Tag: clam chowder

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.

Clam Chowder with Bacon

Clam ChowderClam Chowder Anytime!

Bacon Clam Chowder just makes sense, doesn’t it?  I know this soup is most appreciated in the colder months of the year, but I just couldn’t resist.  Personally I could have it prepared like this anytime and still love it.  Also, there’s just something about putting a hot chili or creamy soup in a large toasted bread bowl that just screams, “Let’s Eat”!  So if you’ve got this on the menu when I sit down to eat, you know what I’m ordering.

This Clam Chowder, in my opinion, is much more flavorful than standard recipes.  The three most important ingredients in this soup that really make it pop are the onions, the clam juice and of course our beloved, Bacon.  These ingredients make the Clam Chowder unmistakably delicious.  It’s true, the only other vegetable I add are chopped Russet Potatoes, but I find the extra addition of Celery and Carrots aren’t necessary, in order to bring the full color and flavor of this recipe about.  Though you are more than welcome to add them if you’d like, it really doesn’t matter.  It’s just a personal preference, that’s all.  I think you could even get away with adding corn if you wanted to.

Clam Chowder Ingredients:

4 strips of bacon sliced into 1/4 pieces
1/2 Chopped Onion
1 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Butter (Salted or Unsalted)
2 tbsp White Wine (Cooking Wine or Red Wine is fine)
1/2 cup Flour
2 cans of minced clams with juice
1 qt Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Chopped Russet Potatoes (or your favorite)
1 tbsp Black Pepper
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley

Absolutely Babysit this soup.  It’s very temperamental, in my opinion.  On Medium High heat, cook your bacon and onions.  Season with a shake of black pepper and add the sugar to help caramelizing the onions.  Then add the butter and Cooking Wine.  Once that has melted, stir in the flour and almost immediately add the clams.  The cream will follow shortly after, a half cup at a time to start, then bring to a light boil, stir and add another half cup. Once half of the quart of cream has been added, you can add the rest all at once.  Stir really well, then taste it for seasoning, then add the pepper and your taste for salt.  Now the potatoes can go in and you can reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring frequently.  It’s very important to keep from burning the bottom.  Using a thicker pan will help this tremendously.  Once the potatoes are cooked, 10 to 15 minutes, add the parsley and serve your Clam Chowder in a bowl, cup or toasted bread bowl.

Steamed Clams

Steamed ClamsSteamed Clams are GrrrrrrEAT!

For me, Steamed Clams have turned into a fun and exciting dish to snack on.  It really has that jaw dropping ooh and awe effect on people who really appreciate a whole plate of them when they hit the table.  These are Little-Neck Clams and for me, they have a very impressive and distinct taste.  Not to mention they are fun to cook.  Steamed Clams are an excellent appetizer, even if the dinner guests don’t particularly care for shellfish or seafood.  Can you guess why?  Take a look at this picture below.  It’s impressive, right?  Of course right.  So whether or not you get the credit you deserve for making such a scrumptious and tasty treat, at least you’ll get points for being eccentric.  This particular recipe couldn’t be any easier either.  All you need is 10 minutes and a few ingredients and you are off and running.

If you’re worried about the sand in Clam Shells and how to get rid of the Grittiness, there are several things you can do.  First off, the Clams I used in this video were Farm raised.  So if you are using these, you don’t really have to worry about the sand because they’re always cleaned out before they are shipped off.  Secondly, if you haven’t watched the video yet you’ll see that these Little-Neck Clams are rinsed and washed off before they are Steamed.  So consider that before you ponder your options.  If they are wild clams, just give them a soak in cold water for approximately 20 minutes.  I do the same thing with Crawfish only I cover them with salt so that they can purge.  Both clams and Crawfish spit out the muddy sand they’ve ingested as part of their daily diet.  You can also give them a real quick rinse after they’ve been steamed.  This helps to cut down on the Grittiness, if there is any.   And if you’re worried about it in the leftover Clam juice I turn into a Clam Salsa in this recipe, you can cheese cloth and strain the juice just before adding the other ingredients.

Steamed Clams Ingredients:

1 inch water in your pot
2 tbsp butter
1 Chopped Garlic Clove
2 Chopped Green Onion (scallions)
Black Pepper to taste and Paprika, Cayenne or Chili Flakes
Topped with a Sprinkle of some freshly chopped Parsley