Smoked Turkey, Potato, and Corn Chowder

Poor John had some dental work done this past week and his mouth is super sore. Turns out, he needs three crowns and a root canal. Let's just say they started the process of getting his teeth ready for the crowns and that involved some bone drilling! Yikes! I won't give you anymore of the details, but you can imagine how sore his mouth is.

He has strict orders to eat soft foods for a  while. Do you know how hard that is? Well, it is hard! I decided to whip up a batch of chowder and purposefully over cook the potatoes, so they were super soft. This actually worked out well because I got a really creamy effect and great texture without having to add a slurry of any sorts or cream.

I found the smoked turkey legs pre-smoked. They really taste like a smoked pork shank, but obviously have less fat. If you can't find pre-smoked turkey legs, you could smoke your own or just use regular turkey breast or chicken breast. I make this soup all the time with cut up chicken breast and it is super yummy. This is also a one pot meal, so hardly any clean up!

Smoked Turkey, Potato, and Corn Chowder
Makes 6 large bowls

Ingredients:

• 2 large smoked turkey legs - skin removed and meat shredded (alternately use 1 pound chicken or turkey breast cut into chunks)
• 3 carrots diced
• 5 celery stalks diced
• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 potatoes diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 can of corn
• 2 boxes chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

How to Make Smoked Turkey, Potato, and Corn Chowder

1. Drizzle a large stock pot with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add the turkey, carrots, celery, and onion and saute over medium high heat until your vegetables just start to get soft.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Add in the potatoes and garlic and saute for 1-2 more minutes. 
4. Add in the can of corn and the chicken stock. 
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so you have a nice simmer going on. 
6. Adjust your seasoning - your potatoes will suck up a good deal of salt, so you will most likely need to add more. Just taste as you add to assure it is to your liking. 
7. Simmer for 2-3 hours until your chowder becomes nice and thick due to the starch in the potatoes. 

This is a super comforting soup and is also very filing. 

Enjoy!

- H