Thanksgiving Chowder

When you cook a huge 25-pound turkey for Thanksgiving, chances are you’ll have leftovers. This year, I decided I would experiment a little bit with the remaining turkey … which ended up becoming chowder. Taking my experience with making soups and chowders, I concocted a recipe that used all the key staples of any Thanksgiving dinner – potatoes, turkey, carrots, corn. Thankfully, the experiment worked out and the chowder was a hit. Guess I know how I’ll be spending Black Fridays from now on.

8 cups chicken broth
2 cups potatoes
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
3 cups milk
1-1/2 cups cooked turkey
1 - 14-oz. can corn (optional)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. sage
salt and pepper to taste

In a Dutch oven, combine the broth, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. Bring to a boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until well-blended. Add the milk and stir until thickened and bubbly. Pour the milk mixture into the Dutch oven and return to a boil. Add the turkey and spices; stir and heat through.