One of my favorite vegetables is corn and my favorite type of soup is chowder. This chicken corn chowder definitely brings together the best of both worlds.
I will take a chowder over chicken noodle soup any day of the week. I like the stick-to-your-ribs kind of chowders and stews. I think the cold weather really brings that out in me.
The chowder provides a wonderful balance of sweet and savory, smoothness and crunch. It is definitely a hearty soup and a bowl of this is enough for a meal.
I took this picture the day after I made the chowder, so it had thickened quite a bit. It was easily remedied with some extra chicken broth, but I like my chowder a bit chunky. Some chowders can be very high in fat and calories, so I used fat free half-and-half instead of heavy cream and you wouldn’t even know it. What’s better than guilt-free chowder?
Chicken Corn Chowder
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 cans sweet corn, drained
3 cups chicken broth
2 potatoes, diced
2 cups chicken breast, cooked, diced
2 cups fat free half-and-half
pinch grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
Melt butter and olive oil in large pot. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add flour and stir to make a roux. Cook until roux is lightly browned; set aside. Combine corn and chicken in another pot and bring to a boil. Pour the broth and corn (a little at a time) into the roux and whisk so it doesn’t create lumps. Return pot to the heat and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and chicken. Mixture should be very thick. Pour the half-and-half into the corn mixture. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
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