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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
More Summer Favorites:
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.
Jen Mattingly says
I made this last night and it was a complete hit! I was concerned about the Old Bay (making it taste like a crab dish), but it was a wonderful component. I wouldn’t change a thing. It is a little spicy, so if you want to alter the cayenne pepper, that would be my only suggestion.
Karly says
@Jen Mattingly,
Glad you enjoyed it!
Donna says
Do you think I could make this with soy milk to make it non dairy?
Karly says
@Donna,
I don’t cook with dairy alternatives myself, so I’m not certain it would work, but I can’t think of a reason that it wouldn’t. I’d definitely give it a try.
R says
not sure how Soy milk works, but Rice milk doesn’t thicken. I don’t use soy, but would definitely try it with Silk Coconut milk. that works well for most things.
Lisa says
This sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
What does the fresh corn do to the soup that the frozen/canned corn doesn’t? I’m wondering why we’d need the creamy corn if we don’t use corn off the husk….
Karly says
Hi @Lisa,
When you’re cutting the corn from the cob, you run the back of your knife down the cob and it releases the juice. The creamed corn is just to mimic that. 🙂
Candice says
My sister gave shared this recipe with me and it is now a family favorite. My soon to be 9 year old son requested it for his birthday dinner this coming weekend! It’s so so good! Thank You!
Candice says
@Candice, haha not gave shared… I meant one or the other.
Anna says
I made this for dinner tonight and the flavor was great! However, mine ended up being way to thin. Any suggestions in how to thicken it up? Can I add more flour after it’s already together????
Karly says
@Anna,
I would mix a teaspoon of corn starch with a 1/4 cup of cold water until well combined and then add that to pot, heat to a boil while stirring. It should thicken up more. 🙂
Margaret says
We love soup for supper in the cooler months. Cannot wait to make this. Especially now that its finally COOL outside!!
Elaine says
I made this soup with frozen corn and canned potatoes and 1% milk, what I had in the house. I used left-over rosemary lemon-roasted chicken from the night before. It was really quick to make (even less time because the potatoes didn’t have to cook that long). This was so-0-0 good. My husband, not a huge soup guy, had seconds!
Karly says
@Elaine,
Glad you enjoyed it!
NIcole says
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Jax says
Yum – this is my favourite kind of soup! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Shanita k says
If using canned corn, do you drain the water off?
Candice says
@Shanita k, I do – I have’t tried it the other way though.
Karen says
Has anyone tried to freeze this dish? If so, how was it when reheated?
Karly says
I haven’t’ tried it myself. Let me know if it works out for you!
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Heather @ What Does She Do All Day? says
This is hands down our new favorite soup recipe! Such great flavor and filling! It’s been in rotation all winter!
Meredith says
Love, love, LOVE this soup! SO good! It is my very first review on my brand new blog, unoriginalmom.com 🙂
Andria says
I love all your recipes and was going to make this tonight, but couldn’t find Old Bay at our grocery store. Is there something you suggest as a substitute?
Karly says
Here’s a recipe to make your own if you’d like to give that a try! http://www.food.com/recipe/old-bay-seasoning-substitute-345691