Chicken corn chowder

This homey recipe is a snap to put together on the stove or in a slow cooker. It's warm, richy, meaty and comforting; a perfect meal for a winters day.

• 1 tablespoon butter (or margarine, or olive oil)
  
  
• 1 medium onion, diced
  
  
• 1 carrot, diced
  
  
• 1 stick of celery, diced
  
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
  
• 4 large potatoes, diced
  
  
• 1 chicken breast (raw, pre-cooked, or canned), shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces
  
  
• 4 cups chicken broth
  
  
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  
  
• 1 385 mL can evaporated milk, or 1 1/2 cups half and half
  
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
  
  
• pinch of nutmeg (optional)

1. Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute or so.
   
   
2. Add chicken, broth, potatoes, and corn. Increase heat to bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for around 25 minutes, until potatoes are soft and chicken is cooked through.
   
   
3. Stir in milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, if using. Warm over low heat, without allowing the chowder to boil (to prevent the milk from curdling). Ladle into bowls and serve!

• If using raw chicken, take extra care in checking to make sure that it is thoroughly cooked before taking off the heat. The recipe can also be made with canned or pre-cooked chicken; if using, just cook the chowder until the potatoes are soft.

• The veggies can be switched up according to your preference; try adding a bell pepper, or replacing the potato with sweet potato. You could also substitute canned cream corn for the frozen corn kernels, or add diced green chiles for some extra heat.
  
  
• To make this chowder with bacon, cook the bacon in the pot first. Remove the bacon to a plate, and use the grease to cook the onion, celery, and garlic. Crumble the bacon up, and stir it back into the finished dish.
  
  
• To make this chowder in a slow cooker, combine all ingredients except for the milk in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for around 4 hours. Uncover, stir in milk, and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

• Cover and keep refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
  
  
• To freeze, cool chowder completely and transfer to airtight containers or freezer bags. Leave a little room for the chowder to expand as it freezes. Keep in freezer for up to 2 months.

Recipe adapted from Dietitians of Canada

Food is Too Expensive! was funded by the City of Saskatoon through our Healthy Yards partnership, the Cyril Capling Trust Fund of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, and the Department of Plant Sciences. Focus group research to inform this work was collected by CHEP. Thank you all for helping us make healthy food more accessible!