I have been making this soup for years; it was actually my first attempt at soup. Very easy, as most soups are, and delicious.
For years I made the recipe exactly as my cookbook indicated, but recently I tried spicing it up a little bit. This is how am making it now.
Spiced up Chicken Corn Chowder
1 -1 1/4 lb. bone-in chicken breast
2 cups water
1 rib celery, cut up
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. salt
milk
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup diced red pepper
2 tbsp. flour
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
1 (17 ounce) can cream-style corn
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp.cumin
snipped chives or parsley
Directions:
Combine chicken, water, celery, bay leaf and salt in 3 quart saucepan. Bring top boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove chicken from broth; cool, discard bones. Dice chicken; set aside. Strain broth; add enough milk to make 3 cups; set aside. Melt margarine in 3 quart saucepan; saute onion and red pepper until soft but not brown. Blend in flour; gradually stir in milk mixture. Add potatoes; simmer until tender (15-20 minutes). Stir in chicken, corn, salt,pepper, and cumin; heat through. Garnish with chives.
Amount: 6-7 cups
The original recipe called for celery in place of red pepper. I use red pepper in other soup recipes and although I am not a pepper fan in general, I really like the flavor it gives a soup. It also didn’t call for cumin; another ingredient I love in other soups. I might throw in a few red pepper flakes too.