Chicken And Corn Chowder

This chicken corn chowder is the perfect one-pot meal for a quick, comforting dinner. Creamy and full of veggies and tender chicken, this recipe is kid-friendly and cooks in just 30 minutes—great for busy weeknights!

 

Why We Love This Chicken And Corn Chowder Recipe

• Hearty, Cozy Meal – Whether you serve this chowder for dinner or lunch, it’s the perfect fill you up kind of soup that warms you to your toes. Make this recipe on a chilly day.
• Easy To Make – This recipe only takes about 30 minutes to cook, plus soup makes a meal that’s pretty forgiving. You can also easily customize the soup to your own tastes in this flavorful soup, and even use it to clear out a few vegetables in the fridge.
• Family Friendly – This is a great soup to start young kids with. It has a lot of easy to eat vegetables and chunks of juicy chicken all in a creamy broth that the whole family will love. All of the ingredients are easy to find and most people have them in their pantry.

Ingredients For Chicken And Corn Chowder

• chicken breast I used boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs or cooked rotisserie chicken.
• salt
• black pepper
• olive oil divided
• butter
• onion diced
• red bell pepper diced
• celery stalks diced
• garlic minced, or use a tablespoon of minced garlic
• all-purpose flour
• chicken broth low sodium
• milk
• corn I used frozen corn, you can also use canned corned that is drained well or fresh corn. This recipe tastes really delicious with summer sweet corn!
• Yukon gold potatoes diced, peeled optional. Yukon gold potatoes have a really soft skin so peeling them is not necessary unless it is what you prefer.
• dried thyme
• bay leaf this must be taken out before serving the soup, see notes
• heavy cream

How To Make Chicken And Corn Chowder

1. Slice the chicken into 1 inch chunks. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the chicken pieces and cook until lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside.

2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter to the same pot the chicken was cooked in. Place the diced onion, celery, and red bell pepper into the pot. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes, stirring often.

3. Turn the heat down to medium. Place the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in with the vegetables. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant, stirring frequently.
4. Add the flour to the vegetables and stir to combine with the vegetables. Using a timer, sautee for 1-2 minutes, continuing to give it a good stir frequently as it cooks. This will remove any raw flour taste.

5. Carefully pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot well, as they add additional flavor to the chowder.
6. Add the cooked chicken, milk, corn, Yukon gold potatoes, thyme, and the bay leaf. Turn the heat back up to medium high heat until the soup begins to boil.

7. Reduce the heat to keep the soup at a simmer, usually medium-low. Let the chowder simmer for 15-20 minutes or cook until the potatoes are fork-tender.

8. Remove the bay leaf from the soup. Drizzle the heavy cream over the soup and stir well. Allow the soup to simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes to heat through. Top with green onions and add additional salt and pepper if desired. A little crumbled bacon on top is also delicious too! Then serve and enjoy!

Variation Ideas To Make Chicken Corn Chowder

Use Other Chicken – You can use rotisserie chicken or precooked chicken in this recipe, just heat it up at the end and skip the step that is cooking the chicken since the chicken is already cooked. You can shred or dice the chicken, either way it can be added to the soup pot. You can also use ground chicken in a pinch in this recipe.

Boneless skinless chicken thighs can also be used in this recipe as long as they are cooked through, though chicken thighs taste best if they are cooked through and cooked a little longer then chicken breast to help render the fat that is found naturally in the meat.

Swap Out The Protein – This soup is great to use with leftover turkey (great for Thanksgiving leftovers!) Adding in some cooked ham, sausage or bacon is also especially delicious in this soup.

Add More Vegetables – Corn and potatoes are tasty, but you can also use soup as a good opportunity to clear our a few extra veggies that are hanging around in the fridge or pantry. Try adding green beans, carrots, white beans or throw in a few handfuls of fresh spinach at the end with the potatoes and corn.

Make It Spicier – You can make the soup a little spicier either by adding it to the whole pot or by adding it at the table. Try adding some red pepper flakes, a pinch of cayenne pepper or a dash of hot sauce to add a little kick to this soup. While it’s far from traditional, a little cajun seasoning can also be delicious with this flavor combo, like Slap Ya Mama seasoning.

What Makes It A Chowder Over A Soup?

Chowders typically have a higher amount of milk and cream in the recipe, typically more milk and cream than broth. Chowders almost always have chunkier pieces of meat and vegetables

Can You Freeze Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder?

Unfortunately, this chicken corn chowder recipe doesn’t freeze super well. Often if you freeze a chowder with milk and cream the dairy will split when you are reheating it and you won’t have the same creamy texture.

Chowder has a higher amount of cream and milk compared ot the amount of broth compared to a regular cream soup. While you can freeze it, the texture will be a little off when you reheat the soup. I recommend enjoying this soup without freezing.

How Long Will Chicken And Corn Chowder Last?

Expect this soup will last for about three days if stored in a covered, a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.