Recipe #31: Bacon Chicken Corn Chowder

Source:  Pinterest via www.bunsinmyoven.com

Ingredients:

6 ears of fresh corn, husked and silks removed (or 1-30 ounce can of corn and 1-15 ounce can of cream corn)
6 slices bacon, chopped
8 scallions
3 medium potatoes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 small can chopped Green chiles
2 cups roasted chicken, shredded (a Rotisserie chicken from the deli works great for this!)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Handful of grated cheddar cheese, for garnish

Instructions

In a large stock pot, fry the bacon pieces until crisp. Remove from the pan, leaving the drippings, and set aside.
Peel and chop the potatoes into bite sized chunks. Slice the scallions very think and separate the greens from the whites.
Place the potatoes and white scallion pieces in 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 minutes.
Pour in the milk, chicken stock, Old Bay, thyme, parsley, cayenne, salt and pepper, stirring well.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add 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.) Add chicken and green chiles. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with scallion greens, bacon and cheddar cheese.

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Variations:

I didn't have green onion, so I just used some finely chopped white onion.
We also don't have Old Bay seasoning - due to a period of time when my husband was convinced he was allergic, which he is not - so I used Cajun seasoning.

Folks - we have a winner!  This is our new favorite!  It appears that we are a soup kind of family, I guess.

Here is a picture of how much cheese and bacon I consider to be garnish.  I might have a cheese problem.

This soup has a bit of a kick to it, probably due to the Cajun seasoning.  But it's quite good and filling.  I look forward to many bowls of this soup on cold wintery evenings!

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Ratings
Special Ingredients Needed:  Maybe Old Bay or Cajun seasoning?  And I don't usually have green onions on hand.
Ease of preparation:  Easy. It didn't take very long to prepare either.
Taste:  Delicious!  Everyone loved this in my house.
Overall:  A strong 10 out of 10.