This Farmhouse Chicken Chowder recipe developed by America’s Test Kitchen is the perfect comfort food for a cold day. The homemade chicken broth (scroll down for the recipe) is key to this recipe. In making it, you also create the gently poached, shredded white meat for the chowder recipe. Yukon Golds absorb the broth’s rich flavors, and flour thickens the chicken chowder without making it pasty. Finishing it off with cream gives it richness, and topping it with crispy bacon is the perfect finish.

FARMHOUSE CHICKEN CHOWDER RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

    • chopped medium

    • Salt and ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. The first step in creating this delicious Farmhouse Chicken Chowder is to cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp and rendered, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer half of bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
  2. Add the onion to the bacon left in the pot and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Gradually whisk in the broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in the potatoes and carrot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until the vegetables are nearly tender about 10 minutes. Stir in the poblano chile and corn and continue to simmer gently until all of the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
  4. Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer. Stir in the shredded chicken and let it heat through about 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the cilantro, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle individual portions with the reserved bacon before serving.

SIMPLE CHICKEN BROTH RECIPE

Makes about 8 cups broth with 2 cups shredded meat

INGREDIENTS

  •  

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cut the chicken into 7 pieces (2 split breasts, 2 legs, 2 wings, and a backbone). Set the split breasts aside, then hack the remaining chicken into 2-inch pieces with a meat cleaver.
  2. Heat the oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken breasts and brown lightly, about 5 minutes, then transfer to a plate and set aside.
  3. Add half of the chicken pieces and brown lightly, about 5 minutes; transfer the chicken pieces to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces; transfer to the bowl.
  4. Add the onion to the fat left in the pot and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Return the chicken pieces (not the breasts) to the pot, along with any accumulated juice, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally until the chicken has released its juice, about 20 minutes.
  5. Add the reserved chicken breasts, water, salt, and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook, skimming as needed, until the chicken breasts register 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes.
  6. Remove the chicken breasts from the pot, let cool slightly, then remove and discard the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer, then defat the broth.

(The broth and the chicken can be refrigerated separately in airtight containers; the broth can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month and the chicken can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

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