Wheeee! Fall in LA, people. It’s just like every other season except we did have two chilly days where I wore the hell out of my sweaters and put on boots. Because I know when to take advantage of a situation. Also, I know how to rock a chicken for the week.

Have I ever talked about the power of a roast chicken? No? If you learn nothing else from me, my friends, please know that you can never underestimate the awesomeness of roasting a Sunday chicken, then repurposing it throughout the week. Roast it!

Usually I like to make the chicken enchiladas with my leftovers and throw some chicken at my children, but I’m trying hard to steer clear of the dairy. Or at least, the insane amount of dairy that goes into delicious, delicious, enchiladas. This recipe for smoky chicken chowder that I picked up from Epicurious also called for some dairy, but I pulled a vegan trick and added an extra Russet potato and cut way back on the cream, and deleted the cheese. Even without that deliciousness, this was, what they say in my house, “The best soup you’ve ever made.” I’m the “you’ve” there, everybody. It was me that made the soup.

So now that we’re clear on that, let me show you how I gluten-freed, and dairy-lighted this insanely delicious chowder that I’m going to make again, and again, and again, and again. It’s slurping time.

Gluten-Free Smoky Chicken Chowder

adapted from Epicurious

prep time: 20 minutes cook time: 30 minutes if you start with a roasted chicken

Ingredients:

3 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 cup all-purpose, gluten-free flour
3 cups gluten-free chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 Tablespoon flat-leaf parsley
1/2 an chipotle chile in adobo sauce, with chile minced
2 cups shredded chicken from roasted chicken, or 1 1/2 whole boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1. Cook the onions in a Dutch oven over moderate heat, until softened. Add the potatoes, garlic and jalapeno and cook for 1 minute. Stir in gluten-free flour and cook over moderately low heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Whisk in 2 cups of gluten-free chicken broth and the half-and-half and bring to a boil while stirring. Add the tomatoes, corn, cheese, parsley, and chipotle. Add raw chicken if you’re not using an already roasted chicken. Stir occasionally and and add chicken broth to change consistency if desired. Cook for 20 minutes, adding in roasted chicken after 10 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes: 12 servings