Creamy Chicken and Corn Soup
This hearty soup tastes really creamy, yet it doesn’t contain any cream! Made with cooked chicken and fresh corn and potatoes, with a garnish of bacon, it’s substantial enough for lunch, served with crusty whole-wheat bread.
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups reduced-salt chicken stock
2 cups low-fat milk
250 g cooked chicken breasts, skinned and finely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
pepper to taste
2 strips smoked bacon, trimmed of visible fat, to garnish
fresh tarragon leaves to garnish
- Remove the green husks and all the “silk” from the corncobs. Holding each cob upright on a chopping board, cut the kernels from the cob. (You should end up with about 11⁄2 cups loose corn kernels.) Set the kernels aside.
- Heat the canola oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and fry over medium heat until softened, but not browned. Add the potatoes and corn kernels to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender.
- Stir in the milk, three-quarters of the chicken and the chopped tarragon. Season with the pepper. Cook, stirring, for a further 2–3 minutes.
- Pour half of the mixture into a food processor or blender and blend to a coarse texture, not to a purée. Return the mixture to the pan. Add the rest of the chicken and stir to mix. Set the soup over a low heat to warm through.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon until it starts to brown. Drain on paper towel, then finely chop.
- Ladle the chicken and corn soup into bowls, scatter on some bacon and a sprinkling of tarragon leaves, and serve.
Creamy chicken and corn soup variations: Instead of bacon, garnish the soup with croutons: cut 50 g crustless whole-wheat bread into small cubes and stir in a bowl with 1 tablespoon canola oil. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (180°C) for 10 minutes or until golden. Toss the baked croutons with 1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh tarragon, if desired. These baked croutons are far less fatty than croutons fried in oil. For garlic croutons, toss the bread cubes in 1 tablespoon olive oil mixed with a crushed garlic clove before baking them.
preparation time 15 mins
cooking time 25 mins
serves 4
PER SERVING
398 calories
31 g protein
16 g total fat
3 g saturated fat
63 mg cholesterol
32 g total carbohydrate
13 g sugars
4 g fibre
735 mg sodium
Corn is a useful source of dietary fibre (important for keeping the digestive system in good working order), and also offers potassium and folate.
