Chicken, Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

Happy New Year!  Did you make any resolutions?  Let me guess - one is probably to eat a little healthier?  That is a great resolution and this chowder will totally help you with that one.

It's loaded with good-for-you ingredients.  Tons of veggies are packed into this chunky chowder.  It's a really easy recipe too, but it does have a little bit of prep time involved chopping all those vegetables.  I had never had sweet potatoes in a savory recipe and after one bite, I was sold!  I am convinced to use sweet potatoes more often.  Really, don't be scared of the sweet potatoes.  Trust me.

Seriously . . . The flavor of this chowder is SO GOOD!  

It's thinner than a lot of chowder recipes.  You can always make it thicker by either adding 2-3 Tablespoons of flour to the sautéed onion mixture before adding the thyme and tomato paste or you could stir in a few Tablespoons of cornstarch that has been mixed with cold water to the simmering mixture.

I decided to skip both of those, but instead, I added a little Greek yogurt at the end.  The Greek yogurt adds a rich creaminess to the soup.  All of these are totally optional.  It's delicious as is, without adding any thickeners.       

This chowder really is a new favorite and I can't wait to try out more savory recipes with sweet potatoes this year.  Do you have any favorite savory dishes that call for sweet potatoes?

You might also like:
Cheesy Vegetable Soup
White Bean, Ham and Wild Rice Chowder
Weeknight Cheesy Corn Chowder

Chicken, Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder
slightly adapted from: Paula Deen
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

2 Tbl. unsalted butter
1 c. finely chopped onion
2 celery stalks, chopped (around 1/2 cup)
1 poblano pepper, ribbed, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbl. tomato paste
4 c. diced sweet potatoes, peeled (1-2 sweet potatoes)
3 c. diced red potatoes, peeled (around 2 potatoes)
2 (14.5 oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 c. frozen corn
3 c. low-fat milk
1 - 1 1/2 c. diced cooked chicken (around 1 large breast)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt, opt.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery and poblano and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the thyme and tomato paste and cook for one minute.  Add the sweet potatoes, red potatoes and chicken broth.  Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Add the corn, milk and chicken and simmer for 5 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.   

Last, stir in the Greek yogurt, if adding.  It helps add a bit of creaminess to the chowder.  Heat until warmed through and serve.  This tastes great garnished with a little chopped parsley or cilantro.  Serves: 5-6