Chicken & Sweetcorn Chowder

Ingredients

• 700 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.2 litres good chicken stock
• 600 g waxy potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• 2 leeks, trimmed, halved lengthways, and sliced
• 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
• fresh thyme, 4 sprigs
• 150 ml double cream
• Natural yoghurt, to serve
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 200 g smoked bacon lardons
• 340 g tin sweetcorn, drained
• 200 g frozen sweetcorn
• 2 bay leaves
• fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve

Method

1. Place the chicken thighs in a large pan, cover with the chicken stock, add the thyme sprigs and bay leaves, and bring to a gentle simmer. Poach for 18–20 minutes until cooked through and the stock smells fragrant. Lift the chicken out and leave to cool slightly on a board. Keep the stock warm.
2. Meanwhile, fry the smoked bacon lardons in a large heavy-based pot over a medium-high heat for 5–6 minutes until the fat has rendered and the bacon is golden and starting to crisp at the edges. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.
3. Add the butter to the bacon fat. Once foaming, add the leeks and cook over a medium heat for about 6 minutes until soft, silky and just beginning to colour. Add the garlic and smoked paprika and cook for a further minute until fragrant.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the leeks, stir well, and cook for 1 minute to knock out the raw flour taste. Gradually pour in the warm poaching stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, until you have a smooth, slightly thickened broth. Fish out and discard the thyme stalks and bay leaves.
5. Add the potato cubes and bring back to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for around 12 minutes until the potatoes are just tender but still holding their shape on the tip of a knife.
6. Use two forks to shred the poached chicken into generous pieces. Add the shredded chicken, the tinned sweetcorn, frozen sweetcorn, and the cooked bacon lardons to the pot. Stir through and heat for 3 minutes until everything is piping hot.
7. Pour in the double cream and stir gently. Heat for 2 minutes without letting it boil — you want it silky, not split. Taste and season generously with salt and black pepper.
8. Ladle into deep bowls, scatter with plenty of chopped flat-leaf parsley, and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a final crack of black pepper. Serve with thick slices of crusty bread for dunking.