A very hearty soup that is low fat and delicious! To make this soup even a little healthier you can omit the salt.
This is a good chowder, but I cooked it differently than the directions.This is the time of year I am looking for ways to use up corn and I even had ham leftover! I always begin my soups by cooking the onion and celery until the onion is transluscent, then add the meats and cook them, this draws out the good flavors and leaves little juicy bits in the pan,then the broth is added and the bits are scraped into the broth and other ingredients go in to simmer. I cut the recipe in half but used two stalks of celery including the leafy tops, and I toss a little (1 small clove) garlic or garlic powder and about a TB of parsley into all my soups.(I didn't use the thyme). Unless there is a reason to drastically cut ones fat intake I would recommend using whole milk or half skim and half cream to make a more creamy and palatable chowder. I prefer to use cornstarch to thicken soups, it's not so heavy and dissoves better.Also, I never add salt until the end if needed when using salty meat and broth. I debated about adding some cubed Velveeta,for a cheesy corn chowder,but decided not to this time.
Read MoreI think this chowder has a lot going for it, but needs some revisions. First of all, sautee the chicken until it's browned and then save to add to the soup later. Sautee the onions and celery too to draw out their flavor before adding the other ingredients. Skim milk is fine if you're watching calories, but be aware that it makes for a really, REALLY thin soup -not really a chowder consistency. After trying to thicken it up at the end (and that being time consuming), I think next time I'll bake a roux while getting the rest of the ingredients ready and thicken it up that way, like I do clam chowder. So bottom line is this: Sautee the veggies and chicken first, thicken with a roux, and add LOTS of salt and pepper. I think it might be worth five stars after that.
Read MoreThis is a good chowder, but I cooked it differently than the directions.This is the time of year I am looking for ways to use up corn and I even had ham leftover! I always begin my soups by cooking the onion and celery until the onion is transluscent, then add the meats and cook them, this draws out the good flavors and leaves little juicy bits in the pan,then the broth is added and the bits are scraped into the broth and other ingredients go in to simmer. I cut the recipe in half but used two stalks of celery including the leafy tops, and I toss a little (1 small clove) garlic or garlic powder and about a TB of parsley into all my soups.(I didn't use the thyme). Unless there is a reason to drastically cut ones fat intake I would recommend using whole milk or half skim and half cream to make a more creamy and palatable chowder. I prefer to use cornstarch to thicken soups, it's not so heavy and dissoves better.Also, I never add salt until the end if needed when using salty meat and broth. I debated about adding some cubed Velveeta,for a cheesy corn chowder,but decided not to this time.
Fantastic recipe - although I did modify it as follows: I used diced bacon instead of ham - and cooked the onion, celery and bacon first, then added uncut (boneless) chicken thighs and stock (no water added). I also used whole milk instead of skim, 1 can of corn instead of fresh corn and lots of potatoes. Added thyme, parsley and rosemary with pepper and a bit of salt. Used cornstarch to thicken. The result was great - I will definitely make it again.
I didn't pre-cook my chicken, just cubed it and threw it in. I also used one bag of frozen corn, which I added half way through. This is awesome chowder! I'm going to add diced green chiles next time!
Hey Cheryl, I live in snowy and cold Buffalo, and I don't think I've ever had a chowder better than this. It was a big hit at my holiday party. Even the boss liked it! My mother-in-law tried it with ham stock but it was too salty. Please advise others not to do that. Thanks for the great idea, and I look forward to making this again.
I think this chowder has a lot going for it, but needs some revisions. First of all, sautee the chicken until it's browned and then save to add to the soup later. Sautee the onions and celery too to draw out their flavor before adding the other ingredients. Skim milk is fine if you're watching calories, but be aware that it makes for a really, REALLY thin soup -not really a chowder consistency. After trying to thicken it up at the end (and that being time consuming), I think next time I'll bake a roux while getting the rest of the ingredients ready and thicken it up that way, like I do clam chowder. So bottom line is this: Sautee the veggies and chicken first, thicken with a roux, and add LOTS of salt and pepper. I think it might be worth five stars after that.
I made this for xmas eve dinner last year and everyone loved it so much, they're asking for it again.
Everyone loves this one! Easy to prepare and very satisfying.
This was very good, but I added more pepper and I went too low on the sodium since I bought a healthy ham, low sodium broth and didn't add the salt. I won't do that next time and I think this will be even better.
This was a hit with everyone. Used real milk and cream, did not leave it as a low fat recipe.
Great recipe, especially when it's cold. My husband and I really like it. We appreciate the fact that it's low fat.
This soup was really good, but in the future I will change a couple of things. I will use some butter to saute the veggies in or fry up some bacon instead of the ham. The skim milk made it way flat and bland tasting. Maybe add a little more corn and use whole milk or half and half. Otherwise a wonderful soup for the Fall weather. I would use instant mashed potatoes to thicken it also.
We loved this soup! I was liberal with the ham and potatoes - I probally added more than the recipe called for but we liked that. Also, I reduced the thyme by half. Very thick but great chowder. My boyfriend said "this is great" about 15 times throughout dinner. Guess he likes it huh? A keeper recipe Cheryl!
This was really good. The only change I made was using rosemary (my new favorite) instead of thyme. It turned out great....thanks Cheryl.
The soup was okay...comparable to the ones you get at WAWA or SEVEN-ELEVEN. I used whole milk instead of skim, and also used a little more cornstarch than the recipe called for. The texture was thick, but the taste just wasnt creamy, you can tell the soup is low-fat.
I made a couple of changes. Used bacon instead of ham, used whole milk, used canned corn, and thickened with corn starch. It was so good - EXACTLY what I was looking for!
Very tasty and hearty - served it as a meal with a salad first. Took longer than I expected because I didn't think about how long it would take to boil again after the cold milk was added, but well worth the wait. Thanks!
This recipe was yummy, I used creamed corn instead of regular corn for a thickener instead of potatoes. I also used fat free carnation milk for creamier taste....added extra spices and used the garlic and herb chicken broth...but very yummy and healthy!! :)
The chowder is simmering on the stove this minute!! I omitted the ham, forgot the onion, added some carrot, used rotisserie chicken to save some time, added a tablespoon or two of chicken "better than boullion" to season it up, and used potato flakes to thicken it up.(maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons) Right now I'm contemplating adding any milk...tastes good as it is! Good recipe!
This was good, not wow, but good. Mine wasn't soupy enough, but it turned out okay. I would reduce the thyme, but that is just my personal taste. Thanks.
this is very good. everyone i have given it to has LOVED IT!! thanks so much for this alternative to the normally gloppy clumpy cream mess.... this is a great change of pace!!!
We loved this soup! I was liberal with the ham and potatoes - I probally added more than the recipe called for but we liked that. Also, I reduced the thyme by half. Very thick but great chowder. My boyfriend said "this is great" about 15 times throughout dinner. Guess he likes it huh? A keeper recipe Cheryl!
We love this soup! I make it all the time. We half it for our family of 4 or do the regular recipe if we are having company.
This was not very good. I used bacon instead of ham and 1/2 and 1/2 in place of milk but that wasn't the problem. It is bland. This chowder needs something other than thyme. I have made better chowders and would not recommend this one. It requires a lot of prep work and the results are disappointing. If you follow the recipe and don't make a lot of changes it isn't good.
Very good. I didn't have ham so it was missing that salty ham flavor but I used half and half instead of skim milk to make up for the flavor and make it richer. I also omitted the thyme as we don't care for it. Will try with ham as recommended next time!
This is really easy to whip up. To make it even quicker, I use instant potato flakes to make a thicker soup. I've made this twice now and have always been satisfied; its not too complicated!
My husband made this soup first - shortly after we were married. He used already cooked chopped chicken from the freezer and frozen corn. Since then, I've made it the same way and he's requested it often. It's simple and doesn't require anything unusual. You can substitute bacon for the ham. A keeper!
A perfect chowder when it's 25 degrees outside. I was out of celery so I used cream of celery soup, didn't use water - used chicken broth instead. Added rosemary and a dash of sage and used half & half instead of lowfat milk. Thickened it with cornstarch but just enough to give it a little thickness. Stick to the ribs good!
absolutely yummy. my hubby loves it. i always double recipe, cause when i make it , it lasts less than 24 hours. thank you for such a great recipe...
Easy and tastes good on a cool day! Also great for using up misc. veggies from the fridge.
Very flavorful, full bodied, could serve as a dinner. Will definitely make again, enjoy
Delicious! I made this for my family over Christmas break (4 adults/3 kids). I was surprised by how much soup this made! Almost didn't fit in the pot! The best part...it's even better as leftovers!
My daughter and I made this soup together. We followed the recipe, but I didn't realize it was supposed to be low fat. We wanted a soup similar to Mimi's in CA, because her husband likes that. Would adjust it like this: Definitely too skinny. Need to make with at least half and half and still thicken it with corn starch. The real problem with the recipe, as I saw it, was that it called for adding the potatoes after the milk. It took forever for the potatoes to cook. It would work out much better to cook the potatoes with the other vegetables. It could use a little, not much, more flavoring, in addition to the thyme, but until I experiment, I won't know which. Oh, and much more corn.
I used all ham, Black Forest to be exact, instead of a mix of chicken and ham, but the main shortfall of this recipe is, it's bland. You'll need copious amounts of fresh ground salt, pepper, and perhaps some garlic salt to get it tasting right. I'd also suggest you use 2% milk for more richness with only a small increase in fat. If you go the crock pot route, this is an all day affair; it takes a long time to get the spuds cooked even cubed in relatively small pieces.
Good basic recipe to build off of and change to your taste. Skipped the bacon(dieting) Used broth in place of the water and used 1% milk and cornstarch instead of the flour. Used less corn, Really thick soup, not much broth but had good flavor and hubby enjoyed it.
Very easy to make. Doesn't have the most flavor to it, but it is still good. I split it into portions and froze it and ate it for lunch for about 3 weeks!
Pretty good. Great flavor. Not a thick or creamy chowder when made as a low fat recipe, but enjoyable. Ignore the "20 servings" bit. My family of 4 only left 1 bowl of leftovers.
Blandest thing on the planet. This one needs serious help. Maybe replacing the ham with bacon would be better.
was really good and easy to instead of flour i used creamy peanut butter adding 2 tsb at a time untill i got the thickness i desired and it gave it alittle ZING to it(little sweet taste noticable but good)
This was a delicious soup. I used cornstarch to thicken it and added extra meat. Once all was said and done it was more of a stew but it was really good that way!
Really yummy. Next time I will make sure I use the full amount of corn called for.
I made this chowder with my 9 yr old son he loved to help it was quick easy and delicious....=)
I made the recipe as written with the exception of using rotisserie chicken I had left over. After reading reviews, I cut down drastically on the thyme to less than half of the amount called for and still all I could taste was the thyme, and I don't think that particular herb compliments this dish. Maybe rosemary or tarragon might have been a better choice. I did have to thicken it up considerably, it was very thin before that. Oh, and I did add some frozen green beans to give the kids an extra veggie. My family didn't care for this and neither did I, so won't make it again. Not really any flavor to it, only the overpowering thyme taste.
Yummy! I followed the technique of the reviewer, Gramma Gorgeous, and sauteed the onions, celery, ham & chicken. I also added some garlic & used Season All with black pepper while they were sauteing since my chicken broth was low sodium & the ham was honey ham. I used regular milk instead of skim to reduce the time needed to thicken it. Served it with cornbread & steamed broccoli. My picky 6 yr old even said it was "very good".
I shredded rotisserie chicken to skip the boiling of the chicken and added carrots!
This was a good recipe. I wouldnt say it was awsome, but I think I would make it again.
I didn't have regular potatoes so I used a large sweet potato instead. Added another depth of flavor to the chowder. I also added 8oz cream cheese. Super yummy
A great soup loved by my whole family. Used lower fat ingredients in some cases but the flavor was still superb.
Used heavy cream instead of skim. Also used celery seed instead of the celery. This was O.K. but I really was expecting a bit more.
Way, way too much thyme. It actually ruined the whole pot. Otherwise, it probably would have been ok.
Not bad at all, just a little bland for my taste. Ended up adding cheese and that was good!
made enough for 5 servings instead of the 20 the recipe comes with, really enjoyed it! added carrots and spiced it up a bit with cayenne. also smashed some of the potatoes which thickened the soup and only need a little bit of flour to get the right consistency.
Way Way WAY too much thyme! Barely edible. Unless you want thyme soup with chicken, try 1/2 tsp only of thyme and add salt. What a disappointment.
I love this recipe on a cold winter day. Great lowfat dish that is hearty and filling.
I had leftover smoked chicken and ham. Made this recipe using fresh cut corn and loved it.
Very good, will make again. I used 2% based on other comments, it came out fine. Not as thick as a cream-based soup (versus broth-based), but still a keeper.
