Chicken and Mushroom Chowder

This is a hearty, meal in a bowl, good for cold days chowder. Serve it with crusty bread for a complete meal. It looks like a lot of ingredients but this is actually after-work friendly. Recipe adapted from Chicago Tribune's Good Eating section

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
•  boiling water
• 2  slices bacon
• 1  skinless chicken breast half, diced
• 1  medium onion, diced
• 2  russet potatoes, peeled if you wish and diced
• 2  cloves garlic, minced
• 2  ears  sweet corn, kernels sliced off
• 2 (14 1/2ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (28 ounce) can  peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 2  cups  packed fresh spinach leaves
• 1  bay leaf
• 2  tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1  teaspoon  herbes de provence
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice
•  fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 2  tablespoons  chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2  tablespoons  chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Cover mushrooms with boiling water and set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Cook bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes; crumble into pieces and set aside.
3. Add onions to dutch oven, cook until softened, about 3 minutes; add garlic, cook 1 minute; add chicken and cook, stirring often, until it turns white, about 4 minutes; add potatoes, corn, broth and tomatoes, cook 4 more minutes.
4. Slice spinach leaves into thin strips; add spinach, bay leaf, thyme, herbs de Provence, salt, pepper flakes, allspice and black pepper to chowder; drain mushrooms and add to the pot.
5. Increase heat to medium-high; cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes; adjust seasoning, stir in parsley and cilantro into chowder.
6. Garnish with bacon.