I DO make delicious soups...
This is a work in progress, but I'm trying to perfect a soup that tastes like a roast chicken dinner in a bowl. If anyone tests this, let me know. It's kinda fiddly what with the added potato and roasting of the chicken, but I likey. You could certainly skip the chicken step if desired, for a quicker recipe. Here goes:
Sunday Dinner Corn Chowder
Serves 4-6
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1 TB vegetable oil
8 ears fresh corn, peeled and corn cut from cob (about 6 cups kernels)
1 medium baked or otherwise cooked russet potato, peeled
1 medium onion, minced
4 TB butter
2 TB flour
2 cups whole milk
3 cups chicken broth or stock
1 large sprig thyme
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
minced parsley for garnish
Preheat oven to 375. Rub chicken breasts with oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place them into a small roasting pan and roast until just cooked-through, 35-45 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Deglaze roasting pan with a bit of the chicken broth if necessary, set aside.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add butter. Once it is melted, add onion and cook until translucent. Add flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add the chicken broth. Add pan drippings, corn, milk, thyme and salt and pepper to taste, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook until soup begins to thicken and corn is done, about 10 minutes. Remove thyme spring.
Mash the baked potato using a fork or ricer if you have one and add it to the soup. Add as much or as little cream as desired. Adjust seasonings for salt and pepper, and water or more stock if too thick.
Ladle soup into bowls and garnish each with a little of the reserved chicken, shredded, and some minced parsley. Serve hot.
Note: There'll be more chicken than you need, but it'll make great chicken salad or other leftover-y (left ovary?) goodness the next day.