I love hearty and cream-based soups with great contrasting flavors. Because of this, our recipe for today is the infamous Buffalo chicken-sweet potato chowder. Of course, these are not flavors typical of my home country, Brazil, but rather are from my American table. As a Brazilian who has been living for approximately 11 years in this country, I have learned to enjoy many American dishes.
Our dish is none other than a combination of two different dishes – buffalo chicken wings and chowder– but with many contrasting flavors that wind up really complementing one another well: spicy, sweet, sour, and salty.
For those that have never visited the United States, Buffalo chicken wings are a spicy appetizer (or bar food) served along with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing for dipping. The dish was created in the city of Buffalo, New York… And chowder? A chowder is a chunky potato and milk/cream-based, thickened soup that is often eaten with saltine crackers. The most well-known chowder here is New England clam chowder.
Since I am a fan of both dishes, I decided to combine both into a single dish. The result? A very happy husband, who usually is not a fan of chowders at all, but became a fan of this one. 🙂 Yay!!!
Enjoy…
xx
Buffalo Chicken-Sweet Potato Chowder
Serves 4
Segment: From My Table To Yours
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, small diced
2 stalks celery, small diced
1 large carrot, small diced
1 pound chicken, cubed into bite sized pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
A good pinch of cayenne pepper (if you are not a fan of heat, skip it)
1/3 cup dry white wine
3-1/4 cups chicken broth or stock, divided
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and large diced (these give the chowder a mildly sweet taste. But they can be replaced by any variety of boiling potatoes)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tablespoon of fresh thyme
1/4 cup flour (rice flour for gluten free)
1-2 teaspoons salt (I used 2 teaspoons in mine)
A pinch of ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream (for a dairy-free version, use a dairy-free milk such as rice or coconut milk)
4 tablespoons green onions, chopped
Juice of 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
Sour cream or crumbled blue cheese to serve on top (or just crumbled saltine crackers or croutons)
Directions:
1. In a large non-stick saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat, add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until tender (about 7 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and then the chicken, and sauté until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cayenne pepper, and let cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Return sauteed vegetables to the pan. Add the wine and let evaporate until almost totally absorbed. Stir in 3 cups of chicken broth, the sweet potatoes, bay leaf, and thyme. Then, reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer until potatoes are tender (approximately 12-15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve flour in the remaining 1/4 cup of broth and add to the mixture, stirring constantly until chowder has thickened, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream. Remove from heat, sprinkle chopped green onion, and stir in the lemon juice. Serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream or crumbled blue cheese on top. The chowder can also be accompanied by saltine crackers, biscuits, or toast.
You might also enjoy:
- Portuguese Green/Kale Soup (Caldo Verde)
- Grandma’s Chicken Soup with Vegetables (Canja de Galinha com Legumes)
- Tortellini Soup (Capelete in Brodo)
- Lentil and Beef Soup (Sopa de Lentilha)
- Ravioli Soup (Sopa de Ravióli)
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The Café Sucre Farine
What an amazingly delicious combination of favorite American flavors. I think you hit it out of the ballpark with this one Denise!
Denise Browning
Thanks, Chris!!! I am so glad that you liked it…
SallyBR
Awesome take on a classic! I know a certain gentleman who would loooove a bowl of this soup…
the weather here is getting real hot real fast, but I’m keeping this recipe in mind for the future
wonderful photos, as usual…
Denise Browning
Thanks, Sally! We love this soup so we eat it anytime of the year. The weather is crazy here in Texas. One day is very sunny and warm, and the following day is rainy and cold.
SallyBR
Come to think of it, not that different from Kansas… I might enjoy this soup sooner rather than later… 🙂
Deb
A husband pleaser indeed! What a wonderful combination of flavors and your photos are very appealing!
Denise Browning
Thanks a lot, Deb! You are always so sweet. Yes, I am pleased–and also relieved– that my hubby enjoyed the soup. This was lunch. 🙂
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
This soup is calling me all the way down here. I love it! Nothing in there that I don’t enjoy eating by the bucketload. 🙂
Denise Browning
Maureen: You made me smile!!!!
Liz
I love how you turned buffalo chicken into a chowder! It sounds fantastic. Of course it was perfect soup weather last week, but close to 90º today! May have to put off trying this for a while 🙂
Denise Browning
Liz: We loved this soup so much that we plan to eat all year round. 🙂
Wizzy
I love buffalo wings and chowder but would have never thought to put the two together. Sounds like a lovely combination. Yum.
Denise Browning
Thanks, Wizzy! Our palates thought that this was a great combination.
Lail | With A Spin
This sounds fantastic, Denise. I know my husband would love this too 🙂
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
Everything about this chowder screams COMFORT FOOD! 😀
Amira
What a hearty dish this is !!! it so so so deliciouse I love these spicy wings but I am not a fan of chowders as well but I guess I will end up happy as youe hubby was :). Flavorful recipe and very very nice pictures as usual.
Mi Vida en un Dulce
This is really new for me, ok, I’m familiar with buffalo wings, but not chowder.
Anyway, your soup looks perfect…!!!
Raymund
There’s a reason why chowders ate my favorite soup, just look at that bowl.
Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen
This is such a delicious looking soup! I really love the sound of the flavour combinations in it too, such an original and creative idea!
Anne@FromMySweetHeart
Ohhh….gorgeous chowder, Denise! I really love the pairing of spicy and sweet here. And the colors are so inviting! : )
Kathleen
Hi Denise,
I can’t wait to try this recipe. It sounds delish and my youngest daugher is a huge buffalo chicken fan. I love the idea of the sweet potatoes. YUMMY and must try….thanks so much!
Denise Browning
Thank you! I hope she enjoys this comforting chowder with bold flavors.