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
Can you please let me know how many calories per cup 250ml. Im trying to count calories and I hope this ones isn’t high on the list its looks so yummy.
I made this tonight. I did end up having to make a roux to thicken it and mine was definitely not as dark as yours. I added more Thyme and a lot of salt and pepper. I made my cream corn from scratch.
The recipe was really good with extra salt and pepper.
So I just made/ate this and it was a great success, however I did do things a bit differently. I cut the recipe in half (it was only for two people) but I still used three pieces of bacon; they were thin cut. I first browned the bacon in the pot, then added the veggies and a bit of olive oil, cooked that for 10 minutes, added the jalapeno with membrane, seeds and all, and cooked all of that for about 10 minutes. I did every thing else the same except I did use canned creamed corn (all I could find, and it was 14.5 oz), and added a lot of garlic salt, some paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper on top of the thyme. It was a great recipe and I will make it again, but I would not change a single thing I did! Also, cooking the vegetables that extra time did give the soup that beautiful color. Oh and we did put shredded cheese on top! Overall great recipe, but don’t cook the veggies just five minutes!
Made as an appetizer for me and wife. We both loved it. Based on other comments and your recommendations I cooked the vegetables about 15 minutes in an effort to brown them. The onion was real brown and the vegetables slightly brown. After adding the water the soup was mid brown. After adding the milk it was light brown – appealing color but not as pretty as your picture. Didn’t affect the taste as we both thought it was really good. I upped the Jalapeño, added salt & freshly ground pepper and some pepper flakes. Next time I will add some Paprika mostly in an attempt to redden the color slightly. Really appreciate the recipe. We will be making this often with both chicken and seafood.
This looks delicious! I have never seen frozen creamed corn, would canned work just as well?
Hi there! I’m trying this recipe out tonight 🙂 I am out of cream cheese, so added coconut milk instead, and will add some cheddar cheese close to the end of cooking. Needless to say mine is thinner than pictured, but that’s ok 😛 I also thought the colour of mine was not right (too pale) and realised that I probably didn’t brown the veg enough. Not to worry, I added a whack of paprika (about a tablespoon?) which added a nice, smoky kick and boosted the colour. Thought I might add this little cheat for the people who were concerned about their pasty white soups 😛
What are your thoughts on substituting chicken broth for the water in this recipe? Sounds delish. Can’t wait to make it!
It should be outstanding!!!
I am making this recipe for my sewing group tomorrow. I too wanted to know about the 20 0z bags, I bought 4 10 0z and wanted to make sure that I am to use all four? Thanks and will let you know my assessment and additions (can’t help myself) tomorrow. Thanks so much for sharing! Happy Cooking!
Pamie G.
Robyn I made the Southern Chicken and Corn Chowder this past weekend ~ SCRUMPTIOUS!!♥
My husband and I ate it all within a 2 day span (I even had a cup for breakfast Saturday morning). Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
Has anyone tried an alternative milk in this recipe? We try to avoid dairy, but I could buy organic…