Snowed In Chowder

Well if you live under a rock you may not know, but Chicago got hit with a massive blizzard on Tuesday night. Which unfortunately turned the Souperstars into shut ins, canceling our weekly soup night. I was able to rummage around my cupboards and find some great ingredients for some chowder. So here you go, a great Butcher Block recipe of what I’m affectionately naming Snowed In Chowder.

Snowed In Chowder
Serves 8

*adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients
4 slices bacon, chopped
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 medium onion, minced
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves
½ cup flour
2-3 large sweet potatoes, cubed
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
½ jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbs. minced fresh parsley leaves
salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Cook chicken with olive oil and place in an oven safe dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Remove from oven and set aside. Cook bacon in a large pot over medium heat until and crisp and rendered, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer half the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.

Add onion to bacon left in pot and cook until it begins to brown. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, stir in flour, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in broth, scraping up any brown bits, and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 min. Add peppers, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Stir in cream and bring to simmer. Shred the chicken that is set aside, add to pot, and heat through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with reserved bacon.