Chicken Chowder With Chipotles

I apologize in advance for this novel of a review. However, I really believe this recipe could be outstanding if you know what NOT to do. So bear with me. First let me say what I loved about this recipe: 1. It incorporates everything I keep on hand (except for the whipping cream, discussed further below), but mixes it up in a completely new way. 2. Anything with chipotles I love. Add it to a creamy soup broth and I'm in love just talking about it! 3. The pureed vegetables and broth as a thickener is BRILLIANT! (Is that common practice in chowders? I don't ever make them, but I thought they relied solely on heavy cream...) Anyway, unfortunately, my batch didn't turn out so good. I mostly blame myself, though. Here are some tips on what NOT to do. I end with my gameplan for the next time I try this out. 1. Whenever I open a new can of chipotles, I freeze them on waxed paper with the adobo sauce spread evenly over top each of the chiles. Because of this, I used WAY more than the 1 T adobo sauce called for. After the sauteeing stage, I ended up throwing out three of the peppers because otherwise it would have been inedible. (I chopped the fourth pepper but left the other three whole as a precaution -- SO glad I did!). It was still REALLY spicy. 2. Even after sauteeing and simmering for more than the alotted amount of time, my celery and carrots never quite softened. I was running out of time, so I hoped the pureeing process would make up for it; however, because they weren't soft enough, they never did puree, which left me with a strange texture of broth (think broth combined with mush combined with tiny pieces of hard veggies...). 3. I thought I'd be "smart" and dump everything into my food processor (instead of 3 batches in the blender). I don't know if a blender would have made my veggies smoother or not. (I also made a mess of my processor and counter because there was slightly too much broth, but I didn't realize until after I removed the unit from the base.) 4. My potatoes didn't cook through in the alotted amount of time, either. 5. Because I had so many issues, I was so "over it" by the time it was ready to serve, so I didn't bother adding the whipping cream, cilantro, or lime. Thankfully, though, my boyfriend ate and enjoyed it (strange texture, un-cooked potatoes and all), which encouraged me to have some for lunch today, and the flavor REALLY is good. So, I've decided I'm not giving up on this recipe yet! Here's what I'll do next time: 1. I will start with one chipotle and see how I feel after sauteeing. Might end up using two, but I doubt I'll go to three. 2. I will sautee the heck out of my veggies until they're good and soft. Then I will simmer in order to meld everything together for a bit. 3. I will be a good girl and follow the poster's advice: three separate batches in a blender. 4. Either plan ahead so I can cook the potatoes longer, or nuke them for a bit before adding them to the soup. 5. DEFINITELY add the remaining ingredients (though I will have to try evap milk...I never have cream)! I know they will add killer flavor! I feel bad for punking out last night. 6. Add more salt...

This was delicious and easy. First, though, I had this recipe mixed up with another, and accidentally added 10-15 big basil leaves to the first step, cooking them with the veggies. I used a grocery-store roasted chicken, 3 1/2 - 4 cups, and about 4 chipotles; also used home-made turkey stock, which helped with flavor. It was very spicy but not enough to kill the other tastes. I didn't have herbes de provence so substituted thyme, a little oregano, and a little sage. I'll use this recipe many times, I'm sure. Thanks, Jan