Chicken Corn Chowder

There's nothing like a good corn chowder recipe and this one has by far become one of my favorites!  

It actually became quite the discussion the other night because my husband decided that it wasn't thick enough to be called a chowder, but my thought is that if it's chunky and has milk in it, then it's considered a chowder.  So, I looked up the definition and it gave me this: "A thick soup containing fish or shellfish, especially clams, and vegetables, such as potatoes and onions, in a milk or tomato base."
So, it looks like we're both partially correct!  Anyway, this chowder was really easy to make because it uses frozen corn and store bought rotisserie chicken.  I found this recipe on whipped the blog who adapted it from Bon Appetit (Oct. 2003).

Here's my version below.


Chicken Corn Chowder


INGREDIENTS: {Makes 6 main dish servings}

• 6 bacon slices, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 orange or red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 6 cups chicken stock 
• 2 cups 1/2-inch cubes banana or butternut squash (I used banana squash)
• 1 extra large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1-2 crookneck yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 16-ounce bag frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup half & half {or whole milk}
• 2 cups shredded chicken {from store bought rotisserie chicken}
• salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

  Cook bacon in a large pot over med-high heat until crisp.  Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.  *Set aside for garnish. Pour off all but 1/4 cup drippings from pot.  Add butter to pot; melt over med-high heat.  Add onions and 1/2 cup of bell peppers.  Saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.  Add flour; stir about 1-2 minutes to cook off the raw flour taste.  Mix in broth, stirring frequently to throughly incorporate.  Add squash, potatoes, and thyme; bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until squash and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add corn, half & half, and 1/2  cup bell peppers, and chicken.  Simmer until corn is tender, about 5-10 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Ladle chowder into soup bowls, sprinkle with bacon & serve!

Ok, so that's the recipe and I think it's pretty darn good how it is, but if you want to try thickening it up to make more of a "chowder" like consistency, I would suggest these things:

1.  mix together 1 Tbsp. flour & 1 Tbsp. water; add to pot while simmering the corn.

OR

2.  add 1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese the last couple minutes of simmering time.

All the veggies...lot's of orange going on here!

The "meat" to the chowder

simmering & smelling so good