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Chicken Corn Chowder is pure comfort in a bowl, with tender chicken and sweet corn in a rich, creamy broth. My version is thickened with flour, potatoes, and pureed corn instead of heavy cream to keep it light!
Chicken Corn Chowder Recipe
Chicken Corn Chowder is the ultimate transitional soup to make this time of year, when we’re right on the cusp of fall. It’s the tail-end of corn season, but it’s also starting to be soup weather, with the days getting shorter and evenings getting cooler. My family loves this rich and creamy chowder, which is like my Creamy Corn Soup, but more filling thanks to the addition of tender white meat chicken.
Why This Chicken Corn Chowder Is a Must-Make
When I see the word “chowder” on a restaurant menu, I know that usually means heavy cream—and a lot of calories. That’s why I love making my own soup recipes at home! Here’s why you’ll love this chicken corn chowder recipe.
- Lightened up, but still rich and creamy: Blending some of the corn and mashing potatoes, then mixing them back into the soup makes for a fantastic creamy broth without having to rely on heavy cream.
- Easy to make: As with most soups, there’s nothing complicated about this recipe and most of the cooking time is hands-off.
- A satisfying meal: Some soups leave you hungry for more, but this chicken corn chowder recipe is hearty and filling. (My Chicken Gnocchi Soup is another meal-worthy soup recipe!)
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to make this chicken corn chowder.
- Unsalted Butter, or dairy-free butter if you prefer.
- Olive Oil, which is combined with the butter for cooking the vegetables.
- Vegetables: The standard mirepoix used in so many soup recipes! Onion, carrots, and celery.
- Garlic to infuse the soup with flavor. If you want your soup extra garlicky, you can add another clove or two.
- All-Purpose Flour, or a gluten-free flour mix to make your chicken corn chowder gluten-free.
- Corn: You can use fresh or frozen kernels for this recipe.
- Paprika, for a little bit of warmth. If you want some smokiness too, you can use smoked paprika.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Tenders, or swap in boneless, skinless breasts if you prefer.
- Potatoes: Red potatoes keep their shape well, Yukon golds have a buttery flavor, and russets are starchier, so they’ll make your soup extra thick. Use whichever you like!
- Chicken Broth or chicken bone broth for extra protein.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, to taste.
- Chopped Scallions or Chives, for garnish.
How to Make Chicken Corn Chowder
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of what you’ll need to do to make this creamy chicken corn chowder. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Soften the vegetables: Melt the butter with the oil in a large pot. Add the veggies and garlic and cook until they’re softened.
- Add the flour: Sprinkle it into the pan and stir. Cook until it’s lightly browned, which takes out the raw flavor of the flour.
- Blend the corn: Add a cup of corn and a cup of broth to your blender and blend until mostly smooth.
- Simmer: Add the blended corn to the pot with the paprika, chicken, potatoes, and remaining corn and broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked.
- Thicken: Remove the quartered potato from the pot and mash it, then shred the chicken. Stir them back into the soup. Season to taste, then serve with scallions or chives.
Tips and Variations
Here are a few more pointers for making this chicken corn chowder recipe.
- Make it extra creamy: If you want it creamier you can stir in some half and half or drizzle with cream at the end. A dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt will also work, and it will add some tanginess to the soup too.
- Don’t overcook the chicken: Lean cuts of chicken can get tough if they are overcooked, so be sure to monitor the chicken tenders and shred them as soon as they are cooked through.
- Add some Southwest flavor: Add a poblano pepper or canned green chilies for a Southwest-style chicken corn chowder.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken corn chowder is filling enough to be a meal on its own, but if you’d like to pair it with something else, here are some ideas.
Salads
These salads would pair well with the flavor in this chowder.
Sandwiches and Bread
For something more filling, try one of these recipes.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Transfer leftover chicken corn chowder to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze this soup in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To reheat: Warm in a pan on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
More Creamy Soup Recipes
Chicken Corn Chowder
Pureed corn and mashed potatoes make this chicken corn chowder rich and creamy without being heavy.
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or large heavy pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, or dairy-free butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, or gluten-free flour mix
- 2 ½ cups corn fresh or frozen kernels, divided (1 cups for blending, 1 1/2 cup left whole)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 lb chicken tenders, or boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 8 oz each yukon gold potatoes, or russet potatoes, peeled (one diced, one cut in quarters for mashing later)
- 4 cups chicken broth, or chicken bone broth
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- chopped scallions, or chives, for garnish
- Optional: If you want it creamier you can stir in some half and half or drizzle with cream at the end.
Instructions
- Add the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, when melted add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the skillet and saute until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and saute about 2 minutes, to cook out.
- Meanwhile, blend 1 cups corn with 1 cup of the broth until mostly smooth. Add to the pot along with paprika, chicken, potatoes and remaining corn kernels. Pour in the chicken broth just enough to cover ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Cover and simmer on low, 22 to 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the quartered potato, mash until smooth, and stir it back into the chowder. Shred the chicken with two forks. Taste the soup, adjust salt and pepper to taste and pour into 6 bowls, garnish with fresh herbs.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Serving: 1 1/2 cups, Calories: 378 kcal, Carbohydrates: 41 g, Protein: 16 g, Fat: 15 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 36 mg, Sodium: 643 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 7 g
All the adults and kids in my family loved this, and I have picky eaters! Will make again.
Loved this recipe! I did drizzle some half and half and it did make it creamier. I also cut the tenders into small chunks and sautéed them before adding them to the soup! Making it tonight to pair with a salad and warm bread! Definitely good cold weather dinner.
Sounds like a perfect dinner! 🙂
Excellent as written. My family, even the pickiest eater, loved it.
My group of 16 friends got together today made this soup along with your Chopped Wedge Salad for our lunch. Everything was so delicious
Glad you all enjoyed it!
Fabulous recipe! My family loves it!!!
What a great soup!!! I added the poblano pepper and a pinch of cumin at the end. This is a keeper.
Loved this recipe! Thank you so much! I doubled the recipe, followed as is except I blended all the corn with the chicken broth. Easy enough to make during the week after work and everyone loved it! Will definitely make again
I made this exactly as written. Really great and flavorful
This is a keeper. I made as written using chicken bone broth. I served with fat free greek yogurt to boost the protein. It’s a lovely treat on a gloomy day.
Very tasty and easy to make. I’ll make this often.
This is fantastic! The whole family loved it. Very flavorful. Didn’t add the cream, as we didn’t think it was needed.
I had just made a turkey breast when I saw this recipe. Love corn chowder and this recipe is perfect. I made a double batch and use 4 cups chicken broth and 4 cups of turkey both. I didn’t change a thing other than that. It was beyond delicious!!!
Loved this! I added a can of chilis which boosted the flavor without much heat. I’ll definitely make it again.
Another great recipe, Gina! I loaded up a touch more on the corn, celery, potatoes and carrots. I used some chicken breasts I had in the freezer, which added about 15 minutes to the cooking time. We paired with crusty bread and some mixed greens. Perfect dinner!
I roasted/charred the corn and an added poblano per the suggested alternatives, and it was like a yummy southwestern chicken pot pie soup. We really enjoyed it.
Could I use almond or oat flour in place of gluten free flour?
GF flour should be ok!
Made this last weekend, I added quite a few more potatoes and chicken, so I just added water to cover all my ingredients. It was delicious and I had extra I froze, just heated it up tonight for a quick easy delicious dinner. The first night I actually paired with your ” harvest vegetables and kale salad” I did add chicken to the salad with so much protein in our soup. I also used bone broth for added protein.
Made this yesterday and it was delicious! Nice to find a slimmed down creamy corn chowder. Thanks Gina!
This was an excellent recipe. I followed the recipe as close as I could without any changes and both my husband and I thought it was great. The change I made was that I used already cooked rotisserie chicken which made this very quick and easy to make! I really appreciated the fact the ingredients were everything I had on hand!! I can’t wait to eat more tomorrow!!
Thank you!
Glad you both enjoyed it!
Chicken corn chowder: I love chowder. I saw this recipe and thought nah, it won’t be as thick as I like it. I was wrong. This chowder was delicious. Easy to make too. I followed her directions. Did not add any half and half or cream. The mashed potato made this thick and creamy. And blending the corn with water added to the thickness and added more corn flavor to the chowder.
Great. Could you use creamed corn instead of blending?
My husband and I loved this soup. Will definitely put it into our soup rotation
Glad you enjoyed it!