I love this time of year!! I love the crisp air that makes you want to wear sweaters, scarves, slippers and have soup for dinner. I had never made any kind of chowder before, but a couple of years ago I had the opportunity of joining our Stake Presidency at a dinner with a member of the Quorum of the 70 who visited for our stake conference. The Stake Relief Society Presidency made some really great soups for the dinner and I opted to try a corn chowder. I fell in love and decided that I needed to add this to my family menu. I went searching online and found this Chicken and Corn Chowder recipe HERE.
I decided to change it up to fit my needs, which is less prep!! I am all about easy recipes that are fast to put together as I have 5 children that need me and a few hobbies that I would rather be spending time doing than cooking. Something that saves me A LOT of time and adds amazing flavor to any chicken recipe is rather than cook and shred chicken, I buy a rotisserie chicken from SAMS Club and when I get home I pull all of the chicken off, give a few yummy scraps to my dog, and throw the chicken into snack sized zip-lock bags. All those go into a gallon sized freezer bag, then it goes into my freezer for later use.
I hate cooking bacon, it smells up the house for days and I smell like bacon too. I really don’t like smelling like dinner if I have plans to go somewhere after. I do love to eat bacon though so when I can I just use the already baked bits of bacon, which is what I did with this recipe.
When I eat this soup my mind goes back to that night when I had the opportunity to spend time with some amazing men and women in the gospel and feel the love of my Heavenly Father. Yum! Lots of warm fuzzies!!
See the Happy!
- 1 lb shredded chicken from a rotessori chicken
- 1 2.5 oz pkg bacon bits
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 lrg red bell pepper diced (1 1/2 c)
- 1 medium yellow onion diced (1 1/4 c)
- 1 - 2 jalapenos seeded for less heat if desired, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 5 medium russet potatoes peeled and diced slightly less than 1/2-inch
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
- 1 1/2 cups Half and Half
- In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add red bell pepper, onions, jalapenos and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Stir in flour, and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. While stirring, slowly add in chicken broth and whisk until well blended.
- Add potatoes, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a boil stirring frequently, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or just until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Add in cooked chicken, corn and half and half and simmer, uncovered 10 - 15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Pull out the bay leaves then serve warm, topped with bacon and green onions.
I made this and took it to my church’s Halloween party. It was so good and a huge hit! I had barely any to take home with me, which is always a good sign at a potluck! I also loved how quick and easy it was to make–just chop up the potatoes and throw it all into a pot. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the soup, it has definitely become one of my family’s favorites. Thanks for sharing your experience Lisa!!