Recipe: New England Chicken and Corn Chowder

New England Chicken & Corn
SIX TO EIGHT SERVINGS

6 cups Basic Chicken Soup
2 lbs. skinless and boneless chicken breast; or one 3 1/2-4 pound chicken, quartered
4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels; 2 cups pureed in
a blender or food processor and rest left whole.
3 oz. lean, streaky salt pork without rind, well rinsed
and diced.
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 tender celery stalks, diced
3 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and diced
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup heavy cream , or to taste
unsalted butter, for garnish
sweet or hot paprika
pilot crackers or ships' biscuits

If you have the soup prepared, simmer it with the chicken breast for about 8 minutes or until chicken is firm and white but not quite thoroughly cooked. Skim and reserve broth; cube
and reserve chicken. If you do not have the soup, prepare it with quartered chicken according to the recipe for Basic Chicken Soup. Degrease soup, strain and discard vegetables, and measure 6 cups of soup into a 2 1/2- 3 quart saucepan. Remove chicken meat from bones and skin. Cut breast and thigh meat into cubes and add to the soup, along with the pureed and whole corn kernels. If using a whole chicken, reserve wings and drumsticks for nibbling. Fry salt pork slowly in a small skillet until it is golden brown. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels, and reserve for garnish if you like, or discard. Saute onion and celery in rendered pork fat until they are light golden brown. Add to soup along with potatoes. Simmer gently but steadily, partly covered, for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are almost soft. Season with salt and pepper. The soup can be prepared in advance up to this point and stored, covered, in the refrigerator, for 2 days. Return to room
temperature before proceeding with recipe. Stir in the half-and-half and simmer 10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in cream and heat thoroughly. Serve in warm cups or bowls, garnished with a dab of butter and sprinklings
of sweet and hot paprika. Top with reserved pork cracklings. Pass crackers or biscuits. Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 day, although this soup tastes best freshly made.