Comfort food on a cold day: a good chowder...


The weather has taken a sudden cold turn where I live ~ spring has retreated and it feels more like winter outside. Since it’s so chilly and will remain so for a couple of days (it’s going to dip down into the 20s tonight), I thought I would make something warm and hearty for dinner.
About a month ago, one of my favorite blogs ~ Wives with Knives ~ published a recipe for Shrimp Chicken Corn and Bacon Chowder. I tried it out then and it was absolutely scrumptious. I thought I would make it again tonight. The recipe is below; I hope you’ll give it a try. You’ll find my notes for the recipe in parentheses. And do stop by Wives with Knives for a nice and easy printable version of this recipe ~ click here for that.



Shrimp Chicken Corn and Bacon Chowder


Ingredients
4 slices of thick-cut bacon, diced
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped (I used 1/2 of a large yellow onion, which was a bit more.)
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/2 to 1 whole jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (I substituted 1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes.)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups 2% milk
1-1/2 cups chopped roasted skinless chicken breast (I used 2 chicken breasts.)
1/2 cup cooked shrimp, cut into small pieces (I used a 12 oz. bag of salad-sized shrimp, which is a bit more.)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste (I skipped this.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 15-ounce can creamed corn
2 bay leaves
1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1 medium size russet potato, peeled, diced and cooked in boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes (I used two potatoes.)

Note
You’ll notice that I added a bit more of some ingredients to the chowder. It didn’t change anything with the cooking process; it just meant the chowder was a bit fuller. Mostly I did it for my own convenience and taste.

Instructions
Cook bacon in a medium pot until just crisp. Remove from pot and drain on a paper towel. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pot. (I pretty much left it all since it wasn’t much more; if you need to, add a bit more flour.) Add butter. Saute onion, celery and jalapeño pepper until tender, stirring frequently. Add flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until thick. Remove bay leaves. Serve with a garnish of chopped bacon and parsley, if desired.

Photos by The Art of Living Beautifully

Comments

  1. I'l so happy to read that you enjoyed this soup recipe, Eileen. Shrimp and chicken are a strange combo for a pot of soup and it's amazing how delicious they are together. Thank you for your lovely comments and the link.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh yes, there is nothing like a good chowder for a cool day lunch or supper. Yours looks so tasty, I almost want to reach in a get a spoonful.

    Brenda



    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please note that if you don't see your comment immediately, it isn't lost. I have turned off the terrible word verification process, but to cut down on spam, I now have to approve all the comments.