Slow Cooker Chicken and Corn Chowder

Here we are on the last day of 2016 — I hope it’s been a happy year for you all!

So Meave and I returned home a few days ago from celebrating Christmas with her family in Baltimore. We both felt as if we’d caught a bit of a cold along the way and were trying to think of a good comfort food for dinner. She remembered a corn chowder that she used to get for lunch sometimes when she worked in midtown Manhattan. That sounded like an uplifting food option to both of us … and my parents had just given us a slow cooker for Christmas … so we decided to take a shot at a chicken-‘n’-corn chowder for our new slow cooker’s maiden voyage.

What we came up with is a slight adaptation of a recipe we found here at DamnDelicious.net. I want to share with you: This chowder was Super Good! I was a little apprehensive at a couple points along the way, but it ended up being delicious and smooth and warming. An excellent comfort food for a winter cold!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 12 ounces of potato, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 small-to-medium carrots, diced
  • 1 celery root (celeriac), diced
  • 2 cups corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (Let’s be honest: I used 4 cloves.)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of minced fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • Pinch of dried cayenne pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste*
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives (for garnishing)

*The “salt to taste” part is important. If your stock includes salt, you may not need to add much extra salt at the end. In my case, however, I added a good bit of salt just before serving.


Directions

1) Place chicken, potatoes, onion, carrots, celery root, and corn into a 5-qt or 6-qt slow cooker.

2) Stir in chicken broth, garlic, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper and bay leaf.

3) Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours. Stir in the half-and-half and the butter during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

4) The chowder is cooked when you can easily pierce the largest chunks of vegetable with a fork. When things reach that point, turn off the slow cooker and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, topped with chives, if desired.

1 thought on “Slow Cooker Chicken and Corn Chowder”

  1. Thank you for such a fabulous recipe!
    I love winter, and the food that comes with it. Happy Healthy New Year my friends. Peace & Love

    Reply

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