Comfort Food - Chowder

We are starting to experience full on Fall weather now and there is nothing more enjoyable than eating warm yummy comfort food on rainy cloudy days. I’m a Fall person; rainy and cloudy weather give me energy and happiness and I love to use all of that energy to make “hibernating” food. We are going to focus on comfort food recipes for the next few weeks. We’ll share with you some of our favourite comfort foods and how to make them.

First up...chowder. This is not your typical clam/seafood chowder which is not everyone’s cup of tea, this is a potato chicken chowder with cheese! It’s almost like that comforting bowl of chicken soup, but thicker and heartier. I love eating this soup. You can have it as a standalone meal with some crackers sprinkled on top or some warm buttered bread, or you can have it in addition to a nice heartier Fall meal. It’s super easy to make. So here we go... 

In order to make this chowder, you will need the following:

¼ cup of butter, I use margarine

1 red onion

3 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 tsp. of dried thyme

¼ cup of flour

3 cups of chicken broth

2 cups of milk

3 Russett potatoes, peeled and cubed

2-3 chicken breasts chopped up in bite sized pieces (I cook mine in the oven on a tin foiled lined cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 30minutes. I rub them with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper them for seasoning)

1 ½ cups of grated cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

I tend to make a big pot of this soup so I usually do a doubled recipe and then you can freeze some as well and pull it out for a quick meal. I also grate a little extra cheese to sprinkle on the top.

You will need to put a large pot or stock pot on medium heat. Melt the butter and then add the carrots, celery, and onion and stir while cooking. Once they are softer, stir in the thyme.

Next whisk in the flour until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and the milk. Whisk constantly until thickened. Depending on the milk fat in your milk, it may take a bit longer to thicken up. Stir in the potatoes. 

Once the potatoes have been added, bring the chowder to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft. This can take about 15 minutes or more. 

When your potatoes are soft, then you can stir in the chicken and the cheese. Stir until smooth. Add the salt and pepper. If the chowder seems way too thick, you can add some more milk, but not too much because you still want it to be thick like a traditional chowder.

Serve immediately.