Fiesta Chowder

My mom found this recipe in Southern Living Magazine and made it for her Christmas Eve Party. We couldn't attend it, but we did get to eat the leftovers. I'm not usually a beans and rice kind of person, so I was surprised by how much I liked it.

I really don't see how people manage to take pictures WHILE they cook. Or even as they are serving it. I just don't have the time...or take the time. Cooking is already multi-tasking. The pictures never turn out good anyway. I think it's the lighting in my kitchen. Food looks really unappetizing on the camera with that lighting. So here is a photo taken from the internet. Cuz if you're like me, you don't cook anything unless you can see a picture of how good it looks.















When my good friend, Mariah, had a baby last week, I started brainstorming what food to make and bring to her. She is very much a beans and rice person, so I knew this would be perfect. I did make some changes to the recipe. The store I was at didn't have mexican stewed tomatoes, so I bought regular, but I bet any canned tomatoes would do fine. I also left out olives(because I don't like them) and I used 3 chicken breasts(because that's how they come in the package). My mom had trouble finding Nacho Cheese condensed soup, so she used cheddar cheese soup. I found Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup at Super Target. It definitaly made it better. And whatever you do, don't skip the fresh cilantro and lime juice!!! They really make the dish. You might be one of those weird people genetically prone to think cilantro tastes like soap(It's a real thing! Something about the chemical reaction the smell makes in our brain. Read about it here. It says you can retrain your brain.)















Fiesta Chowder
(click on the title to link to original recipe)

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (1.4-ounce) package fajita seasoning, divided
• 4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cubed
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
• 1 (2 1/4-ounce) can sliced ripe olives (optional)
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed nacho cheese soup
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro
• Breadsticks/corn chips (optional)

Preparation

Combine flour and 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add chicken. Seal and shake to coat.

Cook chicken in hot oil in a large Dutch oven(or stock pot) over high heat, stirring often, 4 minutes or until browned.

Reduce heat to medium-high; add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes.

Stir in remaining fajita seasoning, corn, 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. Garnish, if desired, with extra cilantro and serve with corn chips.