Cheesy Chicken Corn Chowder (skinny), without cream, but does not sacrifice the taste or flavor. It’s sooo…good, but without the guilts! My family loved this so much I had to make it twice this week!
So… what did you guys do for Valentine’s Day?
What did you get?
What did you give?
What did you cook?
What did you eat?
Anything good to report?
Oh, you want to keep it private?
That’s okay, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.
I myself have nothing exciting to share.
Once you have kids, Valentine’s Day is just another day.
Except with flowers and chocolate.
And heart donuts.
Courtesy of the hubs.
Or more accurately, courtesy of Dunkin Donuts.
Oh, and I got new earbuds, too.
Courtesy of the hubs.
Or more accurately, courtesy of Apple.
My old ones broke.
I think I’m the only person in the world who manages to break her earbuds.
How? I think I’d like to keep it private.
Just so I won’t reveal how careless I can be.
Anyway, in return for his gifts, I made the hubs this soup.
Actually, the soup was more for me.
I’m more of a soup person than he.
So, I guess I didn’t exactly give him any present.
Except for the Blood Orange Tart, which he looked at.
And looked at some more.
And then he ended up only taking a bite of the crust.
He claimed he was giving up sugar for Lent.
I should have known.
As much as I’m drawn to the unusual, my husband is a regular Joe Blow.
Give him orange oranges, and he’ll eat them.
Give him blood oranges, and he’ll just look at them.
That’s the story of the husband and the tart.
So, I guess I really didn’t give him anything in return.
But it’s not my fault.
I told him I didn’t want anything.
But he said he wasn’t buying it.
He said when I said no, no, no…
I really meant yes, yes, yes…
Uhm… not really, I said, in my most patronizing voice.
No means no.
But was he even listening?
Of course not.
The flowers and chocolate are an annual thing, whether I want them or not.
And I responded in kind.
Whether or not he wanted the soup,
He was getting it.
It was soup weather, anyway.
It was horrendously cold, and snowy, and rainy…
And snowy, and rainy…
So, soup’s on!
- 4 bacon strips, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
- 2 large potatoes, cut into cubes (or 2 cups chopped cauliflower)
- 3 cups skim milk
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules (or salt)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley leaves
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (use more or less as per your preference and how skinny you want to make the soup.)
- Chopped green onions for garnish
- In a soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- In the same pot, using the drippings (or you can drain the pot completely and replace the drippings with 1 tablespoon olive oil/butter), sauté onion and garlic, on low heat, until completely soft and golden brown, scraping the pot often. Don't rush this part; you're building up flavor.
- Add chicken, celery, and carrot and cook until vegetables are tender.
- Stir in flour and blend. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
- Add the potatoes, corn, dried herbs, bouillon/salt and pepper. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. If you're using cauliflower, add it during the last 5 minutes.
- Add milk and continue to simmer just until heated. It's important that once the milk is added that you don't bring the soup into a rolling boil or it might curdle.
- Add cheese before serving and stir until it melts. Sprinkle bacon and green onions on top.
The chowder looks really awesome Angie! Amazing it is so thick and creamy wiht just milk!
The flour gives it some thickness, as does the cheese, but it’s actually not as thick as my regular chowder. You can smash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot during cooking to make the soup thicker. This was very good considering it was low fat 🙂
That’s exactly what I like to do with chowders but right in the bowl! Looks delicious.
🙂
That was a really humorous post, Angie…. I enjoyed reading about your Valentine’s day gifts 🙂 The cheesy chicken corn chowder looks great.
Thanks, Ahila! I’m so glad you like the post and the soup 🙂
I have wrecked a few sets of ear buds lately too! It was sweet of your hubs to know you needed them. The chowder looks lovely!
Did you get yours all tangled up in your purse, too? And accidentally leave them dangling so you almost tripped on them and eventually just stepping on them? Accidentally, of course! 🙂
Yes, I think getting them tangled up in purses and backpacks and snagging them on things does mine in.
LOL! I got flowers and we made steak and lobster for dinner. Believe it or not we spent a couple of hours cleaning the house. That was a great present since it usually takes me two days to do myself. Your soup looks delicious! I love all of the colorful goodies in it.
Yumm! I think my husband would have preferred your dinner. Heck, I would have preferred you dinner, lol! That was so nice of your husband to help you clean. That’s the best gift ever!! Next year I’ll definitely ask for that! ??
Angie,
Your chowder looks absolutely scrumptious! With the cold weather, I will be making it soon and skinny means I can have have loads of it!
I am laughing reading about your husband and the blood oranges because I have a husband who likes the ‘ usual/regular food’ as he calls it and I like anything but ‘regular’:)
Thanks, Sandhya! Let me know how you like it. Of course you can always add cream and more cheese and butter to make it even richer and creamier, but like you said then you’ll have to limit yourself 🙂 What’s up with these husbands, huh? They need to step it up! Lol!
LOL:)
Angie, lovely soup, even if its boiling hot here right now, I still will be making this now for an early supper tonight. Re Valentines gifts, look in on http://www.anyone4curryandotherthings.com 🙂 🙂 he loved it so much, I had to make it again since then.
Thanks! Let me know how you make out, please. I did check out your recipe and I’m not surprised your husband loved it so much; it sounds so delicious! ?
Angi that soup looks incredible! I can taste it right through the screen 🙂 🙂 Send me a bowl!
No way, two bowls for you!! ??
Yea!! Thanks Angie! I’ll take those two bowls!! ???
I think this soup is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift considering the crazy cold weather we’ve been having! Your husband should be so lucky haha :p
You tell him, Justine! I would love it if someone made me the soup ? I’m sure he appreciates my cooking even if he doesn’t always show it ?
You write so well Angie 🙂 The chowder looks great!
Haha…I’m sure you’re joking, but thanks all the same! ?? You ought to join our fiesta!
Hehehe! You guys are so cute 😀 That chowder looks scrumptious, perfect for the cold days here 🙂 Cheers & happy FF!!
Oh, I’m sure we’re hilarious, in the most weird way, haha…
Who knew Dunkin Donuts made heart donuts! Anyway, this chowder looks amazing. I love all the rich flavors! I didn’t do anything Valentine’s Day-ish at all this year, but I went to a free concert on a beach so that was nice. 🙂
They make them only on Valentine’s Day, I think. That’s nice that you got to see a free concert 🙂
loving this chunky, comforting soup. I buy celery for the purpose of making soup but then misses 8 and 10 scoff the lot!
I applaud them for trying to eat healthy, lol!
I thought I had dropped you a line here, but clearly my all-singing-all-dancing new phone is a bit too all-singing-all-dancing for me … must get a Young Person to show me how to operate it! Beautiful soup, Angie, it looks so mouthwateringly comforting – thanks for posting!
New toy for you?! Exciting! Mine is so old it no longer sings, let alone dances ?
A creamy soup without the cream?? Yes, please! Delicious!
I’ve been substituting the cream in many of my recipes with milk, first whole milk, then 2 percent, then skim, heck at this rate I might as well use water, haha…but then can you still call it creamy?! ??
Absolutely! If you’re the chef, you can call it whatever you want!
In that case, I’m calling my next recipe curry even though it has no curry powder ?
😀 I saw… it doesn’t, yet your did! Bravo!