Cauliflower Chicken Chowder

If you don’t mind, I’m gonna keep things short and sweet today. I mean, I’m finally back on my feet after not really being able to walk all day yesterday, but I’m still in a fair amount of pain, and I find it hard to be sitting in this chair while I write. I constantly have to change positions, as this stiff leg of mine can’t ever seem to get comfortably and painlessly settled.

Plus, the pain killers / anti-inflammatory that I have to take are making me feel overly tired and kinda light headed.

The operation went well, though; much better than I anticipated. Now I need to get used to walking on crutches, which I will have to do for the next two weeks, and THAT is much more complicated than I figured it would be. I hadn’t really thought about the fact that, while I’m holding on to those crutches, it makes it kinda hard to carry stuff around… if not darn near impossible. These things should come equipped with attached carrying baskets, me says!

So being on crutches is making any attempts at cooking very, very complicated.

Good thing I had at least anticipated the fact that I probably wouldn’t feel like cooking much immediately after the operation, so I’d made a couple of easily re-heatable dishes before I went in.

Deliciously comforting dishes, such as this hearty and nutritious Cauliflower Chicken Chowder: a thick and velvety cream of cauliflower soup that’s generously filled with beautiful chunks of soft potatoes, huge pieces of cooked chicken, vibrant green and peppery arugula and just what it takes of smoked bacon, cooked to crispy perfection.

I know, I know, it’s not really soup season, but this one really hit the spot for me. I only wish I had made more of it, for honestly, it’s soooo good and comforting, I absolutely wouldn’t mind eating it all week! 

Place the cauliflower in a steam basket, set it over boiling water and cook until it becomes super tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Alternatively, you could also cook your cauliflower in the microwave. Simply place it in a bowl, add about a quarter of a cup of salted water, cover loosely with plastic film and cook it for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until it becomes super tender.

While the cauliflower is cooking, put the diced bacon in a large stock pot set over medium heat and cook it until it’s all nice and crispy; then, remove it to a plate with a slotted spoon but leave the fat in the stockpot.

Throw in the onion and cook it until it becomes translucent and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Then, add the potatoes, salt, white pepper and chili flakes and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, until the potatoes are well coated in the bacon fat and spices and get a slight golden coloration.

If you’re not a fan of white potatoes, feel free to swap sweet potatoes instead, or squash, or even rutabaga, why not? Carrots would also work very nicely, or a combination of all of the above!

Next, pour in some chicken stock, water, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, celery seeds and turmeric.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the potatoes become soft, which should take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes.

When the cauliflower is nice and tender, take it off the heat and carefully transfer it to your blender or food processor. Add a couple of ladlefuls of the hot liquid from the simmering soup and process on high speed until super smooth and silky in consistency.

When I made this particular soup, my beloved Vitamix was out for repair so I was stuck using my little Nutri Ninja Pro, but it handled the job perfectly well. The only thing is I had to work in two batches. Bah. No biggie! The soup still came out super smooth and silky.

So if this, or something similar to this, is all you have on hand, know that it can get the job done quite efficiently!

Pour the pureed cauliflower right back into the stockpot and stir until well incorporated.

Add the cooked chicken (make sure you save a handful to garnish the soup later) and arugula.

If you’re not a fan of arugula, go ahead and sub spinach, kale, collards or even bok choy, why not?

Stir delicately until the arugula is completely wilted and the chicken is warmed all the way through.

Serve immediately, garnished with a few pieces of cooked chicken and a sprinkle of crispy bacon.

Or, throw it in the freezer and save it for one of those occasions where cooking won’t be really be an option for ya…

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4.29 from 7 votes

Cauliflower Chicken Chowder

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

This Cauliflower Chicken Chowder is a thick and velvety cauliflower soup filled with chunks of soft potatoes, huge pieces of chicken, peppery arugula and crispy bacon.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 750g / 1.65lb)
• 4 slices smoked bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 medium red skinned potatoes, diced
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp celery seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 lb cooked chicken, diced
• 3 cups arugula

Instructions

• Place the cauliflower in a steam basket, set it over boiling water and cook until super tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large stock pot set over medium heat, until it’s nice and crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon but leave the fat in the stockpot.
• Throw in the onion and cook until translucent and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Then, add the potatoes, salt, white pepper and chili flakes and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, until the potatoes are well coated in the bacon fat and spices and start to color slightly.
• Pour in chicken stock, water, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, celery seeds and turmeric. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the potatoes become soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• When the cauliflower is nice and tender, take it off the heat and carefully transfer it to your blender or food processor. Add a couple of ladlefuls of the hot liquid from the simmering soup and process on high speed until super smooth and silky in consistency. Pour that right back into the stockpot and stir until well incorporated.
• Finally, add the cooked chicken (save a little bit for garnish if you want to) and arugula. Stir delicately until the arugula is completely wilted and the chicken is warmed all the way through.
• Serve immediately, garnished with a few pieces of cooked chicken and a sprinkle of crispy bacon.

Nutrition

Calories: 327kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 904mg, Potassium: 1247mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 412IU, Vitamin C: 59mg, Calcium: 68mg, Iron: 3mg

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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