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PREP
COOK
INACTIVE
30 min
60 mins
0 min
TOTAL TIME
1 hr 30 min
COOKING METHOD(S):
Stovetop, Crock Pot/Instant Pot
Green Chile Flavor Without Blowing Out Your Taste Buds
When I was a teenager growing up in Bend, Oregon, a downtown restaurant served a chowder by this name. I can’t remember the restaurant’s name, but I remember going back often just for a bowl. After my first year away at college, I returned to find it had closed. Twenty years later, I was still thinking about that chowder, so I set out to recreate it. I think I captured what I loved about it—and maybe made it even better. A few years ago, I ran it as a soup special at the charter school where I work, expecting modest interest. I was wrong: it became the school year’s most requested dish.
While developing the recipe for the kids, I wanted the jalapeño flavor to come through without any tears shed. Removing the seeds and cooking the peppers softens their heat while keeping their fresh green-chile character. Potatoes and cream cheese make the chowder thick and velvety without flour. It’s creamy and hearty, with enough warmth to keep each spoonful interesting. Put hot sauce on the table so everyone can adjust the heat to their liking.
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CATEGORY:
Soups & Stews
SERVINGS
4
+
-
SERVING SIZE
2 cups
INGREDIENTS
1/2
Yellow Onions (diced)
1
Carrots (diced)
1 stalk
Celery (diced)
1 cup
Jalapeño Peppers (sliced and deseeded)
2 cups
Yukon Gold Potatoes (½” cubes)
2 cloves
Garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp
Butter
1 Tbsp
Onion Powder
1 Tbsp
Garlic Powder
1 tsp
Smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp
Oregano (Dried)
1 tsp
Thyme (Dried) (Dried)
3/4 lb
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (trimmed)
2 slices
Bacon
2 tsp
Chicken Bouillon Paste (paste)
1 1/2 cups
Water
1/4 cup
Canned Green Chiles (diced)
2 1/2 cups
Milk (whole)
4 oz
Cream Cheese (cut into cubes)
4 oz
Cheddar Cheese (sharp; shredded)
1/2 cup
Frozen Corn (frozen)
1 tsp
Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp
Black Pepper
2 tsp
Liquid Smoke
INSTRUCTIONS
Stovetop
Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Transfer it to a plate, leaving the drippings. Add the butter to the pot and melt; light olive oil, avocado oil, lard, or beef tallow can replace it.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, and jalapeños and cook for 6-8 minutes, until softened and beginning to brown lightly.
Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring so it doesn’t burn but while allowing a crust to start to form on the bottom of the pan.
Whisk together the water and chicken bouillon paste and add to the pan to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom until all of the seasoning is released.
Add the chicken and turn up the heat to medium-high, bringing the liquid to a gentle simmer. Reduce back to to medium-low and cover.
Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Carefully pluck the chicken from the stock with tongs and transfer to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into 1/2" cubes and return it to the pot.
Add the potatoes and simmer gently for about 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is very tender and the potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally, lightly mashing a few potatoes against the pot to thicken the chowder. No flour is needed.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the liquid smoke, green chile and corn and then stir in the milk. Do not let the chowder boil or sit on heat above medium after adding the dairy.
Add the cream cheese in chunks and stir often until it has melted and is fully incorporated.
For the smoothest texture, use freshly grated cheddar and add it gradually over low heat, stirring until each addition melts before adding more.
Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper. Let the chowder rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.
Serve with the reserved crumbled bacon and, if you like, cilantro, fresh jalapeño, extra shredded cheese, or sourdough croutons.
Crock Pot
Complete steps 1–3, reserving the cooked bacon for serving. Transfer the sautéed vegetables and drippings to the slow cooker.
Add the raw chicken, potatoes, green chile, corn, liquid smoke, salt, pepper, and remaining seasonings. Dissolve the bouillon paste in the water and pour it over the mixture.
Cook on low for 6 hours. Remove the chicken and, once cool enough to handle, chop or shred it and return it to the slow cooker.
Stir in the milk and cream cheese and cook on low for an additional hour, stirring frequently until the cream cheese is incorporated.
Stir in the cheddar gradually until fully incorporated. Serve with the reserved bacon.
Stovetop
Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Transfer it to a plate, leaving the drippings. Add the butter to the pot and melt; light olive oil, avocado oil, lard, or beef tallow can replace it.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, and jalapeños and cook for 6-8 minutes, until softened and beginning to brown lightly.
Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring so it doesn’t burn but while allowing a crust to start to form on the bottom of the pan.
Whisk together the water and chicken bouillon paste and add to the pan to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom until all of the seasoning is released.
Add the chicken and turn up the heat to medium-high, bringing the liquid to a gentle simmer. Reduce back to to medium-low and cover.
Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Carefully pluck the chicken from the stock with tongs and transfer to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into 1/2" cubes and return it to the pot.
Add the potatoes and simmer gently for about 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is very tender and the potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally, lightly mashing a few potatoes against the pot to thicken the chowder. No flour is needed.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the liquid smoke, green chile and corn and then stir in the milk. Do not let the chowder boil or sit on heat above medium after adding the dairy.
Add the cream cheese in chunks and stir often until it has melted and is fully incorporated.
For the smoothest texture, use freshly grated cheddar and add it gradually over low heat, stirring until each addition melts before adding more.
Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper. Let the chowder rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.
Serve with the reserved crumbled bacon and, if you like, cilantro, fresh jalapeño, extra shredded cheese, or sourdough croutons.
Crock Pot
Complete steps 1–3, reserving the cooked bacon for serving. Transfer the sautéed vegetables and drippings to the slow cooker.
Add the raw chicken, potatoes, green chile, corn, liquid smoke, salt, pepper, and remaining seasonings. Dissolve the bouillon paste in the water and pour it over the mixture.
Cook on low for 6 hours. Remove the chicken and, once cool enough to handle, chop or shred it and return it to the slow cooker.
Stir in the milk and cream cheese and cook on low for an additional hour, stirring frequently until the cream cheese is incorporated.
Stir in the cheddar gradually until fully incorporated. Serve with the reserved bacon.
