Soup Anyone?

I’m on a soup thing lately. Maybe it’s the cooler weather? There was the Vegetable Soup, the Potato Soup, I’ve made chili and then last night was….Hmmm…what to call this one? My best guess is…OH!  I got it!

Forget Campbell’s Chunky! My Chicken Corn Chowder Is Better! 

Too long you say?  Well, guess what?  This is my blog. This is my recipe. I can do what I want.  *sticks out tongue for emphasis*

 You will need:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

½ a large onion chopped

3 small or two large potatoes diced

3 chicken boullion cubes

3 stalks celery chopped

3 small or two large potatoes diced

3 large carrots sliced

1 stick of butter

2 cups of heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1 can of corn

2 Tablespoons of cornstarch

½ cup of COLD water

Place chicken breasts in a large soup pot or dutch oven. Add onion, boullion, and celery.  Add water until just covered.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Allow to cook for about an hour. Remove chicken breasts and add potatoes and carrots to the pot.  Cut chicken into bite size pieces or shred with a fork. 

I prefer to shred so I don’t have big chunks of chicken. I like to have a little of everything on my spoon when I go for a bite. It’s a ‘me-thing’. You do your ‘you-thing’.

Add the chicken back to the pot and increase heat to high. Return the mixture to a boil and add the stick of butter and salt and pepper. When the butter is melted add your cream. Honestly, my guess here was that I added two cups of cream. I just poured until it looked creamy enough. *shrugs* Sorry….that’s another one of my ‘me-things’. I’m sure you’ll find a way to cope.

Add the can of corn with the liquid. Mix together the corn starch and ½ cup of COLD water. I cannot stress enough the COLD part! For you non-cooks…the reason is when the mixture is hot it will clump. This is why people have lumpy gravy and soups. COLD water is essential. It doesn’t have to be ice water. Water from the COLD water side of the tap is fine. Good grief.

One more time…only COLD water with cornstarch!

Add the cornstarch mixture slowly to the pot, stirring constantly.  Allow to cook at a boil for about 5 minutes. If, at this point, you feel your soup is not thick enough then mix a little more cornstarch with some COLD water and add it to the soup.

Just before serving test the salt and pepper content. Don’t just stand there and look at it! Taste it!

And -- If you want to be pretty you can sprinkle a little parsley in there. But, seriously? Why bother? Parsley just sits there pretty. I don't think it really adds much to the taste.

Seriously, all sarcasm, dry wit and insulting humor aside --This was perfect for our snow day yesterday. I dumped Goldfish Crackers into mine and a little shredded cheese – croutons and/or garlic bread go great too.

Then, after enjoying my culinary wonder do you know what Don had the NERVE to do? He asked me how to make liver and onions. So I told him. Then I made the gravy for him gagging all the while. Then I nearly got sick as he ate it. In fact, I think I’m gonna go get sick now. But you enjoy your soup, OK?