Chicken and Sweetcorn Chowder

Chowder is one of those soups that started as a way to stretch what was on hand. Along the coast of North America, cooks loaded a big pot with whatever the boats brought in or whatever was stored in the cellar, then thickened it with starch from potatoes or crackers. This version keeps that spirit. It is built on chicken thigh rather than seafood, and the corn does most of the sweetening, so you don't need much else to make it taste rich.

Chicken thigh is worth choosing here over breast. It has a little more fat and a looser texture, so after its short browning and simmer it stays tender instead of turning stringy. If you buy a whole thigh and dice it yourself, cut the pieces about the same size so they cook at the same pace. Corn is a good example of a vegetable that behaves differently depending on how you buy it. Frozen kernels hold their sweetness well and go in straight from the freezer, while canned corn is softer and already salted, so taste before you add any extra salt.

The potato is the quiet hero. Waxy, lower starch varieties hold their shape in the pot, which is what you want for a chunky soup. Crushing a few cubes against the side of the pan, as the method suggests, gives you body without any cream. If the soup is still thinner than you like, a small ladleful blended and stirred back in does the same job. Keep the heat gentle once the milk goes in, because a hard boil can make reduced fat milk look grainy.

Leftovers keep well for two to three days in a sealed container in the fridge. The potato will soak up some liquid overnight, so loosen it with a splash of stock or water when you reheat it. I don't recommend freezing it with the milk already in, since the texture turns grainy once thawed. If you think ahead, make the base without the milk, freeze it, and add the milk fresh when you reheat.

For something on the side, a bowl of this goes nicely with a green salad dressed in lemon and olive oil. If you want something lighter alongside, the Curried Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup makes a bright, earthy partner, and the Skillet Succotash with Corn and Zucchini repeats the corn in a way that feels like a natural follow-on in summer. For a fuller meal, the Easy Chicken Pad Thai for Two gives you a very different take on chicken and vegetables for the same night.