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This CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER recipe is hearty and filling, made with fresh sweet corn, chunks of chicken, and plenty of potatoes and bacon. This is the ultimate summer soup recipe!
There’s not a whole lot better than fresh sweet corn straight from the field, if you ask me.
Of course, we love it any which way you want to cook it (hello, scalloped corn, cream cheese corn, and cornbread casserole)!
This easy corn chowder is so hearty and filling. It’s full of the sweet flavor and crunch of corn, there are lots of juicy chunks of chicken, chunks of potato, and then – this is the part that really gets ya – it’s all topped with crispy bacon and cheddar cheese.
Soup, or rather chowder, doesn’t get much better than this. Thick, creamy, and so flavorful.
This is yummiest made with fresh corn on the cob, but using canned corn works very well and is still tasty. We make this one all year round – fresh corn in the summer and canned or frozen corn in the winter. You really can’t go wrong, but it’s definitely best with fresh corn.
Ingredients:
Corn on the Cob – Fresh is best, but you can swap in canned or frozen corn if its out of season.
Bacon – We’ll cook the potatoes in the bacon grease and crumble the cooked bacon over the finished soup.
Scallions
Potatoes
Flour
Milk – We tend to use 2%, but any variety should work.
Chicken Stock
Chicken – Use our crockpot shredded chicken or any leftover chicken you’ve got!
Cheddar
Seasonings – You’ll need Old Bay seasoning, thyme, parsley, cayenne, green chiles, and salt and pepper. These all work to add big flavor.
How to make chicken and corn chowder:
Saute – Cook the bacon until crispy and then set it aside for topping your soup. Add chopped potatoes and the whites from the scallions to the pot and cook those for a few minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for a minute or two.
Simmer – Pour in your milk, chicken stock, and dry seasonings. Stir this well to combine and then bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. We’ll cook this for about 15 minutes, just until the potatoes are nice and tender.
Add the Corn & Chicken – Stir in the corn, chicken, and green chiles and let that simmer for a few more minutes, just to heat everything up.
Serve – Spoon the corn chowder into a bowl and top it off with bacon, cheddar, and green onions.
What Readers are Saying!
“Absolutely fantastic. I started out making the standard size batch shown above, but after 3 days my stepdaughter had eaten it all. I had one bowl! I went out and got the ingredients to make a few more and am keeping them on hand so I can make a bunch up and seal a few jars. Of all of the recipes I’ve made for my family over the past 5 years, this was the most well received food I’ve made. Thank you! ” -Ron
Helpful Tip!
Reheating Leftovers
This chicken corn chowder will stay fresh, tightly covered, in the fridge for 3-5 days. It reheats best on the stove, though you can microwave it. We generally add a bit of milk or chicken stock while reheating it to thin it back out. It does thicken a bit as it sets in the fridge.
More soup recipes you will love:
- Cheeseburger Soup
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Keto Cauliflower Soup
- Corn and Bean Chowder
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 ears corn on the cob see notes
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions greens and whites separated
- 3 medium potatoes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
- Salt and pepper to taste
- handful of grated cheddar for garnish
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, fry the bacon pieces until crisp. Remove from the pan, leaving the drippings, and set aside.
- Peel and chop the potatoes into bite sized chunks.
- Place the potatoes and white scallion pieces into the soup pot and cook over medium heat until the scallions have softened, 2 or 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.
- Pour in the milk, chicken stock, Old Bay, thyme, parsley, cayenne, salt, and pepper, stirring well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- While the potatoes are cooking, using a knife to cut the corn from the cob. Use the back of the knife to release the pulp from the cob for extra flavor.
- Add the corn, chicken, and green chiles to the pot. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Garnish with scallion greens, cooked bacon, and cheddar cheese.
Susan D. From Easton, PA says
This is an awesome recipe! My husband usually doesn’t like soup for dinner either but he loved this! Thanks!
Jelena says
OMG, this was unbelievable! And it tasted even better the next day! For someone who’s allergic to shellfish, this is THE PERFECT solution for chowder cravings. So, so yum!
Michelle says
Just made this for dinner last night and loved it!! It made a TON too; I was surprised! We had it last night, I had it for lunch and we’ll have it again tonight (yay for not cooking once in a while!) The kids loved the bacon and cheese to top it with, and all the garnishes made it a very pretty, colorful bowl of soup. This chowder was so full of flavor! Loved the spicy kick from the spices and green chiles too; something you usually don’t see in a corn chowder. I used one 15 oz. can of creamed corn and 2 cups of frozen corn, and a whole rotisserie chicken. I also made my own broth from the bones of the chicken (in the afternoon, before dinner time).
Sarah C says
Hey. I am looking at this recipe for taking to work fir my lunches. How long do you reckon this would last in the fridge? Can’t wait time whip this up cheers. ๐
Karly says
I think it’d be fine for 5 days. Not sure I’d go longer than that!
Blanche says
Karly, how many persons does this recipe serve?
Thanks so much
Karly says
I have such a hard time determining serving sizes for soup! I would say that this would easily serve 6, but probably more like 8. We always have enough for leftovers the next day and I’m feeding 2 adults and 2 kids, but I also serve it with salad and bread.
Amanda says
Hi! I’m so excited to try this recipe! But just wondering, could you adapt this to be able to cook in a crockpot/slowcooker?
Northern Cottage says
Ok – sooooo……it’s really really cold outside today so I really really need this soup – thanks so much! Pinning here: http://pinterest.com/pin/56787645273147735/
Jelena says
Great! That makes this even easier! Thank you so much for a quick response.
Happy New Year! ๐
Jelena
Jelena says
Hi Karly,
I found your recipe on Pinterest and I was looking at making it this week, but I just wanted to make sure I was reading the recipe correctly.
After cooking the potatoes and scallions, the cooking time is only the 12-15 minutes of simmering (once the mixture has boiled) and the additional 5 to heat the rest of the ingredients through?
Thanks,
Jekena
Karly says
Yep! It really doesn’t take long at all to come together!
Enjoy!
laurie says
I made this for dinner last night (i left out the bacon though because I am not a fan) and it was delicious! and somehow, it was even BETTER the next day!
Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen says
I made this chowder this weekend while my mom and dad were here visiting and it got rave reviews! We all loved it!
Kristen F says
This was SO good. I didn’t have Old Bay seasoning, so I used Creole seasoning. Other than that, I followed the recipe to a tee and my family loved it.
bert wozniczka says
what can be used instead of old bay. i have never heard of it, and came up empty when i looked for it. Obviously not used around here or available. Can you tell me what i can substitute or what spices it is comprised of?
Karly says
@bert wozniczka,
I just googled for a substitute and found this: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090101202637AA1sqmu
Hope that helps!
Leanna says
So this recipe has been on my list for a while.. and its cold here in Minnesota today. So I made it. and its as delightful and delicious as everyone has said. so hearty. and I love when I look forward to eating leftovers ๐ Thanks Karly!
Shane says
Just had this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely wonderful! This will become a regular for me. Thank you