Good Eats Indian Summer Soup

What sets this soup apart starts at the grill, not the stove. The chicken, onion, and a whole poblano go over the coals first, picking up a smoky char that carries straight through into the finished bowl. That fire-roasted backbone is what makes it taste like a late-summer cookout in soup form.

Roasting the poblano does double duty: it deepens the flavor and lets you steam off the skin. Tuck the hot pepper into a paper bag for 20 minutes, and the trapped steam loosens the charred skin so it peels away easily, leaving sweet, smoky flesh behind.

From there it builds into a creamy, cheesy soup. Garlic and mushrooms soften in butter, then the chopped grilled chicken, onion, poblano, and corn simmer together before cubed American cheese melts in for a velvety body. A cornstarch slurry thickens it at the end. The one rule: keep it below a boil once the cheese goes in, or the soup turns grainy and splits.

Chef Tips

• Steam the roasted poblano in a closed paper bag before peeling. The skin slips right off and you skip the fiddly scraping.
• Add the cheese over low heat and never let the soup boil afterward. High heat breaks melted cheese into a grainy mess.
• Grill the chicken just until the juices run clear; it keeps cooking in the soup, so pulling it early keeps it juicy.

Variations

• Use sharp cheddar or pepper jack in place of American cheese for more bite.
• Add a diced jalapeno or a pinch of cayenne for extra heat.
• Stir in black beans and serve with tortilla strips for a heartier Southwestern bowl.