Name: Chicken Corn Chowder
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups (830mL) chicken broth; 3 tablespoons flour; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup); 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (optional); 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled (3-4 slices); 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken; 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, softened; 1 cup milk (I used 2%)

Jump to Recipe

This chicken corn chowder is one of our favourite meals to make with leftover cooked chicken or turkey. It’s full of flavour, so easy to make, and can be made in the slow cooker, on the stovetop, or in the Instant Pot!

I have been making this easy chicken corn chowder for years now.

And I think it’s still my favourite soup to make. It’s so quick and easy, and is absolutely full of flavour. I love it.

Better yet, the rest of my family loves it too!

It’s the first thing I think of to make when we have some leftover cooked, shredded chicken or turkey to use up.

The beauty of this chicken corn chowder recipe is that it can be made three different ways. I’ve included instructions for making this soup on the stove, in the slow cooker, or in the Instant Pot. So no matter what your evening schedule looks like, you can probably enjoy this soup.

And if you don’t happen to have some cooked, shredded chicken on hand, you can easily make it with some uncooked chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, and it only adds a couple of minutes of cook time to the recipe.

This chicken corn chowder is perfect for lunches, or for a light dinner with some of these amazing drop biscuits.

It’s going to stay one of my favourite soup recipes for a very long time.

How to make Chicken Corn Chowder:

This soup can be made on the stove, in the slow cooker, or in the Instant Pot. Use whichever method fits into your schedule!
If you don’t have any cooked chicken on hand, I’ve included instructions for using uncooked chicken breast with the Instant Pot method.
Make sure that your cream cheese is very soft before trying to combine it with the milk. Heating the milk up in the microwave helps with combining them. You will want to make sure the milk and cream cheese mixture is nice and smooth with no lumps before you add it to the soup. If you add it while it’s still a bit lumpy, your soup will not be as smooth in texture.

Here are some more great soup recipes for you:

Yield: serves 6

Chicken Corn Chowder

This chicken corn chowder is one of our favourite meals to make with leftover cooked chicken or turkey. It's full of flavour, so easy to make, and can be made in the slow cooker, on the stovetop, or in the Instant Pot!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups (830mL) chicken broth
3 tablespoons flour
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled (3-4 slices)
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk (I used 2%)

Instructions

For the slow cooker:

In the bowl of your slow cooker, combine the chicken broth and flour, whisking until no lumps remain.
Add the red pepper, onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, bacon, chicken, corn, salt, and pepper.
Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 5-6 hours.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and 1/2 cup of the milk until combined. Heating it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes will help as it will be lumpy at first. Once you get it completely smooth, slowly whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup milk.
Add this to the slow cooker and stir. Replace the lid and turn the heat down to low.
Let the soup cook for another 30 minutes.
If you need to leave it longer before eating, just turn it down to keep warm at that point until you’re ready to eat.

For the stovetop:

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large stovetop pot. Add the red pepper, onion, jalapeno pepper, and garlic.
Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
Whisk together the chicken broth and flour and add to the pot. Stir in the bacon, chicken, corn, salt, and pepper.
Bring the soup to a boil and then lower the heat to medium low.
Combine 1/2 cup of the milk and the cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1-2 minutes, or until you can whisk it together smoothly. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup milk.
Slowly stir this mixture into the soup.
Simmer on low for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For the Instant Pot:

In the Instant Pot, combine the chicken broth, red pepper, onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, bacon, chicken, corn, salt, and pepper.
Place the lid on and turn it to the locking position. Make sure the valve is set to the sealing position. Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 10 minutes, then quick release the pressure.
When the pressure has completely released, remove the lid and turn the Instant Pot to saute.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cream cheese and milk until combined. Heating it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes will help as the cream cheese will be lumpy at first.
Add this to the Instant Pot and stir. Cook, stirring, in saute mode until the soup thickens a bit.
If you aren’t ready to eat yet, just turn it down to keep warm at that point until serving.

Notes

In the Instant Pot, if you don’t have cooked, shredded chicken on hand, you can use two raw skinless, boneless chicken breasts instead. Add them at the beginning, and increase the cook time to 15 minutes. When it’s finished cooking, shred the chicken and then continue with the thickening step.

Source: Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

Recommended Products

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may receive a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 411Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 125mgSodium: 1037mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 36g

Nutrition Information is estimated based on ingredients used and may not be accurate.

Leah

Sunday 27th of September 2015

I crockpot every dinner! Because of my work schedule ( I'm away from home from 7am-5:30), is it possible to cook it on low for that period of time with everything combined, including the cream cheese mixture. Between work and school kids, I like to have dinner ready when I walk in the door :) This looks amazing, by the way!

stacey

Thanks Leah! I think the soup would be fine to leave cooking on low for that amount of time - but I think you would want to wait until you got home to add the cream cheese mixture. I believe it might curdle and ruin the soup if you had it in there that long. You could definitely continue cooking for less then the 30 minutes after adding it when you get home, it's just what makes it creamy. Stir it in when you get home and let it cook for 15 minutes more and it would be good I think.