You ever have one of those days that you just stay cold?
The high is set to be 61 degrees today. Not that I’m complaining at all. I absolutely love Fall. It’s my favorite time of year…but it’s only September 12th, and not technically Fall yet. So I suppose my body just hasn’t adjusted yet, so I decided that we needed some comfort food ASAP. And what’s more comforting than stick to your bones, hot and creamy chowder?
Chowder. That word alone, just sounds so comforting and filling.
And since it was so cold and rainy, I absolutely did not want to get out of the warmth and comfort of my house, or jammies. That’s right. I rocked my pj’s all day. I’m not even sorry.
I think what I love most about this meal is how flippin’ simple it is.
Seriously. There’s such minimal prep work needed for this recipe. Plus, it ALL cooks in the slow cooker. That’s what I call winning!
I spent a total of 15 minutes prepping this meal. I added the ingredients to the slow cooker and just let that bad boy get to work cooking my meal FOR me, allowing me to be the ultimate slacker the rest of the day. Okay, okay, if you know me, then you know that’s not true… but a girl can dream, can’t she?
Alright, enough chatting and more “cooking”.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breast - cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 carrots - peeled and diced
- 12-14 oz. red potatoes - diced and parboiled for about 5 minutes
- 1 onion - diced and lightly sautéd in olive oil (about 3 minutes)
- 2 - 3 cups corn (I used frozen)
- 8 slices of bacon - diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cloves of garlic - minced
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano (or 1/2 drop Oregano Essential Oil)
- 1/2 tsp. dried Thyme (or 1/2 drop Thyme Essential Oil)
- 1 Bay leaf
- Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbls. Arrowroot starch
- 2 Tbls. unsalted butter
- 2 Tbls. fresh chives - chopped
Instructions
- Place your chicken, potatoes, carrots, onion, and corn in the slow cooker.
- Stir in chicken broth and spices - season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours.
- When there is 30 minutes left in your cook time, whisk together milk, heavy cream and arrowroot starch, and add to slow cooker. Add melted butter.
- Heat skillet over medium heat and cook bacon pieces until golden brown - about 6-8 minutes. Remove them from pan and set aside to allow grease to drain off.
- When chowder is ready, sprinkle with chives and bacon (and shredded cheese if you like!) and serve right away!
