Chicken Corn Chowder

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a soup and salad lunch at some friends house. The host served corn chicken chowder. It was delicious. She told me she had found the recipe on The Food Network, under Paula Deen and had added chicken to it. Paula Deen calls it Chef Jack's Corn Chowder. I made some changes and below is what I came up with. If you wanted to make this a vegetarian dish, just omit the chicken. This soup is creamy and oh so perfect on these cold winter nights. Both my boys ate it, without the broth part of the soup. They make way too much of a mess with the liquid part of soup, so I just give them the meat of the soup. I made this last night and served it with bread.

Chicken Corn Chowder
adapted from Paula Deen's Chef Jack's Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
6 TBSP butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cans corn (I used bi color white and yellow)
1 1/2-2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (I used 3 chicken breasts.)
3 cups chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk (12oz)
Pinch nutmeg
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook until the roux is lightly browned; set aside to cool to room temperature. I poured the mixture into a glass bowl so it would cool faster. Then used the unwashed pot for the next step.

While roux is cooling, combine the corn, chicken, and chicken broth in saucepan, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour roux into the corn and chicken mixture(a little at a time), whisking briskly so it doesn't lump. Return the pot to the heat and bring to a boil. The mixture should become very thick.

Stir evaporated milk into the thick corn mixture. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. Return to boil and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with homemade french bread.

melt butter in pot.

Dice onion, celery, and carrot.

cook and cube chicken

Melt butter, and cook celery, carrot, garlic, and onion in butter for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup flour and simmer until roux is browned.

Simmer broth, chicken, and corn for 10 minutes, then add roux to this mixture, whisking briskly to prevent lumping. Add 1 can evaporated milk return to a boil and simmer 5 more minutes and serve with warm bread.