What a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. For the first time in months, I spent Saturday doing “my thing” – that is, taking a walk, hitting up the mall and cooking something tasty (i.e., chicken and sweet potato chowder) … all before 1:00 p.m.
I’ve been craving soup ever since mentioning to a coworker I was in the mood for it as we were looking for a place to eat at McCarran International Airport three Wednesdays ago. Her response: “Soup is the worst item to order when dining out.” Needless to say, I ended up polishing off a salad at California Pizza Kitchen.
To satisfy my hankering, I prepared this healthy and hearty chicken and sweet potato chowder. Not only is it quick and easy to assemble, but it’s also completely safe to consume (unless, of course, you avoid meat or have certain food allergies).
Recipe adapted from Food & Wine.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 leeks (white and light green parts only), quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced and rinsed
- 2 medium yellow carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½" cubes
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups chicken broth (see notes)
- ground white pepper, to taste
- 1 cup coconut milk
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and black pepper and place in the pot. Cook chicken until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
- Add onion and leek to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add carrots and sweet potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
- Return chicken to pot. Add sage, thyme, bay leaf and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
- Remove about 1½ cups of vegetables and liquid from pot and purée; return to pot. Add coconut milk and cook for 3 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
