Creamy Turkey Corn Chowder with Bacon and a Smoky Chipotle Kick

Info

• Cook time: 50 minutes
• Total time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 5 ears corn on the cob
• 4 cups chicken stock
• Herb bundle of parsley, dill and thyme
• 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
• 6 slices good-quality bacon, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 large fresh bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo, pureed
• 1/2 cup masa or corn meal
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• One 4-ounce can diced green chiles
• 1 pound Buttermilk Brined Turkey Breast, recipe follows, or roast turkey breast, sliced and chopped into bite-size pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Crusty Portuguese rolls or toasted English muffins, for dunking

Buttermilk Brined Turkey Breast

• 4 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup Sriracha or other hot sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot
• 2 round tablespoons kosher salt
• 6 to 8 peppercorns
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 lemon, sliced
• A few sprigs chives, coarsely chopped
• A few sprigs dill, coarsely chopped
• A few sprigs parsley, coarsely chopped
• 3 boneless turkey breasts (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• Olive or canola oil
• Poultry seasoning

Instructions

1. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs into a bowl. Put the stripped cobs and the herb bundle into a pot along with the stock and about 3 cups of water; bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
2. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat renders. Stir in the garlic, onions and bay leaf, and cook, stirring often, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the corn kernels and stir in the chipotle puree.
3. Ladle 1 cup of the hot stock over the masa, mix well, and let it sit until thickened.
4. Fish the cobs and herb bundle out of the corn stock and pour the stock into the soup pot. Stir in the thickened masa mixture, the cream and the green chiles. Add the Buttermilk Brined Turkey Breast and bring the soup to a bubble. Simmer until it reaches the thickness you like, then season with salt and pepper.
5. For an even thicker chowder, puree half of the corn kernels before stirring them into the soup.
6. To make the brine, combine the buttermilk, Sriracha, salt, peppercorns, garlic, lemon, chives, dill and parsley in a double-bagged 2 1/2-gallon plastic resealable bag. Add the turkey breasts, then refrigerate on the bottom shelf overnight.
7. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
8. Set a metal rack over or inside a rimmed baking sheet and rub the rack with oil. Take the turkey breasts out of the brine and pat them dry. Place the breasts on the prepared rack, brush the skin with a little oil, sprinkle with poultry seasoning, and cook until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 165 degrees F and the skin is light to medium golden brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour.