Bisque Archives - Poor Man's Gourmet Kitchen

Beyond Chicken Corn Chowder

White bowl, on a Butcher Block counter top, full of Chicken Corn Chowder.

The Best Corn Chowder has Chicken

I can’t say enough about this recipe. Plus, I love practically anything “Chowder” so, it’s safe to say, being the author and all, that I might be a little bias. A Chowder is defined as a soup made with milk and/or cream, also a roux for thickening and the addition of seafood or vegetables or both. There are two other common ingredients, however, found in most Chowders; chopped onion and potatoes.

There are many different recipes out there, in this great abyss we call the web. Clam Chowder has always been one of my favorites and I like to make mine with bacon. There is of course other Seafood recipes, similar to this one, that add chunks of fish or shrimp and, of course, simple potato or corn chowder recipes.

For this particular chowder, I decided to step it up and make it chunky; like a stew. That’s why I’m calling it, “Beyond” Chicken Corn Chowder. I combined Chicken Chowder with Corn Chowder and I threw in a few more vegetables. In fact, the beautiful thing about this recipe, is it is interchangeable. It can be made with just the vegetables or the addition of Seafood, instead of Chicken.

If you want to make a vegetable chowder, just leave the chicken out and use a vegetable broth instead. If you want a Clam chowder, exchange the chicken broth for Clam juice and add chopped Clams instead. The same goes for seafood… shrimp or fish. Just swap the broth and the meat and your chowder flavor will follow.

Bulk of the Ingredients for Chicken Corn Chowder; A bag of Frozen Peas & Carrots, Corn, 2 bowls of Chopped Onion and Potatoes and a package of 5 Boneless Skinless chicken thighs.

Green Diamond Skillet with 5 seasoned and fully cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken thighs.

Large pot on the stove top full of the starting makes of a chicken corn chowder; chopped onion, butter seasoned potatoes.

One full ladle serving, over the soup pot, of chicken corn chowder.

One spoonful of chicken corn chowder, taken from a white bowl with a full serving of soup, on the counter.

Chicken Corn Chowder Ingredients: 8 to 10 servings

4 tbsp Butter
2 Russet Potatoes, cut into 1/2″ inch pieces
1 Onion, diced
1 cup peas, frozen bag
1 cup Carrot, frozen bag
1 cup Corn, frozen bag
1/3 cup Flour, all purpose
1 cup White Wine, sweet (I used homemade Roscatto)
1 qt Chicken Broth
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 lbs Chicken, 1″ inch cut portions
1 tsp Italian Seasoning or Parsley, dried
1/2 tsp Blackened Seasoning
1/4 tsp White Pepper

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Season Boneless Chicken Thighs with Kosher Salt and Pepper
and Blackened Seasoning. Could also use a dash of Cayenne
for spicier taste buds.

This Chowder is EXCELLENT for any recipe;
Clams, Chicken, fish and seafood or plain Corn Chowder.

Start the cooking in a large pot by adding the butter first, then the garlic, onion, carrot, corn and peas, then flour, wine and broth. Bring it to a boil, then add the potato(Tater Tots) and whipping cream. Stir until thickened and reduce heat to a
simmer. Add the Cod and season with dried Parsley, Kosher Salt and Pepper, Blackened Seasoning and white pepper.

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I’ll demonstrate exactly how to make this Chicken Corn Chowder.

Lobster Bisque with Langostino Lobster Tails

The Lobster Bisque Challenge!

Lobster Bisque isn’t over rated, but it is often over cooked. You’ll find that most recipes use a ton of cream to define their soup recipe as a “bisque”, then hours of waiting time to reduce. Is all of this really necessary? I say Nay-nay! I’ll prove it to you in this recipe I’ve developed that not only cuts your cooking time in half but knocks out 2/3 of the fat content because you don’t really need that much cream. Even Bobby Flay’s Lobster Bisque recipe has 6 cups of Heavy Cream in it. Crazy! I use only 2 and I promise you it’s just as good and if not, even better.

In this Lobster Bisque Recipe I’m going to be using Langostino Lobster. I honestly prefer Squat Lobster if you have it available. The benefits of each are the same but there are some differences. First, the price is incredibly reasonable. I bought 3 pounds of solid meat, not shell, for just 20 bucks! The difference in my opinion is a sweeter, softer lobster tail meat when you are using Squat Lobster to make Lobster Bisque. Don’t ask me why, it’s just that way. Regardless of the reasons, they’re both very affordable and they both make a very impressive Lobster Bisque come to life.

Lobster Bisque Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 tsp Tomato Bouillon
6 Roma Tomatoes
2 Celery Stalks
1 Carrot
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp Chopped Ginger
3 Parsley Sprigs
3 Large Basil Leaves
3/4 cup Red Wine (sweet)

1 Onion
2 Tbsp Butter
1/3 cup Corn Starch
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 lbs Langostino Lobster tails

Set the water and bouillon on medium heat on the stove. Combine all the vegetables except for the onion in a food processor or blender and puree. Then add mixture to the Tomato Stalk. Chop onion and sauté until Caramelized, and then add the Corn Starch and Cream. When the Cream thickens like a country gravy, add the seasoning and add all the onions and cream to the soup. Chop half of the Langostino Lobster tails into small pieces and add to the Bisque. Stir frequently and wait to reduce; 20 to 25 minutes. It will burn the bottom if you’re not stirring! Once it has reduced to your desired consistency, add remaining Lobster tails and serve. If you are using large lobsters for this Lobster Bisque Recipe, all directions still apply, only adding the meat in increments isn’t necessary.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

My Cream of Broccoli Secret!

Cream of Broccoli Soup doesn’t get any better than putting it in a toasted Bread Bowl, does it? It’s not a necessity but it sure does boost the look and comfort of eating soup with bread. For this Cream of Broccoli Soup recipe, I decided to dig deep and give you the best of the best with combinations of 5 star rating recipes. So I know for a fact that this soup will strike a new chord for you and bless you with a terrific way to make Cream of Broccoli Soup in the future.

My top 3 favorite soups start out sautéing onions. At least the way I do it. It seems to bring out more of a rich flavor in the soup when it’s done that way. In my Cream of Broccoli recipe, I sauté the onions until they almost caramelize. A little bit of sugar helps to speed that process up so it doesn’t take so long just caramelizing onions. Also, I like my cream of Broccoli to be a little more on the chunky side, so I don’t puree the broccoli. Of course that’s a personal preference, but I find that picking a happy medium allows the soup to consume the flavor of the smaller ground pieces, giving it that sweet broccoli flavor, and the larger pieces that throw in that meaty effect, giving the best of both worlds. Who could ask for anything more? Toyota probably!

Cream of Broccoli Soup Ingredients:

1 qt Chicken Stock or Broth
4 Broccoli Stalk Heads
1 Celery stalk (optional)
1 carrot (optional)
1 Onion
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp sugar
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tsp ground pepper
4 Bread Soup Bowls

Bring Chicken stock or bouillon seasoned water to a boil. Cut all the vegetables and combine the Broccoli, Celery and Carrot in a Food Processor and blend to desired consistency, pureed or chunky, then add to stock and reduce heat to medium. Saute chopped onion in butter, add sugar and cook until it’s golden brown and caramelized. Add Flour, stir, then add the cream and stir again until it thickens and turns almost pasty. Then add the creamy onions to the stock. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the pepper.

The Bread Bowl should be toasted but they don’t have to be. I usually throw them in the oven under a high broil and watch them carefully. This allows the bread to have a toasted crispy exterior yet a soft fluffy interior, and it’s the way I like it. Pull from the oven and fill with soup. I like to top my Cream of Broccoli with a mild cheddar cheese before I serve.