Poblano Chicken Corn Chowder

3 Large Chicken Breasts
4 Poblano Peppers
3 Carrots
5-6 Ears of Fresh Corn, mix yellow and white
1 Large Red Pepper
1 Medium Green Pepper
1 Large Onion, yellow
5 Stalks Celery, trimmed
3 Medium to Small Potatoes
4 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Cups Whole Milk
1 Cup Half and Half
1 Cup chopped Cilantro
2 or more Tablespoons Garlic, minced,
White Pepper
Cumin
Thyme
Paprika
1 stick of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil
Tablespoon of Granulated Onion
½ Tablespoon of Granulated Garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons flour or cornstarch
8 oz of Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded

Do yourself a favor and use fresh corn cut straight off the cob. Cut the corn off of the cobs, set aside. Clean, trim and cut all vegetables into smaller than bite sized pieces (or larger if you like a more rustic soup, but you will have to adjust cooking time to accommodate). In a large soup pot add a tablespoon of oil and half the butter, add potatoes and carrots only, cook for about 3 to 4 minutes stirring often. Add all peppers, onions, celery and corn. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes or so. Pour contents of pan into large bowl. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot and half the remaining butter. Cook over a medium to medium high heat just until chicken is white and partially cooked, add vegetables back into the pot  add half the cilantro at this point. . Cook for another minute, add all spices and garlic (except the granulated onion and garlic), cook while stirring for one more minute. If you are opting to use flour, dust all of the veggies and meat in the pot and continue to cook it for another 2 minutes. Add chicken stock (this should completely cover all ingredients), lower heat and cook for about 10 minutes. Add milk and half and half... once the milk products are heated through add the granulated spices and stir to incorporate and dissolve granules. At this point you want to deal with the consistency if you did not use flour, create a slurry with the cornstarch and a little water, pour into chowder while stirring, bring it up to a bubble to thicken the soup. I let this go for about another 10 minutes on a lowered heat. Remove from heat, you can stir in the pepper jack at this point or opt to sprinkle it onto each individual serving. You do not want to add the cheese while the soup is still on the heat as it will separate. Garnish the soup with cilantro, paprika and tortilla strips. If you do not want to add all of the butter play with the amount however your soup will not have the right consistency and flavor. You can also opt to substitute tofu in place of the chicken if you want. The chicken stock I work with is Better than Bullion, Low Sodium Chicken Paste. I would not recommend using bullion cubes, canned stock does not have enough flavor, so unless you make your own from leftover rotisserie chicken, then I would recommend you use the Better than Bullion product. If you want a little more heat in the dish, garnish with minced habanero peppers or fresh Jalapeno. 

Note:  If you do not make and freeze your own, my go to stock is Better than Bullion, low sodium chicken base. It is always stocked in my kitchen.