when i first saw this recipe (in a better homes and gardens no less…! i have adapted it a bit here) it sounded right up my alley, but when i read it through, i have to say i was skeptical.
start with four ears of corn, 32 oz of chicken broth and 2 lbs of chicken. i used the thin-cut breasts. then here comes the weird part:
put WHOLE corn, WHOLE chicken breasts and broth (plus some shakes of worchestershire and a bay leaf) in a pot and cook it all together. bring to a boil for about 8 minutes, or until your chicken is cooked.
then they want you to take the corn and chicken OUT. whoa!
it does sound odd, but cooking the chicken and the corn in the broth demonstrably makes them moist (in the case of the chicken) and flavorful.
next, cut the corn off the cob
and shred the chicken.
add both back to the broth (not whole anymore!) with half a small chopped green pepper
plus 1 and 1/4 cups instant mashed potatoes (sorry, mom!) and 1 cup water.
reheat, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve!
with sweet corn and crunchy, slightly bitter green pepper, over all, this is an easy, filling and flavorful soup that came together in less than 30 minutes (rachael would be so proud!).
and it’s creamy, too, from the potato flakes, but healthy since there is no milk, cream, butter or flour. also great for your lactose intolerant friends who may miss being able to eat chowder!
It really only took 8 minutes to cook the chicken?! really?!
actually, yes. i used very thin-cut chicken breasts and once the broth was boiling, it took about 8 minutes.
A great trick (which you probably already know) is once you have cut the kernels off the cob, rub the cob on a grater which extracts the leftover pulp and thick juice, the process is called “milking” (yuk) but gives you anywhere from a couple of tablespoons to a quarter cup of a sweet, corny, tasty, thickening agent. You can still add instant mashed… just don’t tell me about it.