Whether its from the temperature getting colder and the air damper, or the stress of Christmas approaching, over the past 3 days I’ve been fighting off some bug. Today in particular has been the kind of day where I would have liked nothing more than to vegetate on the couch watching re-runs of Chuck and eating soup. Normally when I’m sick I gravitate to the traditional Chicken Noodle Soup, but today I felt like a variation that included a bit more kick to it – Chipotle peppers. I had a few of these peppers ziplocked in the freezer from the last time I made this recipe a few months ago. Normally they come 8-10 in a can and as each recipe usually only calls for 2 at a time, this is a good way to store them until needed. This soup delivers a nice balance of heartiness (from the corn, chicken and zucchini), zip/kick (chipotle-style) and tartness from the limes making it the perfect fall or winter meal, or when in need of a pick-me-up.
Ingredients:
3 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped (fresh or canned – I prefer fresh tomatoes, when in season)
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, from the can (1 if you don’t like spicy food, 3 maximum if you don’t mind breathing fire)
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, slivered or cubed
1 tsp sea salt (to be fancy) or regular salt (I didn’t taste the difference)
4 cups chicken broth
1 small zucchini, chopped into small cubes
1 cup frozen corn, thawed or canned corn
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 small key limes
Directions:
1. In a blender, purée the tomatoes, onion, chipotles, garlic, and ½ cup of water
Puree tomatoes, garlic, onion, pepper and water
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high and add the puréed mixture from step 1, frying until it begins to darken in colour
3. Stir in the chicken and cook for 5 minutes until the chicken turns white
4. Add the salt and broth to the pot and bring to a boil
5. Add the zucchini, corn, and red pepper and return the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes Stir in the fresh oregano and season to taste
6. Serve each bowl with a piece of fresh lime for squeezing the soup
gentlemangourmet 
December 17th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
You probably know this but a chipotle is not actually a chile unto itself. Chipotles are jalapeño peppers which have been smoked. I like their flavour much more than raw jalepenos which just seem hot but not flavorful to me.
December 18th, 2010 at 6:01 am
Hmm…I didn’t actually know that. You’re right that they are flavourful and with a distinct taste. I’ll plan to look into other recipes that call for this pepper as up until now I’ve only used it in this soup. Thanks!