I don’t know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but springtime in the Midwest is unpredictable, at best. It’s quite possible to experience all 4 seasons in a week’s time starting the week with temps in the high 80’s, prime weather conditions for tornados, to torrential downpours, and then even so much snow that there are school closures! All at the end of April and in the beginning of May. Before too long it will be miserably hot and humid so I enjoy the variety.

This past weekend was wet & rainy, cloudy & gray, which I happen to love, and affirms my belief that I could live in the Pacific Northwest with no problems. I’m a natural introvert so spending all day alone in my kitchen was a joy. Therapy, really. And this soup? It warms and nourishes and was gone the next day. Chris informed me this could go into our regular rotation.

Ingredients:

• 5 Poblano peppers, roasted
• 2 tbsp. butter
•  1/3 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 32oz container of chicken broth
• S&P to taste
• 3/4 of a rotisserie chicken, deboned & shredded (I say 3/4 because we all snacked on it, but by all means, add as much chicken as you want!)
• 1 8oz pkg of cream cheese, cut into tbsps.
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preparation:

Roast the peppers until skin is charred and blistered. You can do this over the open flame on a gas stove, or by heating your broiler to high and placing poblanos within a few inches of the broiler (turning periodically to get all sides charred). Once charred, place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool, then rub/ peel the skin to remove as much of the blistered skin. Remove the stems, deseed, and finely chop using a food processor.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add onions and garlic and cook for five minutes. Add cumin and peppers and stir for about a minute. Pour in the broth and season with freshly ground salt & pepper to taste, increase heat to a rapid boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add cream cheese and 2 cups of cheese and whisk until melted and incorporated. Stir in the shredded chicken. Serve and top with remaining cheese.

Adapted from: https://asweetlife.org/chile-relleno-chicken-soup/