Chipotle Chicken Chowder

If you haven't guessed by now, I love to make soup. It's the perfect time of year for a warm and hearty soup...with the winter weather and all. I was having trouble coming up with a name for this soup, cause at first I wanted to call it Jalapeno Popper chowder, cause it has jalapenos and cream cheese in it. But, after tasting, I realized it tasted nothing like a jalapeno popper. My fiance then made the point that it tasted like a chipotle burrito in the form of a soup. She was absolutely right...as usual...we then came up with this name. I swear to you, if Chipotle made a soup, this is what it would taste like. I would also describe it as almost a creamy chili...it's delicious, none the less. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 thick slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 1/4 lbs chicken, cut into bite size pieces 
• 2 teaspoons chile powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 4 jalapeno's, seeded and diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
•  1 (14 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups canned cannellini beans, drained
• 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
• 8 oz cream cheese, cubed into smaller pieces
• Shredded Mexican cheese mix, for garnish
• Chopped scallions, for garnish

Directions

Heat a dutch oven over medium eat, add in chopped bacon and cook until crisp, 5-8 minutes. After bacon has crisped up and the fat has rendered, add in the chicken pieces and saute until cooked through. Then add in the chili powder, cumin and oregano and mix until incorporated. 

Add in the mirepoix (onion, red pepper and jalapeno), cook until soft and translucent, about 10 min. Then add in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, should take no more than a minute.  Add the diced tomato, chicken stock, cannellini beans, and corn. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and add the cubed cream cheese. Cover and cook until cheese has melted and is fully incorporated into the soup. Garnish with cheese, scallions, and serve.