How to Cook Chicken Chowder
Serve: 6-8
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 3 hours
Ingredients needed to make Chicken Chowder:
- 1 whole chicken, weighing around 3 lb
- 8 oz bacons, finely chopped
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels
- 2 celery stalks, halved
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 ½ lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into bite-sized chunks
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- Handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 8 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked from 4 of it and finely chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp olive oil
Cooking instructions for Chicken Chowder:
- Place the whole chicken at centre of a Dutch oven and scatter the halved celery stalks as well as onions, 4 whole thyme sprigs, peppercorns and bay leaves around it.
- Pour in 3 quarts of water, so that the chicken remains immersed within it and cook the mixture over high heat until it begins to boil.
- Lower the heat to let it simmer gently and place a lid on top.
- Continue to cook likewise for an hour or until the chicken is cooked enough to separate from the bone.
- Lift it out carefully from the Dutch oven, onto a plate and keep it aside until cool enough t handle.
- Pull the meat from the bone into fine shreds and place them in a bowl.
- Toss the bones back into the simmering stock and cook it further for another hour.
- Meanwhile, soak the shredded chicken in a ladle of the stock and leave it in the fridge until it is time to serve.
- Tip the stock into a fine mesh sieve to strain it out into a bowl and allow it to stand for about 15 minutes or until the fat accumulates on its surface.
- Skim it off and measure; it should measure up to 6 cups.
- In case it is less than the desired amount, pour it back to the pan and continue to simmer until it reduces to 6 cups or thin it up with water if it measures less.
- Add a lashing of oil in a clean stockpot and throw in the bacons.
- Fry them over moderate heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until it turns crispy golden and the fat melts.
- Drain it out into a plate, lined with kitchen paper and set aside.
- Toss the chopped veggies into the stockpot, along with a dash of salt and sauté them for about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they turn tender.
- Sprinkle the flour into it and stir them all together before cooking it for a minute or until it turns pale golden in colour.
- Throw in the potatoes and add a dash of seasonings.
- Give it a good stir to mix well and simmer it for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just cooked.
- Stir in the chopped herb as well as the corn and continue to cook for 3 more minutes, or until the corn soften.
- Scatter the bacon and shredded chicken on top and pour in the cream.
- Stir them all together until well combined and cook for a couple of minutes or until heated through.
- Adjust the seasonings and ladle it into soup bowls.
- Top each serving with chopped parsley and serve hot.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
