This light turkey or chicken corn chowder recipe is my family's favorite leftovers recipe. It's hearty, satisfying and healthy. 223 calories and 3 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
Whether you have leftover turkey from your Thanksgiving feast or an extra rotisserie chicken lying around, this light corn chowder is a hearty meal without all of the extra calories. It's creamy and thick without adding cream, and the flavors of the turkey and corn shine through, alongside a kick from green chiles and cayenne pepper. If you have leftover chicken, that will work, too.
When I'm cooking with chicken breasts or thighs during the week, I try to cook extras so that I can have extras to whip up an easy meal like this. It also works well in some of my other meals that star leftovers.
And what did my family think of this soup? Well, each and every one of them went back for seconds. This is going to be a regular meal in our house!
Here are some of my favorite leftovers recipes that we'll be making this weekend.
Now, let's get to this light corn chowder recipe.
The turkey (or chicken) corn recipe:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat.
Add the onion, celery, red pepper and garlic and cook until the vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the green chiles and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken broth, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and simmer for 3 minutes.
Place the flour in a medium bowl and slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth.
Slowly whisk the milk mixture into the soup, along with the salt and pepper. Cook, whisking frequently, until the soup is thickened, about 15 minutes.
Stir in the turkey (or chicken), Cheddar cheese and cayenne pepper. Stir until the cheese is melted.
Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with green onions and serve.
Other Thanksgiving leftovers recipes:
Leftover Turkey (or Chicken) Lasagna Rolls with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Spinach (Low Fat) {Cookin' Canuck}
Turkey, Brie, Pear & Cherry Chipotle Panini {Cookin' Canuck}
Baked Tortellini with Turkey, Butternut Squash & Chard {Cookin' Canuck}
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Light Turkey (or Chicken) & Corn Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups frozen corn kernels
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups skim milk
- 2 ½ cups shredded cooked turkey or chicken
- ¾ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- green onion thinly sliced (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, red pepper and garlic and cook until the vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the green chiles and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the chicken broth, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the corn and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Place the flour in a medium bowl and slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth.
- Slowly whisk the milk mixture into the soup, along with the salt and pepper. Cook, whisking frequently, until the soup is thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the turkey (or chicken), Cheddar cheese and cayenne pepper. Stir until the cheese is melted.
- Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with green onions and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Stephanie Marsh
We LOVE this recipe. It isn’t as thick and creamy as most chowders, which is precisely why we like it so well. I have made the dish as written and I have also added a couple of diced baked potatoes that I had in the fridge, a couple of large handfuls of baby spinach and a couple of dashes of smoked paprika… also quite delicious. Thank you for a recipe that I will use for years.
Kay
This is a favorite but I was the only one eating the leftovers. I decided to thicken it, add carrots, peas and come bacon. Then made chicken pot pie. It was a hit again!