The Brain Dead Oven: She’s Right, I’m Rob Chicken and Chorizo Chowder

This recipe is one that Lesley and I came up with after being stuck inside during a blizzard.  We happened to have the ingredients on hand and tried to come up with something that would keep us warm, fill us up, and go well with a nice cold beer.  Thus, the “She’s Right, I’m Rob Chicken and Chorizo Chowder” was born.

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

• 10 oz Spanish chorizo (thinly sliced)
• 3-4 slices of bacon
• 4 leeks (the white and light green parts, cut into half-moons)
• 3-4 celery stalks
  
• 1 medium onion
• 8-9 red potatoes (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
• 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 1 bottle of beer
• 1.5 cans of corn (whole kernel not cream, drained)
  
• 1/3 cup white wine
• olive oil
• salt/pepper/Old Bay/cayenne pepper
  

Chicken Breasts:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in cast iron pan over medium-high heat.
3. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels.  Season both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and old bay.
4. Place chicken in pan (we use cast iron) for 4 mins.  Flip chicken and cook for another 3 mins.
5. Pour 1/3 cup of white wine into pan and place pan into oven for 10 mins or until cooked.
6. Set aside for 5 mins and then shred.

Chowder:

1. Heat large dutch oven on stove top over medium-high heat.
2. Clean and slice leeks into half-moons.  Place into medium bowl.
3. Clean and chop celery into pieces.  Place in same medium bowl.
4. Chop bacon into small pieces and fry up in dutch oven until almost browned. Remove bacon and fat from dutch oven.
5. Slice chorizo into small pieces and add to the dutch oven.  Cook until browned.
6. Dice the onion and throw into dutch oven.  Cook down until almost translucent.
7. Add leeks and celery.  Stir occasionally and cook for 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften.
8. Add the potatoes, tomatoes (with their juices), chicken broth, salt, pepper, and more Old Bay to taste; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, 12-15 minutes.
9. Add the corn (drained) and the shredded chicken. Simmer for about 5-6 minutes.
10. Sprinkle some bacon bits from step 4 ontop and then NOM NOM FREAKING NOM

    

    Veggies cleaned and ready for cutting.

    

    Pat chicken breasts dry and season both sides.

    

    Celery sliced and ready to go.

    
    

    

    Fry chicken for 4 minutes.

    

    Leeks sliced in halfmoons.

    

    Open all of these things. Drain corn but leave tomatoes as is.

    
    

    

    Flip chicken and cook another 2-3 minutes.

    

    Add white wine and cook another 30 seconds. Place in oven for at least 10 minutes.

    

    Slice bacon into small pieces.

    
    

    

    Fry in dutch oven until almost browned.

    

    Potatoes ready to go.

    

    Slice chorizo and not your fingers.

    
    

    

    Add chorizo to pan with bacon. Fry until browned.

    

    Dice onion. Don’t cry.

    

    Add onion to dutch oven with chorizo and bacon. Cook until translucent.

    
    

    

    Add leeks and celery. Cook 2-3 minutes until soft.

    

    Add potatoes.

    

    Add 6 cups of chicken broth.

    
    

    

    

    Look at the awesome.

    

    Add more awesome.

    
    

    

    Keep adding that awesome.

    

    Pepper it up.

    

    Salt to taste.

    
    

    

    OLD BAY IS AWESOME.

    

    Chicken is cooked and ready to shred.

    

    SHREDDED.

    
    

    

    Once potatoes are soft, add chicken and corn and simmer for 5 mins.

    

    Chowder is ready to NOM with a nice, cold beer.