I stole this recipe for Fiesta Chowder from Southern Living: Christmas Cookbook. It sounds weird for a fiesta chowder recipe to come from a Christmas cookbook, but trust me it works. This chowder is quick and easy to make, a great weeknight meal! Chopped chicken is seasoned and cooked with onions and garlic. Everything else in this recipe comes from the pantry. Tex-Mex seasoning and canned ingredients make this chowder unique and tasty.
Did you know? The term chowder is used to describe any thick, rich soup containing chunks of food (for instance, corn chowder).¹ (see more trivia in the Trivia tab)
Combine 3 tbsp flour and 2 tbsp fajita seasoning in a zip-top plastic freezer bag; add 4 cubed chicken breasts.
Seal and shake to coat. Cook chicken in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat,
stirring often, about 4 minutes or until browned.
Reduce heat to medium-high; add 1 chopped onion and 1 tsp minced garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in remaining fajita seasoning from packet, 15 ¼ oz drained can of corn with red and green peppers, 15 oz can drained and rinsed black beans, 14 ½ oz can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, 3 cups chicken stock and 1 cup uncooked instant brown rice.
Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 5 minutes.
Remove lid and stir in 10 ¾ oz can nacho cheese soup, 3 tbsp chopped cilantro and 1 tbsp lime juice.
Serve warm. Pairs great with cornmeal cheese muffins.
Fiesta Chowder
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp AP flour
- 1.4 oz package fajita seasoning, divided
- 4 skinned and boned chicken breasts cubed
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 15 ¼ oz can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
- 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 14 ½ oz can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
- 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
- 2 ¼ oz can sliced ripe black olives (optional)
- 10 ¾ oz can nacho cheese soup
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Instructions
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Combine flour and 2 tbsp fajita seasoning in a zip-top plastic freezer bag; add chicken. Seal and shake to coat.
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Cook chicken in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat, stirring often, about 4 minutes or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-high; add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in remaining fajita seasoning, corn and next 5 ingredients, and, if desired, olives. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove lid and stir in nacho cheese soup, chopped cilantro and lime juice.
Recipe Notes
You can omit the can of green chilies to keep the heat level down depending on who you are serving or use mild or hot chilies depending on your preference. Cut the tomatoes a little before adding them whole, so they are small enough for a spoon when eating. Use chicken stock instead of water, I think it adds more flavor than plain water. If you can’t find nacho cheese soup (my grocery store has it closer to Superbowl time, otherwise it is a hit or miss to find) you can use cheddar cheese soup. You can also you the lower fat cheddar cheese soup, if you don’t want to use the full fat version. Both versions work well in the recipe.