Chicken Chowder

Farmhouse Chicken Chowder

Please do yourself a favor and make this soup.  I'm not kidding.  It's so yummy.  And it's easy, which means bonus points in my book.

Lucinda Scala Quinn, one of my favorite TV cooks, who's show is "Mad Hungry", makes this.  I ripped it off, plain and simple.  So, credit her when you taste this simply delicious delight.

She calls it Farmhouse Chicken Chowder.  I call it yum.

It's so simple I'm pretty sure my 12-year old could do it. Oh!  And it's economical, too.

First, you take two chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on and put it in a good sized pot with 6 cups of chicken stock.  I use low sodium.  I also happened to use 7 cups stock.  It so happened that's what 4 cans of the stock I bought (on sale) turned out to be.  Big deal.  It's one more cup.

Simmer the chicken, bone on, skin on in chicken stock.  

So, you simmer the chicken in the chicken stock for 20 minutes.  Take out the chicken and let it rest and cool off.  DON'T PITCH THE STOCK.

Parsnips, onion, turnip and carrot.  Yummy.

Meanwhile, chop up a carrot (I used two because they were teeny), a parsnip (I used two because I like parsnips), one turnip and 1/2 of an onion.

Now, before this recipe, I'd never cooked with turnip and parsnip.  I like turnip, but I now LOVE parsnip.  Yum.  Like a carrot, but white.  Oh, and did I mention these veggies cost pennies?

Except for the onions, I cut my veggies into little 1/2 inch cubes, but whatever.

In a pan over medium heat, melt 2 TBSP of butter and stir in the chopped onion.  Let those onions get good and transparent, but not brown.

Add 2 TBSP flour.

Lucinda recommends Wondra and what a wonder it is.  I don't know what rock I've been living under, what with never having eaten turnips and parsnips before, but I'd never heard of Wondra flour.  Now I do.  Now I love it.

Wondra.  What a wonder.  Ha!  So punny.

Add the onion and flour mixture and the other veggies and simmer for about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, take the skin off the chicken and the chicken off the bone.  Shred or cube the chicken.

shred it

Add it back into the broth and get it warm again.  Add salt to taste.  And then stir in 1/4 cup of heavy cream.

I've done this with just milk (2%) and it's just fine.  Half and half?.  It's fine.  I even think leaving out the milk/cream is just fine.  But man, is it delicious with it.

Pour that goodness into a bowl and top with a little dill.  I didn't because the dill I had in the fridge looked icky and black and I was sure it was grotty.  And it was delicious without the dill.

(Pete says he likes it better without dill - just an FYI).

I served it this time with some outstanding homemade bread Pete had just made.  (different post down the road).  But I've also made it with these cheesy biscuits Lucinda makes too.  They are so good. But I gotta keep some pounds off, so not this time.  Next time.

Let me know what you think.  I think you (and your family) will love it.  Soooooooooooo good.


RECIPE
Farmhouse Chicken Chowder (by Lucinda Scala Quinn)
2 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on
6 C low sodium chicken stock
1/2 onion chopped
1 small turnip, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 or 2 parsnips, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large carrot, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp flour (Wondra is best)
2 tbsp butter
salt to taste
1/4 C heavy cream
Chopped dill to garnish (optional)

Simmer chicken breasts in stock for 20 minutes.  Remove breasts to a plate to cool.  Leave stock in pot.

Melt butter in pan on medium heat.  Add onions and cook until translucent.  Add flour.  Pour flour/onion mixture into stock.

Add other cut veggies into stock and simmer for about 6 minutes, until tender.   Meanwhile, shred chicken and discard skin and bones.  Add chicken back into stock.  Salt to taste.

Stir cream into soup and serve with a garnish of dill (if desired).

Enjoy!!