Chicken corn chowder is one of those deeply satisfying chicken soup recipes stemming from the Eastern United States. It’s full of nutrient-dense veggies that add a ton of flavor to the subtly sweet creamy corn base so you can feel good about serving it. This is one of my favorite cold-weather chicken recipes. It makes a hearty economical meal that spreads a savory scent throughout the kitchen and fills those hungry tummies.
When the weather is dreary outside this chowder and my other creamy soups: chicken noodle soup, chicken potato soup, and cream of chicken soup are a great way to warm things up inside.
Let’s make some chowder!!
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What I Love About This Recipe
I absolutely love the subtlety sweet undertones of this savory chowder. It’s a massively convenient recipe that comes together quickly using a seasoned rotisserie chicken, lots of veggies and a few kitchen staples. Here are even more reasons to love it!
- Savory flavor with subtlety sweet undertones
- A delicious creamy meal in a bowl
- Nutrient-dense and full of protein
- One-pot meal made using convenient kitchen staples
Easy Chicken Corn Chowder Recipe Notes
Following the instructuins is so totally easy and everything comes together in a single pot, so you don’t have to make a big mess in the kitchen. Its as easy as one, two three and I’m gonna walk you through the whole simple process!
Be sure to sauté your veggies in the bacon grease. It helps bring out the deeper more mellow flavors of the veggies and it’s a great start to your fond. You’ll also want to toast your roux for just a moment before adding the liquid to the pan. It helps cook-off that floury taste you don’t want in your chowder.
Ingredient Notes
Blending up this tasty chicken corn potato chowder is done with the convenience of several staple items you probably have in your cupboards already. Here’s whatcha’ need!
Bacon – Frying up a few slices of chopped bacon gives you dripping to sauté your veggies in and it’s a fantastic start to your fond. I typically just reserve the fried bacon bits for garnish.
Chicken – In the interest of convenience and flavor, I opt for rotisserie chicken in this recipe. Then all you need to do is shred it or pull it off the bone and chop it up. You’ll need about 3 cups of meat so use white meat, dark meat or a combination of both!
Veggies – A nutritious blend of onions, carrots, celery, and garlic give this a ton of flavor and a nutrient-dense profile.
Flour – Just a little bit of all-purpose flour helps thicken up your soup to a creamy dreamy consistency.
Potatoes – The marriage of chicken and potatoes makes this soup a hearty concoction that tastes amazing and fills hungry tummies.
Corn – A combination of cream-style corn and whole kernel corn gives this its sweet nuances and incredible texture.
Chicken Broth – Using chicken broth instead of water adds a more complex flavor profile and ensures your chowder isn’t too thin. I use low sodium chicken broth to ensure the finished product isn’t too salty. You can always adjust the seasoning later.
Better Than Bouillon – Better Than Bouillon is a concentrated flavor paste made of multiple ingredients. Its easier to measure and offers so much more flavor than those dry salty cubes. For this recipe, I use the chicken flavor (they have several).
Cream – Tossing in just a little bit of heavy cream adds to that dreamy consistency and really complements the potatoes in the soup.
Seasonings – I season this with a blend of salt, pepper, bay leaf, and thyme. There’re already some tasty seasonings on the rotisserie chicken, so I just use dried thyme.
Storing Tips
Keeping this fresh and yummy is as easy as putting it in an airtight container in the fridge. If your fridge is full, this is also a good recipe to toss in a gallon-sized Ziploc to save space.
Can You Freeze This?
Since this recipe is made using cream instead of milk, it makes a beautiful ready-made freezer meal. I love being able to have this awesome chowder in the freezer when I need to feed the fam on the fly, or I just don’t feel like cooking on a cold dreary day.
Make Ahead Tips
It comes together so quickly there isn’t a ton of work to do ahead of time. Plus, it needs to be made when you cook the bacon so you can use the drippings and build the fond.
One thing you can do beforehand is to chop all the veggies. They can be stored together in a resealable bag or mason jar until you make the soup.
When I have leftovers, which isn’t often, I like to divvy them up into a few single-serve containers that we can grab and go for lunch. It makes a totally satisfying and really convenient afternoon meal.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
When stored properly, this will stay fresh and yummy for up to 4 days in the fridge. You’ll want to ensure that it’s in a sealed container with a secure lid. For best results, reserve the FDA recommended 2-hour serving rule and let your chowder cool completely before preparing it for storage.
Recipe Variations
This recipe is very forgiving so you can out your own spin on it. Of course, I love this recipe just as it stands but there are lots of ways to make it. Here are a few popular variations.
Can I Make This With An Italian Twist?
Putting an Italian spin on this cozy chicken chowder recipe means introducing ricotta and pesto, along with a few simple substitutions. With the right herbs and spices, you can also turn this into an Italian chicken soup that’s just brimming with flavor.
Depending on the mood and your specific craving, you can opt to make chicken gnocchi soup or chicken fajita soup. It’s an easy way to tweak the flavor profile when you want something a little less sweet.
Can I Make This With An Asian Twist?
This recipe is pretty spectacular but it’s not really Asian. I just love Asian food and I totally understand the monstrous craving that can sneak up on you. If you’re into the creamy base but you want some spice, some easy swaps can make this a Thai chicken soup that’ll knock your socks off.
If the cream base isn’t as important to you, then you can take things in another direction and make chicken Pho instead. It’s a simple fragrant dish with an abundance of fresh herbs. You can also take clean and simple to a whole new level with homemade chicken ramen! (a blast from the past)
Can I Cook This In An Instant Pot?
Crafting this in an instant pot requires a different technique but its not difficult at all. The original recipe doesn’t take much time, but I suppose an instant pot would be quicker.
When you’ve got instant pot chicken soup on the brain, then I’ve got two recipes you’re gonna’ love! Instant pot chicken noodle soup drags this simple classic into the 21st century or you can put a Mexican twist on things and make instant pot chicken tortilla soup instead.
Can I Add Coconut?
The sweet undertones in this chowder can be addictingly delicious. If they awaken something deep within you that craves more, try making a coconut chicken soup. Like it spicy? No problem! Go with a Thai coconut chicken soup instead.
What Other Chicken Soups Can I Make?
There are so many different chicken soups out there, it can be hard to decide what to make. My taste buds often choose this chowder because it’s just one of my favorites but there are others.
I love making chicken Florentine soup for special occasions or when we have friends over. Jewish chicken soup is often called Jewish penicillin and it’s great when someone’s under the weather or you just need a little extra pep in your step.
Rainy days and lazy Sundays call for Bisquick chicken and dumplings! No question!
Chicken Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon, chopped
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 heaping tablespoon chicken flavored Better Than Bouillon
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large russet potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 (14-3/4 ounce) can cream-style corn
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large pot, stirring often, until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Remove and discard (or save for another recipe) all but 1/4 cup of pan drippings.
- Add butter to the pot and melt over medium-low heat. Saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until soft, about 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and continue to cook, whisking constantly for about 4-5 minutes or until flour is lightly toasted and fragrant.
- Remove pot from heat and slowly whisk in broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen all brown bits on the bottom of the pan, until smooth.
- Return pot to heat, add Better Than Bouillon, thyme, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, potatoes, whole kernel corn, cream-style corn, bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat and simmer, uncovered until potatoes are fork-tender about 20 minutes. Stir in chicken cubes, and heavy cream and simmer until chicken is heated through about 10 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning and ladle into individual bowl and top with green onions and cooked bacon. Serve.
Nutrition
More Chicken Soup Recipes
There are so many different types of chicken soup it’ll make your head spin. That’s good for those who like variety, but it can make it hard to choose which version you want to cook for dinner. The good news is that there’s something for everyone!
When you’re ready for a change from this awesome chowder, try one of these other tasty chicken soups.
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup – A hearty full-blown meal in a bowl!
- Turkey Noodle Soup – Not quite chicken but close enough.
- Chicken Vegetable Soup – Nutrient-dense and protein-packed.
- Chicken Taco Soup – A Mexican twist on an American classic.
- Chicken Enchilada Soup – Everything you love about enchiladas stuffed into a bowl of chicken soup.
Conclusion
This tasty chicken corn chowder is a hearty crave-worthy way to combat the cold weather. That creamy consistency and those sweet nuances carry savory seasoned chicken and tender veggies to hungry tummies. It’s a protein-packed nutrient-dense dreamy delicious version of chowder that makes a flavor intense one-pot supper and an awesome freezer meal.
Plus, it comes together quickly with a few kitchen staples and the scrumptious convenience of rotisserie chicken. I can’t wait to see what you think!!
My family loves this! I threw it together on whim bc I had cooked chicken thighs, frozen corn & bacon. Not a bad last minute dinner decision on an 80F degree day. Unusual choice for a warm day but I’m sure it will be yummier tomorrow!
Absolutely! 😀 Glad to hear the whole fam loved it, Barbara!
Did I just miss it? When does the chicken go into the pot….Or bowls as serving up the mix in the pot…or ???
Hi, Margaret. The cubed/shredded rotisserie chicken goes in after the potatoes are fork tender. This recipe serves 4 bowls. Thank you!