This creamy chicken and leek chowder is a brilliantly luxuriant winter warmer with a hearty shot of vegetables and a good ratio of succulent chicken breast. The small amount of cream you use may not add to the health kick, but it will definitely keep you going on a long cold day. There are quite a few ingredients to take into account, including a good amount of white wine, which is why it’s such a luxurious chowder, but the actual preparation time isn’t too taxing and what you end up with is a big pan of chowder that will impress all comers. Serve with chunky bread and butter.
Ingredients (serves 6):
• 300g chicken fillets
• 3 good sized leeks
• 4 baking potatoes
• 3 long carrots
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• A tin of sweetcorn
• 4 chestnut mushrooms
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 2 glasses of white wine
• 200ml single cream
• 1tbsp dried parsley
• 40g corn flour to thicken
• A good couple of pinches of salt and pepper to season
Creamy chicken and leek chowder recipe:
1. Peel and chop the potatoes into little cubes and the carrots into centimetre long slices and add to a pan of well seasoned water to boil.
2. While the veg is bubbling away, slice your chicken fillets into small morsels about the size of your thumb nail and lightly fry with the finely chopped onions and garlic. Once the chicken is white and succulent add chopped leeks to wilt down slightly, before adding it all to the boiling veg.
3. Turn the heat down and leave the chicken and veg to simmer, while you fry the chestnut mushrooms (chopped roughly) in a little butter. When they’re good and fleshy, add them to the main pan along with the chicken stock, parsley and sweetcorn.
4. Break up the potato a little with a masher and leave to simmer for 10 mins before adding the 2 glasses of wine. Leave to simmer for a further 3 minutes and then add the cream. Stir through to get an even, creamy look before sieving the corn flour finely over the top while stirring to make sure there are no lumps.
5. Cook for a further 5 minutes and turn off the heat and leave to rest for 5 more. Stir your chicken and leek chowder through and serve in big bowls.
