Chicken Corn Chowder

After the big freezer meal stock-pile of July, I am on a mission to clear out the pantry and buy as little as possible at the store until we've used up all our forgotten meats, meals, and miscellaneous bits.  One of the frosty gems I discovered while digging through our indoor freezer was a bag of corn kernels left over from my birthday. 

My parents had come from New Jersey to help me celebrate, and in his fatherly tradition, my dad brought lots of food that only comes from "home."  One of those parcels was filled with ears of Jersey corn.  We had cooked them all (with the fun cooler method) for the summer cook-out, but had nearly a dozen and a half ears floating in the warm water when all the guests had waved goodnight.  Since my 36-weeks-pregnant feet were killing me, I sat at the kitchen bar and cut the kernels off of all of them.  Kernels sprinkled the cutting board and my belly.  Sweet corn juice dripped off the counter and puddled onto the floor by the time I had filled the two gallon sized Ziploc bags with the leftovers.  One went into the fridge to be heated throughout the week with a splash of milk, a pat of butter, and a shake of salt.  The other bag was tossed into the freezer and quickly buried under homemade burritos and overripe bananas.

As soon as I had found this forgotten bag of summer corn, it was destined for chicken corn chowder.  Drew and I had gotten a taste for it during our visits to Stowe, Vermont when we would stop by The Whip at the Green Mountain Inn.  Their creamy concoction was the best corn chowder we had ever tasted, and we still talk about it years later.  Not having heavy cream and fifteen pounds of butter in the fridge, I settled on this healthier version from Cooking Light.  As usual, I tweaked it to suit our tastes and what we had on hand.  We didn't miss all the extra fat and calories at all.  The only thing I wish I did differently was make a double batch.  This may make an appearance on our table again within the week, since some sweet corn is still waiting in the freezer.  Every kernel deserves to be a part of something so delicious!

Nothing hits the spot on a windy, chilly night like a bowl of corn chowder and fresh baked bread eaten in the light of the woodstove.  The early nights aren't nearly so depressing when hearty food is involved.  Make this meal even quicker and easier by using a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.

Ingredients:
2 T butter
1/2 c. finely chopped sweet onion
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
1 tsp. sambal oelek
2 T flour
3 c. 2% milk
2 c. cooked, chopped boneless chicken breast
1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 (14 3/4 oz.) can cream-style corn
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions: In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter and sauté onion and celery until tender, about 3 minutes.  Stir in sambal oelek.  Add flour, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Whisk in remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil and cook until desired thickness (about 5-10 minutes).