Chicken Chowder with Drop Biscuits

The ultimate in comfort food, my chicken chowder is a rich, hearty soup that feels like a warm, cozy blanket for the belly. Filled with vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, butternut squash, peas, and corn, plus tender chicken, this chicken chowder recipe comes complete with warm, buttery, drop biscuits for dipping!

A Creamy Chowder Brimming with Chicken and Winter Veggies

In the cold months, when the weather is blustery and the wind blows extra chilly, chowder is my go to when it comes to warming our bellies and providing us with much needed extra coziness.

A thick, rich chowder utterly brimming with lots of seasonal vegetables and chunks of juicy chicken is always a very welcome option, especially when there are fresh-out-of-the-oven, piping-hot drop biscuits to accompany—my, oh, my!

My creamy chicken chowder is a hearty soup that I like to prepare mostly during the winter months, when vegetables such as parsnips and cubed butternut squash are plentiful in the markets, as both of these offer lots of earthy sweetness to compliment with the carrots, celery, onion, corn and peas contained within.

While delightfully rich and velvety, this chicken chowder recipe is not heavy. It's prepared with chicken stock and a relatively small addition of half and half (or heavy cream, if one prefers), which provides just enough delicious creaminess.

And those drop biscuits...?

Those are incredibly easy to mix up in one bowl and drop by the heaping spoonful onto a baking sheet, then bake off for just a few minutes until steaming-hot, buttery and perfect for crumbling or dipping into the chicken chowder!

My Recipe for Chicken Chowder with Chive Drop Biscuits

To create a chicken chowder that has lots of creamy flavor and velvety texture, yet isn't too heavy and overly rich, I like to use a base of chicken stock and some flour for thickening.

I saute my vegetables in some butter, add in some aromatics, then sprinkle over this some flour to create a bit of a roux, or thickener, for when I add in my chicken stock.

And once the chicken stock is added to the pot and combined with that bit of flour, it creates some body in the soup, and a thicker texture like that of a hearty chowder.

To provide a little creaminess though, I do like to use a small amount of half and half, which offers just enough richness to this chowder without making it too heavy. One could also use heavy cream if preferred, it's up to personal taste.

To keep things simplified, I also like to use rotisserie chicken for this recipe and just cut the meat into chunks or even shred it for convenience. (If one has left-over roasted chicken, this works terrifically as well.)

And of course, no chowder is quite complete without biscuits for crumbling into it, or even dipping, and my easy chive drop biscuits are light, buttery and tender, mixed up and baked off in minutes!

Here's a sneak peek at my chicken chowder recipe with drop biscuits: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I add my vegetables to my soup pot and saute for a few moments. I then add my aromatic ingredients, along with my flour, followed by my chicken stock.
2. I allow the chicken chowder to simmer gently for about 20 minutes, then add in my diced chicken, half and half, peas and corn, plus the finishing herbs.
3. While the chowder simmers, I mix up my drop biscuit ingredients, drop them by large spoonfuls onto a prepared baking sheet, and bake the biscuits for roughly 14 to 16 minutes, until hot, fluffy, and golden.

Recipe

Chicken Chowder with Drop Biscuits

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This cozy chicken chowder is filled with earthy winter vegetables, and comes with an accompaniment of warm, buttery, chive drop biscuits!

Category: Soup
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 622 calories (per serving with two drop biscuits)

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Chicken Chowder Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced small
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
• 1 parsnip, peeled and diced small
• 2 cups small-cubed butternut squash
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• Salt
• Black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoons herbes de Provence
• 3 ounces all-purpose flour (roughly 11 level tablespoons)
• 6 cups hot chicken stock
• 1 cup half and half (or heavy cream, if preferred)
• 3 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken is ideal for this)
• ½ cup corn kernels
• ¼ cup peas
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Chive Drop Biscuits Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons minced chives

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your chicken chowder ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat, and add in the butter. Once melted, add in the onion, celery, carrot, and parsnip, and saute for a few moments until the vegetables begin to sweat and soften.
3. Add in the butternut squash, the garlic, a couple of pinched of salt and black pepper, the white pepper, and the herbes de Provence, and stir to incorporate. Sprinkle in the flour, and again, stir to incorporate well, stirring for about a minute or so just to cook out the raw flavor of the flour.
4. Pour in the hot chicken stock, whisking vigorously all the while to incorporate the flour into the stock, and avoid lumps from forming. Once whisked smooth and slightly thickened, turn the heat down to medium-low, and allow the chowder to simmer gently for about 20 minutes or so, just until the veggies are tender.
5. While the chowder simmers, gather and prep all of your chive drop biscuit ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
6. Preheat the oven to 425°, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, the salt, pepper and sugar. Drizzle in the melted butter and the buttermilk, and sprinkle in the minced chives, and using a rubber spatula, stir together just until the ingredients are combined (don't over-mix to keep the dough fluffy).
8. Using a generous tablespoon-size scoop (or just a large tablespoon), drop heaping spoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, and bake the drop biscuits for about 14 to 16 minutes, or until a pale-golden color, and puffed.
9. When the soup has finished simmering, turn off the heat. Add in the half and half, the cubed or shredded cooked chicken, the corn kernels, the peas and the chopped parsley, and stir to combine. Check to see if any additional salt/pepper is needed.
10. Ladle up and serve hot with the warm chive drop biscuits.

Tips & Tidbits for my Chicken Chowder with Drop Biscuits recipe:

• Use good quality rotisserie chicken for convenience: This is an ideal recipe to make use of good quality rotisserie chicken, which can easily be diced up or shredded then added into the chowder at the end of cooking—super easy, and quick!
• Parsnips and butternut squash for sweet earthiness: Parsnips are the veggie that looks like a white carrot with a good amount of natural sweetness and lots of flavor. I love using parsnips during the winter months because they're a terrific winter root vegetable, and along with the butternut squash, add really interesting flavor and depth to this chicken chowder. If you can't find any, no worries. You can substitute a small rutabaga or two, or add more carrots and other veggies to make up the difference.
• A touch of half and half, or heavy creamy: While I feel that the half and half offers just enough rich creaminess to this chowder, if you like yours extra creamy, feel free to use heavy cream instead—it will be a bit thicker and richer in flavor.
• How to reheat the chive drop biscuits: I find the best way to reheat these delicious drop biscuits to accompany your bowls of chowder is to place them into a toaster oven set to 325° or so, and gently heat for a few minutes until warmed through. Serve with extra butter, if desired.

Hungry for more comfy-cozy recipes like this one? Check out this Chicken Pot Pie with Drop Biscuits, this Beef Pot Pie, this Chicken and Dumplings Soup, this creamy White Bean Soup, or this Hungarian Red Potato Goulash!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2016, and has been updated with even more love!