Chicken Corn Chowder
This is my all-time favorite soup recipe. I like to serve it with a fancy salad and roll. I could eat it every day!
This is my all-time favorite soup recipe. I like to serve it with a fancy salad and roll. I could eat it every day!
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 stalks celery finely chopped
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 ea. red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 ea. jalapeno pepper finely chopped
- 1/4 cup ham thinly sliced and chopped
- 2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups corn
- 2 large chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- Carbohydrate 24.8022440298715 g
- Cholesterol 352.934475443349 mg
- Fat 39.1159867276387 g
- Fiber 2.54314888156644 g
- Protein 125.076951908124 g
- Saturated Fat 17.761126496554 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (723g)
- Sodium 739.702275434658 mg
- Sugar 22.259095148305 g
- Trans Fat 4.40215724583351 g
- Calories 972 calories
Step-by-step
- Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute celery, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and ham; cook for another 3 minutes.
- Whisk the broth with the flour in a liquid measuring cup or bowl and then stir into the soup. Stir in the corn and chicken. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat.
- Whisk together the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl until smooth (I had a difficult time getting my cream cheese to completely whisk into the milk so my soup had some minor small lumps but next time, I''ll soften the cream cheese until almost melted in the microwave).
- Whisk the cream cheese/milk mixture into the soup along with the salt, pepper and cheddar cheese.
- Simmer on low until ready to serve.
- I add boiled potatoes. Yummy!
Velvety opacity coats the back of a wooden spoon while sweet corn bursts against savory notes of rendered ham and sharp cheddar. Thickening soups without excessive cost requires precision. Starches from flour gelatinize when heated in liquid, but dumping dry powder directly into hot grease creates stubborn lumps. Whisking the flour directly into cold chicken broth before introducing it to the pot ensures uniform dispersion and optimal starch hydration. Olive oil provides a monounsaturated fat medium to sweat onions, celery, bell peppers, and jalapeños over medium heat for five minutes, softening cell walls and releasing aromatic compounds without scorching.
Dairy emulsions frequently break under high heat due to protein coagulation. Softening cream cheese until nearly fluid and blending it with cold milk prevents curdling when combined with simmering broth. Cheddar cheese introduces aged proteins and fats that enrich the overall mouthfeel. Preserved ingredients like canned broth and frozen or canned corn offer reliable year-round starch and sodium levels, whereas fresh corn yields higher moisture content that may require extending the simmer phase by two minutes to maintain consistency.
