It was a rough 2 weeks while our cat was very ill. We almost lost him! And when you’re stressed to the max, about the only thing that I want to eat, when I can actually eat, is a nice bowl of soup!

Creamy, warm, mild, and chock-full of vegetables. I started with some leftover ham and a few cooked slices of bacon from the freezer, and 2 chicken breasts that I tossed onto the grill for a quick, easy, and mess-free start.

Once the meats were cooked, diced, crumbled and pulled, it was time to gather up about every vegetable I had in the entire house! We needed all of the vitamins and minerals we could get.

So into the pot went some butter, celery, leeks, and garlic, and joining them later, some red potatoes, sweet baby carrots, and white shoepeg corn! (I also added a dab of finely chopped red onion, but that was just a teensy bit left over from another dish, and not even enough to really count. But at least every last bit was put to good use. 😉 )

I prefer my chowders just slightly thickened, so I only used a 1/3 of a cup of flour in this recipe. But if you like yours thicker, you can add up to a 1/2 cup, and even thicken the chowder further at the end with a little cornstarch slurry if it still isn’t thick enough to your liking. This is your soup, so always make it how you enjoy it best! 😀

Speaking of making to your own personal liking, you don’t have to add all of the same vegetables, either. Others that work well are peas, green beans, lima beans, broccoli, black-eyed peas, hominy, cauliflower, parsnips, onions, asparagus, mushrooms, and zucchini! Just toss in whatever veggies you like!

You can even omit the meats, and even the cheese, and just enjoy an all-vegetable chowder if that’s your thing. Whatever makes you happy!

I’m sure that you’re definitely going to enjoy this creamy, hearty, tummy and heart warming chowder! It really comforted us during an awful time when we needed it the most.

Take care all and I’ll see you soon!

8-10 servings

Fully Loaded Cheesy Ham & Chicken Chowder

Name: Fully Loaded Cheesy Ham & Chicken Chowder
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 3 lean, quality crisp cooked bacon strips, broken into small pieces; 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked any way desired* (I grilled mine this time), cut into bite-sized pieces; 6 Tbl. butter; 1 large rib celery, thinly sliced; 2 leeks (cleaned and drained), halved lengthwise and sliced; 2-3 cloves garlic, minced (to taste); 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (1/2 cup if you prefer a thicker chowder); 2 cups milk; 1 cup heavy cream, ok to sub half and half; 4 cups hot water, (part or all can be replaced with chicken broth if on hand); 1 Tbl. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base, *dissolve in the 4 cups hot water; 2 large red potatoes, cubed; 2 cups sliced sweet baby carrots, (sliced into fourths/measure after slicing); 1 tsp. white pepper; 1/4 tsp.dried thyme, crush between fingers and thumb when adding to release flavor); 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; 4 oz. Sharp Cheddar Velveeta, cubed, (can sub an extra cup of cheddar if desired); 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham; 1 (7 oz.) can white shoepeg corn, undrained; salt to taste if needed; more white pepper to taste if desired; sprigs of fresh thyme or snipped green onions for garnish if desired

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 minute

Ingredients

3 lean, quality crisp cooked bacon strips, broken into small pieces
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked any way desired* (I grilled mine this time), cut into bite-sized pieces
6 Tbl. butter
1 large rib celery, thinly sliced
2 leeks (cleaned and drained), halved lengthwise and sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (to taste)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (1/2 cup if you prefer a thicker chowder)
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream, ok to sub half and half
4 cups hot water, (part or all can be replaced with chicken broth if on hand)
1 Tbl. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base, *dissolve in the 4 cups hot water
2 large red potatoes, cubed
2 cups sliced sweet baby carrots, (sliced into fourths/measure after slicing)
1 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp.dried thyme, crush between fingers and thumb when adding to release flavor)
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz. Sharp Cheddar Velveeta, cubed, (can sub an extra cup of cheddar if desired)
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 (7 oz.) can white shoepeg corn, undrained
salt to taste if needed
more white pepper to taste if desired
sprigs of fresh thyme or snipped green onions for garnish if desired

Instructions

In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot, melt butter and add your celery, leeks and garlic. Sauté until crisp-tender. Add your flour and sauté, stirring, for 4-5 minutes to cook out raw flour taste.

Gradually add in milk, stirring to keep it creamy and lump-free, then the cream and the 4 cups chicken bouillon. Bring to a low boil, and cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Add the potatoes and carrots, and simmer until tender, about 10 - 15 minutes depending on size.

Add cheeses, ham, and corn, and heat and gently stir until cheeses have melted.

Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread or oyster crackers, and garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme or snipped green onions.

Notes

You can pan-fry, grill, dice and sauté, steam, stew or bake chicken breasts. Just cook them any way you like! 😀