Warm up to a big bowlful of this easy, cheesy chicken chowder with potatoes and cheddar… perfect comfort food for weeknights or lazy fall weekends!
Yesterday I had a sick day. I wasn’t particularly sick, just not feeling my best, and so pushed aside my to-do list and remained in pajamas for the large majority of the day. On a recent Saturday I had spent all day cooking and strapped to my camera, so a day “off” was long overdue.
As the rain beat against the house and weather waged war outside, I stayed in, snuggled up with a huge, soft blanket and a good movie, and just stopped being productive for a moment… or maybe many moments… which turned into a few hours. These are the occasional joys of being self employed!
But eventually, being lazy and boring got very… well, boring, and I popped over to my desk to answer some emails. Then (after catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror – yikes) traded the soft pj’s for a pair of snug Levi’s and ran a brush through my hair. Success! I was actually making something of this day!
Yes, in this case, a good hairbrush-ing was an accomplishment, people.
After tying up a few loose ends left throughout the day and checking off some more to-do’s, I was feeling a bit more pep in my step! Sometimes it just takes some recharging and relaxing to get you going again. Or, in my case, chocolate and fuzzy socks and a so-bad-it’s-good Kate Hudson flick.
For my final act, I decided to whip up this simple, comforting chicken potato chowder with a bunch of pantry staples, fresh veggies and a leftover chopped up rotisserie chicken. Hearty and full of homemade goodness, this soup was absolutely perfect for a gloomy day and smelled amazing as it bubbled on the stovetop. Every creamy, cheesy spoonful was like getting a big grandma hug from the inside… and you know that’s gotta be good!
I’ll be simmering and slurping up this chowder all winter long, especially since it’s so easy and we always have the ingredients to make it on the fly. I know you and your family will love it, too!
Cheesy Chicken and Potato Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups 2 medium diced peeled potatoes
- 1 cup 2-3 medium diced carrots
- 1 cup 3 medium stalks diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk, I used skim
- 2 cups 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a 4-quart saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat; add the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper and thyme. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Reduce heat and add cheese, stirring until melted. Stir cheese mixture and shredded chicken into broth. Cook and stir until heated through.
- Ladle into serving bowls. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
- Enjoy!
Sometimes a recharge is necessary! I think I’m overdue for one.
Now this chowder – love it! I’d be happy to trade my chili for this :)
I can’t remember the last time I had a “stay in your PJ” day or “stay in your PJ” most of the day but it sounds so good. Especially when you can curl up with this hearty and comforting soup. Will be putting this on my to-make list. Have a great rest of the week Georgia! :)
i hope you are feeling recharged, little jealous of your self employed situation..I could see myself making a large batch of this soup very soon.
I LOVE this chowder! I know it’s spring and not autumn here but I could happily eat a bowl of this right now.
Nothing like taking time for some R&R to get you inspired and motivated again for more hard work! I did the same yesterday in my jambes…but, was recovering from an allergic reaction (to fingerling potatoes of all things!) with swollen face, eyelids and red facial bumps. No fun! The Benadryl knocked me out and I slept the day away. What I need right now is this chowder! Mmm…looks delish, girl! Beautiful photos, as always! Thanks for sharing. Pinning!
Hahaha! OK, this spell check thing? Drives me nuts! I typed “jammies” but it “corrected” me with “jambes”, LOL! ;)
A super satisfying and delicious chowder!
pajama days are just necessary sometimes! Hope you’re feeling better today. I’d seriously love a bowl of this!
This is comfort food at it’s finest…yummmmyyy!
i am scheduling a recharge for tomorrow. crossing my fingers that my boss approves the time off!
We all need a (non-sick) day once in awhile. It does wonders – doesn’t it? This soup looks so creamy and yummy Georgia. I am definitely ready to start making homemade soups again.
I have been in soup mode all this week and this chowder looks fantastic to try. It really looks creamy, which I love in soups. I love the fact that this has 2 cups of cheese, I just love cheese and the more the better :-)
This soup looks like the perfect meal for a lazy day! I love how cozy and delish it looks, and the addition of cheese sounds amazing :)
Hope you’re feeling better! Love a good, creamy chowder! This looks amazing!
A day in pj’s sounds just perfect. I’d love a big bowl of this comforting chowder!
Ah I want a pajama day! Sounds fabulous–and so does this soup!
Hope you are feeling better and charged up. We all need it once in a while.
Now, this soup is so perfect, it’s getting slightly chilly around here. But, regardless would love to have this comforting chicken chowder.
What a perfect recipe for the Fall!! This looks amazing!
Everybody deserve a couple of hours relexation and nothing like soup to calm the soul.
Sounds delicious, Georgia! Hope you’re feeling all better now!!
Hope you are feeling better Georgia, there’s nothing better than getting a much needed recharge :) This soup looks absolutely perfect for comforting the soul and taste buds. Gorgeous pics as always :) Pinning to make this since it’s perfect for those rainy days we’ll be getting here soon, thanks for sharing Georgia :)
Great-looking soup, Georgia! So creamy and comforting!
This just screams COMFORT FOOD! Adding this to my “must make” list!
Looks yummy! Do you use homemade chicken broth? If not, what brand do you recommend? thanks!
This soup is perfect– especially now that flu-season is in full-swing. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Your partial day off sounds so good and is SO what I need right now. And, how perfect is this soup for a day like that? Pure comfort.
A big bowl of this soup would be the ideal first step to a day of relaxation!
Ah! So glad you took the day to take care of yourself..and that it eventually ended up with this soup. Looks so very good and comforting, sweet friend!
Just made this for lunch, and it is very good! I used unpeeled yukon gold potatoes and some dried onion. I’ll be making it again :)
No, but you can! I just use Swanson low-sodium chicken broth.
I adore a good chowder and yours takes a different direction than mine usually do. I can’t wait to try it!
This was wonderful. I had to adapt a couple of things with what I had in the house (for ex. no chicken stock, but had vegetable stock) but the flavor was terrific and everyone wanted seconds. Thanks for sharing this.
i’ve been dying for some thick and hearty soup recipes and this fits the bill & then some! LOVE that it’s cheesy and creamy.. that totally makes my tummy happy :)
I could totally go for a sick day right now – especially if it involves a pot of this soup!
What a hearty soup!! Bet it would warm you up on a cool fall night…
I saw this on pinterest and immediately got to work. What a fantastic reward! We harvested potatoes from our garden today and they were so good in this! It is a keeper for sure!
Mmmm.. so comforting! I could go for a few bowls, right now :D
I made this the other day and it is to die for. I will make this again and again. I had some turkey that needed to be used so instead of chicken I used turkey. This soup is simply amazing, This would be great for the turkey left overs after Thanksgiving, keep that in mind everyone. Thank you for the recipe.
I’ve just finished making this chowder. I followed the recipe exactly as written and was delicious. This recipe is a keeper. I’m going to take some to my parents tomorrow after I get off work.
I’ve made this soup so many times since I found it! I always trade out the chicken for ham and it is devoured by my husband. I make large batches, sometimes even tripling the recipe! Always a home run in my home! Thanks!
Thank you so much! My whole family love this.
Loved this soup! Thanks for such a great recipe. I will halve the thyme on my next batch…it was a little too strong, but everything else was perfect. Thanks :)
We just made this for dinner and it is a huge hit! Great meal for a cold night. Love the flavor of everything. We will definitely be making this a lot more in the future. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Could this be done in a crock pot? Or maybe cooking it, the night before then putting it in the fridge and in the crock pot to reheat the next day?
Since it’s a creamy, cheesy soup I wouldn’t recommend cooking it in the CrockPot, but you could certainly try it. Cooking it on your stovetop and reheating in the CrockPot at a low temp should work fine.
This is a great recipe. I made it tonight, and my husband loved it. Delicious, and easy. Great way to use up the last of a rotisserie chicken.
5 stars! This was veeery good. I served it with little toast points and the family loved it. Thanks!
I love this recipe, I made this for supper and it’s so delicious we all had two serving. Sharing with family & friends! THANKS!!!!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! Consider it added to the bucket list.