Chicken Chowder

Mr. Beam doesn't like soup, unless he's sick and needs chicken soup or the rare occasion we have grilled cheese and tomato soup.
I have a problem with this because love making and eating soups. My solution? I call soups chowder and make it a bit thicker. I might get a little complaining (just that one time I made cauliflower chowder, but that recipe didn't work out the way it should have).

On the menu today we have a Chicken Chowder.

I love prepping my recipes. I just put some music on and get everything ready to go in their separate bowls or plates. I mince my garlic and shallots, cube my chicken and potatoes, chop my carrots and celery,  prep my corn and mix together or thaw my chicken broth.

I didn't have any homemade chicken stock, so I used my trusty fall back. I love Better Than Bouillon and have both their Organic chicken base and Organic beef base in my fridge at all times (Costco sells them in the big jars!). They are life savers in a pinch and can even give your homemade stock a little boost if needed.

I put my cast iron pot on medium and spooned some bacon fat into it. You can use your favorite oil or butter, but I always have a cup of bacon fat on the stove for things like this. Waste not want not, and it adds more flavor and makes the kitchen smell even better.

The potatoes! If you look closely you'll see they are not all uniformed. I like cutting to various sizes for a chowder. The smaller potatoes will breakdown and help thicken the broth, while the bigger ones will keep most of their shape for eating.

When the pan is hot enough, throw in the shallots and garlic, let them get nice and soft  before adding in the chicken.

I keep this cooking until the chicken is cooked all the way through, but you don't have to, I just like doing a taste test before the next steps.

I add in the potatoes, carrots, celery, and corn, tossing it all together. Then I add the stock, filling it to within an inch of the top of the pot. I add in my spices, salt, pepper, celery seed, and coriander. I'll also add some garlic and/or onion powder if it needs it. Then we wait, and let it cook down.

Until it's thick and looked like this. Adjust any last minute spices and serve. I like mine with a slice of gluten free toast, buttered, on the side.

I make so much of this that I should have leftovers but I hardly ever do. Mr. Beam gobbles up 2 or 3 servings in no time...now if only I can get him to like soup, the dinner possibility would grow into even more delicious things.