This Creamy Chicken Corn Soup recipe is one of my favorites for a cold winter day. It’s full of chicken, corn, potatoes and broth, making it the perfect comfort soup.
If you love thick and creamy chicken soups, try my Cracked Chicken Soup and my Creamy Chicken Rice Soup. Perfect for a blustery day.
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Why this Chicken Corn Chowder Recipe is a Keeper
This recipe is pure comfort, inexpensive and a classic one-pot recipe.
- The Texture Contrast: You get the “pop” of corn kernels, tender chunks of chicken, and a velvety broth all in one spoonful.
- One-Pot Wonder: It can be made in a single pot, making cleanup a breeze.
- Crowd Pleaser: It’s mild enough for kids but can be easily “dressed up” with spicy toppings for adults.
- Budget Friendly: It uses affordable ingredients like potatoes, onions, and frozen or canned corn.
How Do I Thicken my Chowder Without it Getting Gummy?
Thicken your chicken and corn soup by adding a little more flour or making a cornstarch slurry. If your soup is too thick, you can add some homemade chicken stock or chicken broth.
Pro Tip for Chicken Soups
Add a can of diced green chilies and cumin for a “Southwest” twist.
Ingredient Notes for Chicken Corn Soup Recipe
This creamy corn soup with chicken made from scratch uses easy, fresh ingredients that pack a punch of flavor.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Chicken: I prefer to cook a boneless, skinless chicken breast.
- Half and Half: This will be the liquid for your soup.
- Fresh Produce: You will need an onion, celery, carrots, red bell pepper and red potatoes. You can even pick up some green onions for garnish.
Variations and Substitutions Chicken and Corn Soup
Easily customize this sweet corn chicken soup recipe by experimenting. Take it to the next level by using different ingredients and trying different flavors. Top with fresh parsley, salt and pepper.
- The Protein: Swap chicken for shrimp, crab, or smoked sausage (like Andouille). For a vegetarian version, use extra mushrooms or smoked tofu with white pepper.
- The Corn: Use fresh corn cut off the cob for the best flavor, but frozen corn is an excellent year-round substitute. You will also need canned or homemade creamed corn.
- The Liquid: If you want it lighter, use whole milk instead of half and half. For a dairy-free version, use full-fat canned coconut milk.
Special Equipment Needed
A specific piece of equipment can sometimes make all the difference in soups. For this recipe, just a couple of things are helpful.
- Heavy-Bottomed Pot (Dutch Oven): Essential for even heat distribution to prevent the milk/cream from scorching on the bottom.
- Immersion Blender: Helpful if you like a thicker base; just a few pulses will thicken the soup instantly.
- Food Processor or Blender: To blend 2 cups of the corn kernels to mimic canned cream-style corn.
- Potato Masher: Use this if you don’t have a blender to break up some of the potatoes.
How to Make this Corn and Chicken Soup Recipe
This recipe comes together in just 5 quick and easy steps. This chicken and sweet corn chowder is so good, I make it every winter.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Cook the Meat: Add vegetable oil to a large pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon, remove from pot, then drain the grease leaving a little in the pot. Season the chicken with some of the All Purpose Seasoning. Cook until no longer pink.
- Cook the Veggies: Remove the chicken from the pot. Season the onion, carrots, celery and peppers with some more All Purpose Seasoning and cook until tender.
- Add Liquid and Boil: Add flour and cook. Then add the rest of the All Purpose Seasoning, cooked chicken, half and half, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add Corn and Bacon: Blend half of the corn in the blender. When potatoes are tender, add the cream-style corn, whole corn kernels and half of the bacon to the soup.
- Simmer and Top: Let cook for another 5 minutes, then garnish with chopped bacon and shredded cheese.
Prep Ahead Suggestions
To streamline your comforting chicken corn chowder soup process, there are some ways you can prep in advance.
- The “Mirepoix”: Chop your onions, celery, and carrots up to 2 days in advance.
- Cook the Chicken: Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken to save 20 minutes of prep and cooking time. You can also cook the raw chicken in advance. Store chopped chicken in an airtight container. Add the chicken to the soup pot just to warm through.
- Potato Storage: If you peel and cube potatoes ahead of time, keep them submerged in a bowl of cold water in the fridge so they don’t turn brown.
Alternate Cooking Methods
Alternatively, you can make this recipe in the crock pot or instant pot.
- Slow Cooker: Add everything except the cream and thickener. Cook on Low for 6–7 hours. Stir in the cream and a cornstarch slurry 30 minutes before serving.
- Instant Pot: Sauté the aromatics, then pressure cook the chicken, potatoes, and broth for 10 minutes. Quick release, add the corn and cream, and simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
How to Store, Reheat and Use Leftovers
- Store: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days.
- Reheat: Warm it over low heat on the stove. Avoid boiling it rapidly, as high heat can cause the dairy to separate or “break.”
- Soup Freezes: The potatoes can become grainy and dairy can separate. If you plan to freeze it, add a little milk or cream as you warm it up and make sure to stir often.
Questions About This Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup Recipe
Chowder can turn grainy if it gets overcooked or if the potatoes overcook. Be sure to cook just until the potatoes are tender.
I prefer to use red skinned potatoes in this recipe but you can also use Russet potatoes.
You can gradually pour egg whites into the soup, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until white egg ribbons form. Then, swirl the beaten egg though the soup so it’s kind of like egg drop soup.
Sure. I like to add egg noodles when I make this soup.
Tips for Dutch Chicken Corn Soup
- The Bacon Base: Start by frying chopped bacon in the pot. Remove the crispy bits for topping later, but keep the fat to sauté your vegetables. It adds a smoky depth you can’t get from oil.
- Corn Cob Secret: If using fresh corn, scrape the “milk” off the cobs with the back of your knife and add it to the pot. You can even simmer the bare cobs in the broth for 10 minutes (then discard) to extract maximum corn flavor.
- Don’t Overcook the Potatoes: Use Yukon Gold potatoes; they hold their shape better than Russets and have a naturally buttery texture.
- Acid Balance: If the soup feels too “heavy,” add a tiny squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar right before serving. It brightens the whole dish.
- Serve With: Serve with Mini Cornbread Muffins or Rosemary Butter Rolls.
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Creamy Chicken Corn Soup
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Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
- ½ pound Bacon, diced
- 1 pound Boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 teaspoons All Purpose Seasoning Blend, divided
- ½ cup Onion, chopped
- ½ cup Celery, diced
- ½ cup Carrots, diced
- ¼ cup Red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- 4 cups Half and half
- 2 Red skin potatoes, diced
- 4 cups Frozen corn, divided
- ½ cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat.
- Add bacon and cook bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes.
- Drain fat, leaving 2 Tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan.
- Season chicken with 1 teaspoon All Purpose Seasoning Blend; Add chicken and cook over medium heat until no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
- Remove chicken from pot.
- Add onion, celery, carrots and peppers and season with 1 teaspoon All Purpose Seasoning; Sauté for 2 minutes, or until tender.
- Stir in flour and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add half and half, chicken, potatoes and remaining teaspoon of All Purpose Seasoning.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook over for 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, puree 2 cups of corn in blender.
- When potatoes are tender, add pureed corn and whole corn to chowder, along with half of the cooked bacon.
- Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Top with remaining bacon and shredded cheese.
Christina’s Notes
- Too thick: If the soup is too thick add some chicken stock, chicken broth or a bouillon cube with a little water.
- Cornstarch: In place of the flour you can make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the soup.
- Heat: Red Pepper flakes or chilies can add a little kick.
- Variation tip: Purchase pre-cut veggies from the grocery store to save prep time. Most grocery stores have them in the produce department or in the freezer section.
- Alternate ingredient: Make this recipe vegetarian by omitting the chicken and bacon. There’s so much flavor, you won’t even miss it.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Super delicious!
Would love to see this recipe converted to a recipe that could be done in an Instant Pot.
When do you add the chicken? The instructions say to remove the chicken from the pot, but it doesn’t say when to add it back. Thanks
Add it back at the end.
Thank you for linking up at Tasty Tuesdays! Your post has been pinned to my Recipes from Tasty Tuesday board. I can’t wait to see what you link up next week!
Have a terrific weekend!
Cathy
APeekIntoMyParadise.com
#TastyTuesdays
Thanks so much! 🙂
This looks divine! Thanks fr sharing at Mix it up Monday ~ http://www.flourmewithlove.com/2014/03/mix-it-up-monday.html
You’re very welcome! 🙂
This looks amazing. Thanks for sharing! Found this on Marvelous Monday Link Party!
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Your chowder looks delicious! Thanks for linking up for Friday Favorites! Hope to see you again this week.
This sounds perfect for the weather we’ve been having here lately. I’ve been looking at corn chowder recipes lately and adding the chicken to it makes it a complete meal.
Thanks.
What a great week for a hearty soup… this looks awesome!! Thank you for sharing with Friday Potluck this week!
Thank you so much for linking up to Southern In My Heart’s and my Souper Sister Saturday! This looks so good! Perfect for a chilly fall evening. Don’t you just love how you can find a good recipe just about anywhere?!
Heather at Gourmet Meals for Less
This sounds delicious. Have made my copy and will try it soon. Thanks for sharing. My favorite soup to make on a cold day is a Potato Soup recipe that my mother always made. Comfort food at it’s finest. It always reminds me of my mother when I make it and I top it with shredded cheddar. You question brought back a very pleasant memory.
Carolyn/A Southerners Notebook
perfect dish
This one is totally making me hungry! Chowder is my favorite.
I really love making soups this time of year. Love, love, love. Ha… can’t believe you found the recipe on a calendar, but there you go.
🙂
ButterYum
that looks really good. I am definitely going to to try it. I make soup every Tuesday for dinner.
hmmmm good filling for a cold tummy
here’s my food TRIP friday entry
I love corn chowder, I have made it once and turned out fab, never ever thought of putting chicken in it! I’ll have to try that next time, thanks for sharing such a great recipe, tami from the high street cottage