Chicken Corn Chowder

This was so good, and hearty and filling; a great meal for winter.  It made quite a bit, too; enough for dinner for two nights and lunch for me for 2 days, as well.  It also is not that bad for you, if you go easy on the cheese and bacon toppings.  I would not skip those garnishes; they add a lot of flavor, color and interest to this soup. 

My little store was completely out of whole milk, and even 2%, when I was shopping for this, so I used a can of evaporated milk and then some almond milk and 1%, and it worked out very well.  For the chicken, I used the meat off of one store-bought rotisserie chicken.  I also made homemade broth from the leftover bones.

Chicken Corn Chowder
adapted from Buns in My Oven

6 ears of fresh corn, husked and silks removed (or 2 cups frozen corn and 1-15 ounce can cream corn)
6 slices bacon, chopped
8 scallions
3 medium potatoes (I left the peel on)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (I used homemade)
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
3 cups whole milk (I used a mix of evap milk, almond and 1%)
1 small can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles
2 cups roasted chicken, shredded (a Rotisserie chicken is great for this!)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Garnishes: shredded sharp cheddar, cooked bacon (set aside) and green onion tops (set aside)

1.  In a large stock pot, fry the bacon pieces until crisp. Remove from the pan, leaving the drippings, and set aside.  If there are more than about 2 tablespoons of drippings left, remove them from the pot and either discard or save for another use. 

2.  Peel and chop the potatoes into bite sized chunks. Slice the scallions very thin and separate the greens from the whites.

3.  Place the potatoes and white scallion pieces into the stock pot and cook over medium heat until the scallions have softened, 2 or 3 minutes.  Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.  Pour in the chicken stock, Old Bay, thyme, parsley, cayenne, salt, and pepper, stirring well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

4.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir and scrape the bottom every now and then, or the flour might stick.  Add milk, corn (if using fresh corn, cut from the cob with a sharp knife. Use the back of your knife to release the pulp from the cob), chicken, and green chiles. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.  Garnish servings with greens onion tops, bacon, and cheddar cheese.

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