Ingredients for Chicken Corn Chowder

Chicken corn chowder is the perfect recipe for using up fresh, seasonal corn cobs. However, you can make it with canned corn: though the sweet flavor won’t be nearly as developed, it works in a pinch! This soup is great for transitional weather from summer to fall, and it’s fitting for winter with canned corn when you need a cozy, filling meal. Here’s what you’ll need for this chowder recipe:

• Fresh sweet corn, cobs included: Don’t discard the cobs; they go in the pot.
• Yellow potatoes: Yukon Golds break down just enough at the edges to thicken the broth.
• Sweet onion, celery, carrots, and garlic: These veggies form the aromatic base to the recipe.
• Boneless skinless chicken breast: Poached whole, then shredded.
• Chicken broth and 2% milk: The milk is what makes this a chowder rather than a soup. Going meatless? Swap in homemade vegetable broth.
• Butter and olive oil: Both. The butter is for flavor, the oil raises the smoke point so the aromatics don’t scorch.
• Smoked paprika, thyme, onion powder, and garlic powder — The blend that keeps it from tasting flat.
• Heavy cream — Optional. A ¼ cup at the end rounds everything out.

How to Make Chicken Corn Chowder

Here’s the basic idea of this soup before you commit (or jump to the recipe for quantities):

1. Build the base. Melt butter with olive oil in a Dutch oven and saute the onion, celery, and carrots. Add the garlic and diced potatoes and keep going a few minutes more.
2. Add everything else. Add the corn kernels, the broken cobs, chicken broth, milk, the raw chicken breast, and spices.
3. Simmer, don’t boil. Hold it at a simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
4. Pull the cobs and the chicken. Discard the cobs. Shred the breast with two forks and set it aside.
5. Puree some of the soup itself. Blending a few cups of the soup together results in a beautifully creamy soup body.
6. Add a little heavy cream. But there’s nothing little a bit of cream to make a rich, hearty broth. I think it tastes best with just ¼ cup of heavy cream.

Ways to Cut Corn Off the Cob

This chicken corn chowder requires a bit of time to prep all the ingredients, especially when it comes to cutting corn off the cob! This is a notoriously tedious process that often ends with kernels of corn all over the floor. Here are a few of my favorite methods for cutting corn:

• Bundt pan method. Place the corn cob right on top of the raised center part of a Bundt pan. When you slice downward, the Bundt pan catches all the corn kernels! Go to How to Cut Corn Off the Cob.
• Inverted small bowl inside larger bowl. You can also use an inverted small bowl inside a larger bowl to catch the kernels (here’s a video).
• Mandoline. If you have a mandoline, use it to cut corn off the cob. It slides right off without making a mess!

Variations on This Corn Chowder

Want to make this soup without chicken, or make it dairy-free? Here’s what to do:

• Vegetarian: Make this Corn Chowder! Or take the recipe below, omit the chicken, and use vegetable broth. You may find you need to add extra salt: you may want to substitute the 2 teaspoons kosher salt with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 tablespoons soy sauce, which adds a nice meaty flavor.
• Dairy-Free or Vegan: Make this Vegan Corn Chowder, which uses cashews to blend into a creamy base.

The Best Bread for Avocado Toast

The most important part of a great avocado toast, outside of a ripe avocado of course, is the bread! Here’s what to use:

• Sourdough is a great choice; try my popular sourdough bread recipe if you have a starter on hand.
• A sturdy country loaf works well: try my easy no knead bread for a great simple homemade bread, no starter required.
• Whole grain or seeded bread is also great; try my multigrain bread or a purchased loaf.
• Remember, thin sandwich bread will fail you. A squishy store-bought loaf is just not as good!

Mashing the Avocado (& What I Add)

The most important part is starting with a ripe avocado! Squeeze it and find one that yields to gentle pressure near the stem, but you don’t want it to leave a dent when you touch it. If it leaves a thumbprint, it’s probably past its prime.

Halve it, pit it, and scoop it into a small bowl: you can also follow my tips for how to cut an avocado for the safest method.

What I add to make the flavor pop? I use ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder: it adds the best savory flavor! If you like, you can also add a squeeze of lemon, which also helps the avocado to stay green.

My Favorite Avocado Toast Toppings

Here’s the exact combination I made here, which you could also call Mediterranean avocado toast! I love that it feels fancy and substantial enough to make as a Mediterranean diet lunch or simple dinner with some sides.

• Thinly sliced English cucumber: I toss mine with lemon and salt. I actually like to use a mandoline to get it super thin!
• Kalamata olives: These add a briny pop.
• Cherry tomatoes: These add a sweet pop of brightness.
• Pickled red onions: Make a big batch of pickled red onions to add a tangy pop and a bright pink color.
• Crumbled feta: I add just a bit for a beautiful garnish.
• Red pepper flakes and dried oregano: These add intrigue in flavor with no effort.
• Fresh dill or herbs: These aren’t required for the flavor, but if you have them on hand it adds a nice vibe.

What to Serve With Avocado Toast

I usually like to add protein when I serve avocado toast. Here are some ideas for protein as well as some other side dishes:

• Eggs like sunny side up egg, poached egg, or hard boiled egg
• Cottage cheese, a big dollop alongside
• Bean salads like cannellini bean salad, dense bean salad, or Mediterranean chickpea salad
• Other salads like cucumber salad or strawberry arugula salad

Key Ingredients In This White Bean Salad

• Cannellini beans: These are large white Italian kidney beans with a creamy texture: they’re softer than a navy bean and smaller than a butter bean. But you can swap in any type of white bean you like.
• Fresh herbs: I love using mint in bean salads, and I also have a lot of basil on hand so I used both. If it’s winter you can use store-bought Italian parsley, and if you want to splurge add a little store-bought mint too.
• Sumac: Okay, it really is worth buying a jar for this recipe: you’ll use it in everything! It’s a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern spice made from ground from dried sumac berries and it tastes tangy and fruity. Look for it in the international aisle. If you can’t find it, lemon zest is a good sub. Leftovers are great on baked salmon.
• Pickled red onions. This is the game changer! I love making a big jar of my pickled red onions to keep on hand for the week.
• Feta cheese. I love feta in a bean salad for the texture and salty flavor it adds. If you want it dairy free add a bit more salt, or use vegan feta.
• Cherry tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil: These add the final flavoring to the dish.

Ways To Serve This Bean Salad

It plays well with almost anything off the grill or out of the oven:

• Alongside easy baked salmon or pan seared salmon
• On a mezze spread with classic hummus, tzatziki sauce, whipped feta dip, and pita chips
• In Greek pita sandwiches
• Next to baked falafel for a vegetarian plate
• On a Mediterranean bowl or easy grain bowl
• For a summer table with fresh tomato salad and Greek salad
• Packed for lunch: one of my go-to Mediterranean diet lunch ideas

Ingredients for Lemon Blueberry Pancakes

This lemon blueberry pancakes recipe is based on my fluffy Greek yogurt pancakes. There’s enough lemon to peek through with a tangy citrus zing. Here’s what you’ll need for these pancakes:

• All purpose flour: You can also use half and half all purpose and whole wheat flour: you may need a splash of extra milk.
• Baking powder, sugar and salt: The expected cast of baking characters.
• Egg: An egg binds the batter and adds richness.
• Milk: You can use 2% or any type you have on hand, including non-dairy milk.
• Greek yogurt: I always have Greek yogurt in the refrigerator, so I prefer using that to buttermilk. Greek yogurt pancakes get just as tangy and creamy!
• Lemon juice and zest: Always use a fresh lemon for lemon recipes, never bottled juie.
• Neutral oil or olive oil: I like using olive oil, but you can also use grapeseed, organic canola oil, or organic vegetable oil
• Blueberries: Fresh or frozen work here! Don’t defrost berries before using them.

The Right Way to Add Blueberries to Pancakes

Here’s the biggest mistake people make with blueberry pancakes: they add the blueberries to the pancake batter. What’s wrong with that? Well, there’s a better way to add berries to pancakes. How should you add berries to pancakes?

• Pour the batter onto the griddle, then place the blueberries on top of each pancake. Why?
• This makes for even blueberry distribution! Place the berries in the batter itself and it makes lumpy pancakes and uneven distribution. You’ll thank us later.

Tips for Using Frozen Berries

Got loads of fresh blueberries for these lemon blueberry pancakes? Perfect! Fresh berries are our favorite for adding to blueberry pancakes. But guess what? Frozen are just as good!

Here’s a question: do you need to thaw frozen blueberries for pancakes? Good news: no! There’s no need to thaw frozen berries because they defrost as part of the cooking process. Defrosting blueberries can be a messy business, and once they’re thawed they can make purple streaks in baked goods and pancakes. So just pop them in frozen: it works like a charm!

Variations and Substitutions

Want a vegan variation on these lemon blueberry pancakes recipe? Here’s what to do to make it plant-based:

• Substitute almond milk for the milk and Greek yogurt. Use 1 cup almond milk total, then add a few more splashes to get to a pourable consistency.
• Use a flax egg for the egg. A flax egg is simply flax seed plus water, combined to form a gel that’s used in vegan baking. It acts as a binder just like a real egg.

Or, go to Vegan Blueberry Pancakes and add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 teaspoons lemon zest.