potatoes were raw, but it was well worth the wait... and who can complain about a simmering pot of soup keeping the house warm and cozy on a cold winter afternoon? Next time I will brown the diced potatoes with the celery, onions and garlic before adding them to the broth.

[MaddieLC]

This is so good! Nice and spicy - just the way I like it!