Equipment
Ingredients
Proteins
- 400 g chicken breast, boneless, skinless
Produce
- 450 g sweet corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- 400 g yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 3 garlic, minced
Dairy & Pantry
- 200 ml heavy cream, room temperature
- 750 ml chicken broth, low sodium preferred
- 45 g unsalted butter
- 15 ml olive oil
- 5 g smoked paprika, ground
- kosher salt
- black pepper, freshly cracked
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 960 kcal
- Protein
- 35 g
- Carbohydrates
- 115 g
- Fat
- 43 g
- Fiber
- 11 g
- Sugar
- 16 g
- Sodium
- 1177 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 21 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 14 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 148 mg
- Potassium
- 1858 mg
- Calcium
- 160 mg
- Iron
- 3.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 151 mg
- Phosphorus
- 517 mg
- Zinc
- 2.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 562 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 18 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 18 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.6 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.56 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.48 mg
- Niacin
- 16.4 mg
- Folate
- 100 mcg
- Water
- 457 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Dice the chicken breasts into uniform 1.5 centimeter cubes on a clean cutting board dedicated to raw poultry.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Sear the diced chicken pieces until lightly browned on the outside, about 5 minutes. The internal temperature does not need to reach a safe 74 degrees C / 165 degrees F at this stage.
Remove the partially cooked chicken from the pot using a slotted spoon and transfer to a clean plate. Set aside.
Melt the unsalted butter in the same Dutch oven over medium heat, allowing it to foam slightly.
Sauté the diced onion, celery, and carrot in the melted butter until the onions become translucent and the vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and smoked paprika. Cook until highly fragrant, stirring constantly to prevent the paprika from burning, about 1 minute.
Pour the chicken broth into the pot, scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon to release and dissolve the browned fond.
Mix the diced potatoes and sweet corn kernels into the seasoned broth.
Bring the chowder mixture to a vigorous boil by increasing the heat to high.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer gently until the potato cubes are completely fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
Transfer two ladles of the hot soup mixture into a stand blender and puree until entirely smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the Dutch oven to naturally thicken the chowder.
Fold the reserved seared chicken along with its resting juices and the heavy cream into the thickened soup.
Simmer the chowder gently over low heat for 5 minutes to finish cooking the chicken. Verify the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74 degrees C / 165 degrees F. Do not let the soup boil once the cream has been added.
Season the chowder thoroughly with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Ladle the hot chowder into warmed serving bowls.
Chef's Notes
- Using a waxy potato like Yukon Gold ensures the chunks hold their shape during the simmering process, providing contrasting texture against the velvety pureed broth.
- Smoked paprika, or pimenton, provides the traditional smoky flavor profile often introduced by bacon, making this a slightly lighter, poultry-focused chowder that still hits deep comfort notes.
- If using fresh corn on the cob, save the stripped cobs and simmer them in your chicken broth for 30 minutes before starting the soup to dramatically intensify the natural sweet corn flavor.
- Allowing your heavy cream to come to room temperature before adding it to the hot soup significantly reduces the risk of the dairy splitting.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. The soup will thicken as it cools.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Do not boil. Add a splash of water or milk to adjust consistency.
Troubleshooting
The soup broth looks separated, grainy, or curdled.
Cause: The heavy cream was boiled aggressively, or a high-acid ingredient was introduced.
Fix: Remove from heat immediately and whisk vigorously. Blending another small portion of the soup can help mechanically re-emulsify the fat into the broth.
Prevention: Never allow the soup to reach a rolling boil once the dairy has been folded in. Maintain a gentle simmer.
The chicken pieces are dry and chalky.
Cause: The chicken was boiled too long during the final simmering stage.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once fully overcooked, but the rich creamy broth will help mask the texture.
Prevention: Ensure the chicken is cut uniformly and only simmered in the final step just long enough to reach safe temperature.
Cultural Context
Chowder has deep roots in Native American and early Colonial American cuisine, originally serving as a hearty, economical way to stretch seafood or root vegetables. The integration of sweet corn is a distinctively North American adaptation, celebrating indigenous agriculture. This modern variation utilizes smoked paprika to echo the historic use of salt pork or bacon, delivering deep, comforting flavors while centering chicken and corn.
