Alexander's Shredded Chicken and Roasted Broccoli Chowder

Chefalain.com received this recipe from Alex, January 9th 2016. This young chef is quite the culinary star, so we strongly encourage you to try this!

Ingredients:

    Protein:
    • Chicken Breast – 2 medium, cut into sizeable chunks.
    • Pancetta – 1 package.
    Produce:
    • White Onion – 1 medium, finely diced.
    • Red Onion – 1/2 medium, finely diced.
    • Garlic – 3-4 cloves, crushed and finely diced.
    • Sundried Tomato – 1-2, finely diced.
    • Baby Bok Choy – 3 little clusters, rinced, bottoms discarded, lower part of stalk sliced into lengths, leaves and upper stalk roughly chopped and set aside.
    • Lima Beans – 1/2 can, drained.
    • Broccoli – 4 heads, cut into small florets, stalk of one peeled and finely chopped.
    • Corn – 1 small can, drained.
    • Baby Carrots – 2 large handfuls chopped into rough chunks.
    • Golden Potatoes – 0.75lb (half a small bag) halved.
    Liquids:
    • Vegetable Broth – 900ml tetrapack.
    • Cream – 237ml 15%.
    Misc.:
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    • Olive Oil

    Instructions:

    • Pre-heat oven to 375F. In a roasting pan, toss Broccoli Florets with some Olive Oil to coat and a generous amount of Salt. Put to the side.
    • Bring a small amount of Olive Oil to medium heat in a medium pan. Add Chicken and brown. Once chicken is not-quite-completely-cooked, transfer to cutting board and shred the chicken. This can be done by running a fork through the chicken or, if your fingers can handle the heat, by pulling it apart my hand. Add chicken to a bowl and put to the side.
    • Put a large soup pot on medium heat and cover bottom with thin film of Olive Oil. Once heated, add Pancetta and lightly brown (2-3 minutes). Add the White Onion, Red Onion, Garlic, Broccoli Stalk, Bok Choy Stalk, and Sundried Tomato and sweat for 8-10 minutes, stirring often. Season with Salt and Pepper (Note: the pancetta will add a lot of the necessary salt, so be careful not to overuse salt).
    • Place roasting pan with Broccoli Florets in middle rack of oven and roast for about 7-10 minutes, until the florets start to get brown and crispy.
    • Add Potatoes, Carrots, and Lima Beans to soup pot and stir gently to mix. Pour Vegetable Broth bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer and cover until Potatoes are nearly cooked. You can stir a few times.
    • Once Broccoli Florets are done roasting, transfer them to a Ninja/Magic Bullet/small processor. Add a ladle full of soup and whiz until smooth. Add this delicious roasted, salty, green chowder to the soup.
    • Add Corn and Bok Choy Leaves. Stir for a minute and then gently add the Cream, stirring as you pour. Bring back to a gentle simmer and then add half the Chicken.
    • Ladle about half the soup into a blender, or in small batches in a Ninja/Magic Bullet/small processor. Blend until smooth and then reintroduce to the soup. Doing this in a Ninja/Magic Bullet/small processor will give you more control over your desired consistency.
    • Add remaining half of the Chicken to the soup, season to taste, and heat through.