This hearty chicken and corn chowder comes together easily and cooks for a comforting corn chowder you’ll love.
Corn chowder makes a comforting cool weather recipe. Amp it up a bit by adding chicken to the classic corn chowder recipe and you have a meal that everyone will love.
As the weather starts to get cooler in the evenings and the sun sets a bit earlier, I start craving hearty meals of soups and stews and casseroles. In other words, I turn to comfort foods, my favorite always being those from treasured family recipes.
It reminds me of a time when Little Buddy was REALLY a wee Little Buddy. It was late in the Fall and I’d been in the kitchen cooking supper as he came over and asked me what we were having. I told him, “Tonight we’re having Grandmother Verdie’s Chicken and Dumplings.”
“Grandmother Verdie’s coming? Then, why are you cooking?”
“No honey, I’m making her recipe for Chicken and Dumplings. It’ll be ready in just a few minutes.”
As we were finishing our Chicken and Dumplings, Little Buddy peeped over the rim of his spoon at me and said, “These pillows taste like a big hug.”
I should have just changed the official name of Chicken and Dumplings right then and there to Chicken and Pillows it was so precious. But his point pretty much sums up how I feel about family recipes, too.
Family recipes are just like big hugs passed from generations before us where loved ones share bits and pieces of themselves in each recipe. Each time we make one of their recipes, it’s as if they are right there at the table beside us.
While this recipe isn’t about Chicken and Dumplings (you can find that in an earlier post), I do want to share with you a family favorite recipe for Southern Chicken and Corn Chowder.
This recipe has a few ingredients in it like jalapeno, thyme, and vegetables that give it a truly hearty flavor.
And here comes a little secret. I like to add in a couple of packages of frozen creamed corn. Of course if you have creamed corn in your freezer that you put up from your garden, that would be the very best corn to include! But in a pinch, and for those of you whose corn was gobbled up by the deer on your property like mine was, this creamed corn works just fine!
You’ll want this corn to have thawed considerably before adding it to your chowder. Don’t worry if there are still bits of frozen corn as you add it. As it cooks, it will be perfect!
Here’s how I make it.
Here’s my Chicken and Corn Chowder Recipe. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does.
Southern Chicken and Corn Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pieces bacon, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and diced
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 (20-ounce) packages frozen creamed corn, , thawed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat bacon and olive oil in a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, jalapeño, and the chicken to the Dutch oven. Stirring frequently, cook until the chicken is lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine milk and flour in a small saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is lightly browned. Stir into the chowder along with the creamed corn, thyme, salt and pepper. Add enough water to slightly cover all ingredients. Cover pot with lid and cook for about 20 minutes until chicken is done and all of the vegetables are tender.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Hi Robyn!
I’m really excited about trying your recipe! 🙂 I just have one question-do you cook your chicken before adding it, or do you include it raw to cook in the pot?
Hi Ashley! The chicken cooks with the chowder, so I am adding uncooked chicken. Can’t wait to hear how you like it!
We have a wonderful waffle recipe today. The color from additional browning on the vegetables should help to color your chowder more. I, too, discovered your site through Pinterest. What do you recommend using in place of onion?
If you prefer your chowder without onions, you can simply omit them.
Robyn,
Made this tonight for the first time and it’s delicious! I may add a little less thyme next time (to my wife’s chagrin) and kick in some cajun seasoning but everyone has slightly different tastes.
I have a question for you though…do you have any thoughts on how it could be made creamier? I think this would be delicious in a sourdough bread bowl but I find that thicker soups work better. Your thoughts would be appreciated…I make a few recipes here and there that catch my eye, but I am no chef!
Thank you for posting the recipe!!
Made this today. I took out the bacon and added another jalapeno pepper. I also added a yellow and red pepper and a can of black beans. Topped with Monterrey Jack cheese. Yum! I didn’t get that beautiful color, but I’ll try cooking the veggies longer next time. 🙂
That chowder is looking really tasty!
I don’t know what made me want to try this recipe. I don’t like corn in soup or casseroles. At least, not until now. Wow, was this ever good! Thanks for sharing! Sincerely,
Cinda Atherton
(p.s. I found this recipe via Pinterest)
Thank you for letting me know how much you like it, Cinda! Let me know if you ever have any questions about any of my other recipes!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made it last night and it is delicious….a very hearty chowder! We like things spicy, so I added red pepper!
WOW – this chowder has delicious and comfort written all over it. LOVE IT!!!
I made this for a potluck this week! I was amazed to find frozen creamed corn in the freezer section at the grocery store (even the guy working there didn’t know they carried it, but it was hidden away on a top shelf). Great discovery and much tastier than canned! Mine also was a little bland so I am going to add salt, pepper, maybe another jalapeno and some more seasoning to it when I made it again. Loved how creamy it was without having to use heavy cream! Thanks!
Robyn, the chowder is fabulous. I made it a second time and it was very white. What makes yours look brown. My second batch wasn’t as good as my first. Not sure what I did wrong.
Thanks for sharing the recipe. It is delicious.
Any helpful hints would be appreciated. Do you use yellow corn?
Linda
Hey Linda – I’m so glad you like the chowder. It is definitely one of our favorites for cool weather. I use whatever creamed corn I have on hand – sometimes it is white and sometimes it is a yellow corn. My son is a fan of the blend, so to make everyone happy I like to find it as well. 🙂
To get your chowder base a bit darker, you could try to brown your vegetables at the beginning just a wee bit longer. The color from additional browning on the vegetables should help to color your chowder more. It should also bump up the vegetable flavor in the chowder.
Let me know how it works for you with those changes. I’m so glad you are enjoying it!