SLOW COOKER CHICKEN AND CORN CHOWDER

Slow Cooker Chicken and Corn Chowder image

I love Chicken Corn Chowder and have made and tested many variations until I came up with this one. For busy cooks, prepare the ingredients ahead of time, then throw everything into the slow cooker before leaving the house, set to low and be ready to eat for supper. Sometime I add the dill, sometimes I don't, but if you love dill...

Provided by Donna Graffagnino

Time 9h

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Ingredients

6-8 slice bacon
2 Tbsp reserved bacon grease or butter/margarine
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or pre-cooked rotisserie chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin, divided
2 ribs celery, sliced as thick as you like
2 carrots, peeled & diced about 1/2 inch
1 can(s) whole kernel corn, drained or 2 cups frozen corn
1 can(s) creamed corn
3 large russet potatoes
3 can(s) low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 c heavy cream
salt, black & red pepper to taste
1 tsp dried dill weed (optional)

Steps:

1. Wash the potatoes well and pierce the skin several times with a fork. Microwave until potatoes are almost cooked, still a little firm and not too soft. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large skillet fry the bacon until crispy and set aside to drain on paper towel lined plate. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease, or use 1 tablespoon each of reserved bacon grease and butter. Brown the chicken tenders on both sides and remove to a plate; set aside to cool. You can also use a rotisserie chicken to save even more time.
3. To the remaining drippings add onions, two-thirds of the green onions and celery to skillet, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes, until just tender. Add garlic and sauté another minute but don't brown garlic. Add vegetables to crock pot, along with carrots, corn, chicken broth and (optional) dill weed to the crock pot and set the temperature to high.
4. Pull apart the chicken into large bite size pieces. If you use a Rotisserie chicken you can freeze the bones and skin for making chicken stock later. (Do this up to 3 days ahead of time)
5. Peel the potatoes and roughly mash two of them - not too fine. Chop the third potato into 1/2 to 1 inch dices. Add potatoes and chicken pieces to the crock pot and stir well.
6. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. During the last 15 minutes, stir in the heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. If the chowder is thicker than you like, add a little chicken broth or water until it reaches the consistency that you like.
7. Garnish individual bowls with a little green onion and crumbled bacon. Serve with garlic bread or crusty french bread. Enjoy!
8. *NOTE: Fresh cut corn makes this recipe even better. Use about 2 cups of fresh corn, with the milk from the cob. Hold the shucked corn over a bundt pan and just cut the corn from the cob. Go back over the cob with the dull side of the knife blade to get the extra milk. All of it will fall into the bundt pan for easy clean-up and transfer to your pot. For an added kick, add 1 lb cooked Louisiana crawfish tails about 30 minutes before serving. DON'T use crawfish from China or Spain.