The Inspiration of Urbnspice Series

Chowder is a rich and hearty style of soup that is typically made using fish and seafood, smoked bacon, potatoes, vegetables and corn niblets. In this recipe for Fresh Peaches and Cream Corn and Chicken Chowder, I have substituted poultry for the fish and seafood to create a delicious soup that I know you will find flavourful and satisfying.  Skip to Recipe

My inspiration for this post is seasonal fresh Peaches and Cream corn, a tender, sweet and creamy tasting variety that is an excellent choice for this chowder recipe.  The corn niblets take this chowder to another level, but why stop there?  I also included the bare cobs in the ingredient list, which are used for a flavour enhancing technique. Serve this chowder with Potato Scones, hot biscuits, buns, or thick slices of fresh bread and butter for a meal that is fit for a king.

Fresh Peaches and Cream Corn and Chicken Chowder

CHEF TALK: Chowders are easy to make and can be made all year round but it is particularly wonderful when corn is in season.  This recipe is one of the most requested soups from my Soups – Simplified course.  

This Fresh Peaches and Cream Corn and Chicken Chowder recipe is gluten-free when you use a gluten-free flour blend in the roux.   Potato flakes are also used to thicken the broth naturally.

For a Pescatarian version, please see the Fish and Seafood variation following this recipe.

CHEF TIP # 1: Always save the corncobs (after you have removed the niblets) to nestle them into the broth as you are simmering the soup – they add so much flavour to the chowder. (I usually keep a few corncobs on hand in my freezer for when I make chowder).

CHEF TIP # 2: Look for Waxy Potatoes such as New or Nugget Potatoes, Yukon Gold, or Red Skinned potatoes such as Chieftain or Red Bliss. A waxy potato is an important ingredient in this recipe because the diced potatoes hold their shape well when boiled due to being low in starch and high in moisture. A russet potato (high in starch) would break down too much.  They are best utilized in mashed potatoes.

CHEF TIP # 3: Dicing a chicken breast is a much easier task if the meat is partially frozen. Place the chicken breasts in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Slice lengthwise into 4-5 slices, then cut each of these slices into strips, and finally line up the strips and cut crosswise into dice. Season the diced chicken with salt and pepper before the par-cooking step in this chowder recipe.

Yield:  This recipe will feed 6 – 8 hungry people.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 rashers of bacon, diced into small pieces (to be reserved for garnish)
• 2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
• 1 lb. chicken breasts (about 3 small), diced into small pieces (See CHEF TIP above)
• 1 medium onion, cut into a small dice
• 2 stalks celery, cut into a small dice
• 2 carrots, cut into a small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 stems of fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 cup gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour
• 4 to 6 cups (1 to 1.5 L) chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Worcestershire sauce
• 2 potatoes (waxy variety), scrubbed and diced (see CHEF TIP above)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups fresh corn niblets cut from the 2 husked and washed cobs of corn (NOTE: Keep the corncobs for the broth – see CHEF TIP above)
• 1/2 cup finely diced sweet red pepper plus more for garnish
• 1 cup (250 ml) light cream (18%)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 1 – 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• ½ – 1 teaspoon freshly ground Pepper, or to taste
• ½ cup Instant Potato Flakes or as needed to thicken the broth

Garnish:    

• 2 tablespoons diced, sweet red pepper
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions or finely sliced chives
• Crispy bacon bits

METHOD:

1. In a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, over low to medium heat, place the diced bacon and cook until crispy. Reserve and set aside the bacon bits for garnish. Leave 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pot.
2. Add the diced chicken, seasoning well with some of the salt and pepper and cook until the chicken loses its pink colour but do not brown. (The chicken should be nearly cooked and will be added back into the chowder to finish cooking.) Remove the chicken to a bowl and set aside while you prepare the rest of the soup. Do not clean the pot.
3. In the same pot, melt the butter (or oil). Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and thyme. Season with some of the salt and pepper. Cook gently until the vegetables are softened (about 5 minutes).
4. Stir in the flour and cook out, stirring for one minute.
5. Gradually stir in the chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, diced potatoes, and the bay leaves. At this point, place the two saved corncobs deep into the broth.
6. Bring the chowder to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender but do not overcook (about 10 minutes).
7. Add the chicken back into the pot, the 2 cups of fresh corn niblets and 1/4 cup fine-diced red pepper into the soup. Simmer gently until the corn niblets are cooked (about 5 minutes).
8. Stir in the cream and the parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste. Remove the two bay leaves and the corncobs and discard them.
9. Serve the chowder in warm bowls garnished with crispy bacon bits, diced red pepper and finely sliced green onion or chives.

VARIATION:

FISH/SEAFOOD AND CORN CHOWDER

Use 1 lb. fresh fish (or a mix of fish and seafood). I typically use a mixture of cubed salmon and white fish (for example; cod, halibut, haddock) to equal 1 lb. plus 1/4 lb. small shrimp. Substitute fish broth for the chicken broth and omit the bacon.

You Might Also Like these Urb’n’Spice Recipes:

French Canadian Yellow Split Pea Soup – A Historical Perspective

Cream of Cabbage Soup with Crispy Bacon Bits and Petite Crunchy Croutons

Blenditarian Hamburger Soup

Cabbage Roll Soup

Cream of Fennel and Gruyere with Sherry

Tweaking – A Study in Flavour Amendment

Potato Scones (from the post “The Art of Doing Without”)

Lucky Irish Potato Buns

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my Urb’n’Spice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

• Cream
• Favourite Kitchen Tools – The Simple Spatula
• Gluten-Free Flours
• Tweaking
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  Fresh Peaches and Cream Corn and Chicken Chowder

 

If you try my recipe for Fresh Peaches and Cream Corn and Chicken Chowder, please leave me a comment below with your feedback. Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

 

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