comfort essentials: shrimp & chicken chowder
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Chowders and soups are awesome on those cold Winter nights when you want to warm up. But they are also awesome on any day of the year; hot or cold. This recipe combines shrimp, chicken, and other yummy stuff into an amazing chowder, and let us not forget bacon… I mean really, how can we forget the bacon??? I pulled an all-nighter to get this right, but it was worth it. So, you ready… let’s get into the kitchen.
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yield
serving(s)
prep time
15 Min
cook time
1 Hr 20 Min
method
Stove Top
Ingredients For comfort essentials: shrimp & chicken chowder
- PLAN/PURCHASE
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2 mdchicken breasts boneless, skinless, diced
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15 - 20 smshrimp, shells and tails removed, deveined
- THE CHOWDER BASE
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3 - 4 slicethick cut bacon, diced
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1/4 cyellow onion, chopped
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1/4 ccelery, chopped
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2 clovegarlic, minced
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4 ozgreen chilis, 1 small can, mild or hot, your choice
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2 Tbspflour, all-purpose variety
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2 cmilk or half & half
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1 cchicken stock, not broth
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12 ozpotatoes, golden variety, cubed
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6 ozcream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
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4 ozcheddar cheese, freshly grated
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1 tsphot sauce, i prefer frank’s
- DRY SPICES
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1/2 tspdried thyme
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1/2 tspsalt, kosher variety, or to taste
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1/2 tspwhite pepper, freshly ground
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1/4 tspcayenne pepper, or to taste
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2 mdbay leaves, dried variety
- ADDITIONAL ITEMS
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1 - 2 dashlemon juice, freshly squeezed, or to taste
- OPTIONAL ITEMS
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1 Tbspdry sherry
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1/2 ccorn kernels, fresh or frozen
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oyster crackers, or crusty bread
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hot sauce, at the table
How To Make comfort essentials: shrimp & chicken chowder
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1PREP/PREPARE
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2OPTIONAL ITEMS NOTES Dry Sherry It is a wonderful addition to things like chowders. While the lemon juice brightens the dish; the sherry adds a subtle mellow note. Corn Corn is a nice addition to this chowder. It adds a sweet/savory enhancement to the overall flavor.
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3In my final photo, I garnish the chowder with the shrimp and bacon; however, if you want you could fold the shrimp into the pot before serving, and sprinkle with the reserved bacon. I just thought it looked nice with the shrimp on top. Remember, we eat first with our eyes.
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4Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
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5COOKING THE SHRIMP Here are some notes on the cooking of the shrimp.
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6Add some butter and oil to a pan over high heat.
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7Add the shrimp to the pan.
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8Flip after about 1 minute.
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9Flip again after about 1 minute, and reserve.
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10COOKING THE CHICKEN Here are some notes on cooking the chicken.
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11Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.
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12Add some oil to a pan over high heat.
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13Season the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper, and then toss into the pan.
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14Cook until nice and brown, about 4 – 5 minutes.
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15Remove from the pan and reserve.
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16THE CHOWDER BASE
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17Add the bacon to a sauté pan over medium-low heat.
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18Allow the bacon to slowly render its fat, about 10 – 12 minutes.
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19When crispy, leave the fat in the pan, then remove the bacon and reserve.
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20You need 2 – 3 tablespoons of fat. If you have more than that, remove the excess, if you do not have enough, add a bit of unsalted butter, or oil, to make up the difference.
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21Add the onions and celery to the pot, still over medium-low heat, and stir until the veggies begin to soften, about 2 – 3 minutes.
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22Add the garlic.
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23Stir for an additional 60 seconds.
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24Add the green chilies.
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25Stir to combine with the other veggies, about 2 minutes.
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26Combine the chicken stock and milk in a bowl or measuring cup and whisk in the flour.
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27Add to the pot, and bring up to a simmer, then stir until it begins to thicken, about 4 – 5 minutes.
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28Add all the dry spices and whisk to combine.
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29Dice the potatoes, with the skins on-or-off, your choice.
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30Add the potatoes, and simmer until they begin to soften, about 15 minutes.
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31Add the cream cheese and stir into the chowder, about 2 – 3 minutes.
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32Add the grated cheddar and combine into the chowder, about 2 – 3 minutes.
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33Add the cooked chicken and stir to warm through, about 2 – 3 minutes.
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34Finally, add a splash or two of lemon juice, to brighten up chowder a bit, and do a final tasting for proper spicing. If you are doing the sherry, add it now.
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35You may not be into sherry; however, a bit of dry sherry really deepens the flavors of this chowder. Just remember, a little goes a long way.
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36PLATE/PRESENT
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37Ladle into bowls and garnish with the reserved bacon and shrimp. Serve while nice and warm. Enjoy.
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38Keep the faith and keep cooking.
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39Namaste'
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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