I’m a firm believer that you can never have too many soup recipes! Crazy enough though I didn’t use to care all that much for soup, it just didn’t seem to have enough sustenance or something. Then I realized I just needed to either make my soups heartier or serve it with a side that is a little more filling if the soup is really light. Now, soup is definitely one of my favorite things to make for dinner so I’m always looking out for new soup recipes.

Today we are serving up this Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder that is definitely a win all around. I loved it, my husband loved it and my picky eating kids loved it. How could we not? This soup is loaded with chicken, potatoes, bell peppers, corn and bacon, and let’s not forget about that generous amount of half and half that makes this soup rich and irresistibly creamy! This one is definitely going to be added to my soup rotation! I can’t wait to cozy up with a bowl of it during the cold seasons that lay just ahead.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded (3 cups)
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled*
• 1/4 cup butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (1 1/4 cups)
• 1 – 2 jalapenos, seeded for less heat if desired, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced slightly less than 1/2-inch thick (3 cups)
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• Green onions and seeded, finely chopped jalapenos (optional), for serving

Directions

• In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add red bell pepper, onions, jalapenos and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Stir in flour, and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. While stirring, slowly add in chicken broth and whisk until well blended.
• Add potatoes, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a boil stirring frequently, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or just until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add in cooked chicken, corn and half and half and simmer, uncovered 10 – 15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Serve warm topped bacon, green onions, and optional jalapeno peppers.

Recipe Source: adapted with some changes from BHG