Roasted Potato and Cheddar Chowder Recipe

As I was getting ready to make lunch, I was presented with an unwelcomed situation: I had a little over a quart of milk in the fridge that was due to expire soon, my brother had left a lot of fried chicken strips and I had a lot of potatoes and shredded cheddar and I couldn't remember why I got either of them. I'm not wealthy so there was no way any of this was going in the trash. So this is the solution I created from this situation:

Roasted Potato and Cheddar Chowder, created by S

2 c diced red potatoes
1 ½ c beef broth
1 c Schwan’s Grilled Onions and Mushrooms*
½ T minced garlic
4 c water
Dash of Worchester sauce
Pinch of ground cloves
½ tsp ancho chile powder
½ tsp ground cumin
3 tsp Kosher salt, divided
2 c chopped leftover fried chicken strips**
3 c 2% milk
1 ½ c flour
3 oz Neufchâtel (1⁄3 fat cream cheese)
2 T low-fat sour cream
1 ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar
Chives (optional)


Place diced potatoes in skillet; cook until lightly browned then put in Dutch oven. Put broth, garlic, 1 tsp salt and grilled mushrooms and onions in a different pot and bring to a boil on med-high heat. Once it has reached boiling point, place mixture in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Place mixture in Dutch oven with 4 c water. Cook on med-high heat for 20 minutes. Add ancho powder, cumin, cloves and remaining salt. Cook 2 minutes. Add chicken.

Take flour and milk and whisk in bowl, making a slurry. Add flour mixture to Dutch oven, constantly stirring with whisk to avoid flour clumps. Once well blended, add sour cream and cream cheese. Stir until melted. Add cheddar; stir until melted. Sprinkle with chopped chives if desired.

Serving size: 1 ½ c
Number of servings: TBD

*Take ½ c sliced onions, ½ c sliced mushrooms, ½ T liquid smoke, 1 tsp Worchester sauce, ½ tsp soy sauce and 2 T vegetable oil. Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Place on baking sheet or piece of aluminum foil and bake for 10-15 minutes.

**If you don't have any leftover chicken from any restaurant, just use regular diced chicken breast meat. Dump 2 cups in the broth mixture after it starts to boil. It shouldn't result in a significant change in flavor. I intend to use plain chicken breast the next time I make this chowder because it's healthier.