Jalapeno Cheddar Soup

This is another decadent cream-based soup based on a Harmons deli soup recipe. It makes quite a lot. (Check out the tomato basil soup also.) I’m so glad the deli director at Harmons was always happy to share any recipe you’d ask for, because everything that Harmons makes is so amazing. Anyway, at the hot soup bar, you can find their turkey cheddar jalapeno soup. I adapted it to use chicken (cheaper and more convenient), cut the broth in half, and I also added more ingredients so it wasn’t so much broth in relation to chicken. It also calls for a lot of butter–I feel like I cut it in half the last time I made it (to 1/2 c.), and it was good.

This soup is great, spicy, and best with chips and cheese on top. Depending on how spicy it turns out, you may need to add sour cream. This is another soup where we freeze the leftovers in gallon bags–sometimes the potatoes can get a little mushier after thawing, but mostly it heats up and tastes just fine. And this soup still has a thin broth instead of a thick gravy like a stew–so I put cheddar and sour cream on top of the soup for the picture, and of course they both just sank right in. Haha. 

If you’re making this gluten free, make your roux with the cornstarch instead of flour.

Make it a meal with:

• Corn Muffins
• Tortilla Chips
• Grapes

Jalapeno Cheddar Soup

• Servings: 15?
• Time: 1 hr?
• Difficulty: medium-hard
• Print

Spicy and delicious–you can freeze leftovers in gallon bags.

Ingredients

• 1 c. Butter (or 1/2 c. for less oil on top of the soup)
• 1/2 c. Flour (or 1/4 c. cornstarch)
• 6.5 lb. Chicken Breasts, cubed
• 1/4 c. Canola Oil
• 1 Onion (.6 lb.)
• 2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
• 1 Red Pepper (3.25 oz.), diced
• 1 Green Pepper, diced
• 1 Jalapeno (1 oz.), diced
• 1/4 c. Water
• 1 oz. (about 1+ Tbsp) Member’s Mark Chicken Base
• 1/2 gal. Chicken Stock (2 boxes)
• 1 qt. Cream
• 2 qt. Milk (8 cups)
• 1/2 Tbsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1/2 Tbsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced  
• 1 lb. sharp or extra sharp cheddar, grated
• 1/2 bag Frozen Corn

Directions

In a separate pan from the stock pot, create the roux by melting the butter and adding the flour or cornstarch to cook. In the large stock pot, brown the chicken. Add oil, onion, garlic, peppers, and jalapeno and cook until onion is translucent. Add water, stock, base, cream, and milk. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and bring to boil. Add potatoes and cook until they’re done (about 15 minutes). Reduce heat and add roux and cheese. Stir until soup thickens and cheese melts, then add corn. Adjust seasonings as needed (add more red pepper flakes to make it spicier). Serve with sour cream, extra cheese, and crushed tortilla chips on top.