Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder
Posted: 02/28/22
Updated: 12/22/22
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Creamy, easy chicken corn chowder combines crispy bacon, tender veggies, and juicy shredded chicken in a hearty, satisfying bowl of comfort. This recipe is sure to become a family favorite, no matter the season.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Unlike some soups, this chowder is thick, creamy, and super satisfying. It’s full of protein and nutritious, fibrous vegetables, plus it’s thickened with mashed potatoes. It definitely won’t leave you hungry!
- This is a great way to use up leftover or frozen corn and leftover shredded chicken. You could also use canned corn (drained and rinsed) and a rotisserie chicken to make things even easier. Want to cut down on the prep time even more? Use a bag of frozen chopped peppers and onions.
- Speaking of leftovers, chicken corn chowder keeps and reheats pretty well. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days and reheat it in the microwave or on the stove, adding more half-and-half as needed if it’s too thick. I don’t recommend freezing it, though. It doesn’t have the best texture after it thaws.
Love Corn? Check Out These Recipes!
Key Ingredients
Corn – Like I mentioned earlier, this is a great way to use up the frozen corn you saved last summer (or picked up at the store last week, whatever). You could also use canned corn, though. Just make sure to drain and rinse it really well. For a really creamy (and mildly sweet) chowder, add a can of creamed corn to the recipe.
Half-and-Half – Heavy cream is too thick here, and whole milk is too thin. The solution? Half-and-half! This cream + whole milk hybrid gives the chowder that perfectly balanced consistency.
Chef’s Tips
- For a spicier, Southwestern-style corn chowder, include some diced jalapeños, drained and rinsed black beans, crushed red pepper flakes, and lime juice.
- For a smoother, thicker consistency, transfer the cooked potatoes out of the chowder and mash them really well, then stir them back in. You can mash all the potatoes or just a few, depending on the texture you like, or you can leave them all unmashed.
- You can skip the bacon altogether if you prefer, but you’d need to use another fat to create the roux, since you won’t have the bacon drippings. Butter is probably the easiest alternative.
Other Tasty Soups and Chowders
- Creamy Fish Chowder
- Italian Meatball Soup with Homemade Meatballs
- Crockpot Zuppa Toscana (Whole30)
- Healthy Creamy Clam Chowder (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)
- Southwest Chicken Soup (Chili’s Copycat)
Chicken Corn Chowder
Creamy, easy chicken corn chowder combines crispy bacon, tender veggies, and juicy shredded chicken in a hearty, satisfying bowl of comfort. This recipe is sure to become a family favorite, no matter the season.
servings
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon uncooked, chopped
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 medium red bell pepper seeds removed, pepper diced
- 3 medium russet potatoes cubed
- 3 cups chicken cooked and shredded
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups half-and-half see Notes
- 2 cups frozen corn
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- green onions green parts only, chopped; for garnish
Equipment
- Large, heavy-bottomed pot
- Plate lined with paper towels to drain bacon
- Whisk
- Potato masher (optional)
Instructions
- Heat large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once hot, add bacon pieces and cook until crispy. Transfer bacon to plate lined with paper towels, and drain all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from pot.
- Add onion, celery, and carrots to pot with 2 tablespoons bacon drippings. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are softened, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic to pot. Stir and cook until softened, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add all-purpose flour to pot. Stir well to combine and cook until flour mixture is lightly browned.
- Stir in bell pepper, potatoes, chicken, and chicken broth. Once mixture is combined, let simmer uncovered 10 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat. Stir in half-and-half, then return pot to heat and stir in frozen corn. Let chowder simmer another 10 minutes or until thickened. If desired, remove some potatoes from pot and transfer to bowl. Mash potatoes well then stir back into chowder to thicken consistency even more.
- Add bacon pieces to pot, saving some for garnish. Portion chowder into serving bowls, garnish with remaining bacon pieces and chopped green onion, and serve warm.
Notes
- Make it Dairy Free: Use your favorite unsweetened non-dairy milk in place of the half-and-half.
- Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten-free all-purpose flour and gluten-free chicken broth.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 769kcal, Carbohydrates: 70g, Protein: 46g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 146mg, Sodium: 1161mg, Potassium: 2039mg, Fiber: 7g, Vitamin A: 6601IU, Vitamin C: 61mg, Calcium: 203mg, Iron: 4mg, Net Carbs: 63g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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