Another phenomenal recipe from my aunt (I believe the original recipe came from Cook’s Country in order to give credit where credit is due), this soup is unbelievably delicious and is so unique with the sweet potatoes and the cornbread-style roux. I actually always pass up the sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving and never buy them for our menu rotation, but this soup may have converted me otherwise. They were delicious and tender and added a yummy sweetness to the creamy, slightly smoky flavor of the chowder. This is a must-make and I can’t wait to make it a few more times before the cold weather is gone.
Trade Secrets:The original recipe calls for low-sodium chicken broth. I think low-sodium is a great idea, but after the soup was finished and I took a taste from my bowl, I pulled out the salt and pepper and seasoned my serving because I thought it needed a little something. My recommendation would probably be to season the batch of soup with salt and pepper to taste prior to serving.
Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes
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Printable Version with Picture
serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups whole milk (I didn’t have whole milk so I used 2 cups 1% and 1 cup cream)
1 cup yellow corn muffin mix (Jiffy brand was recommended in the original recipe but I used a Betty Crocker mix and it worked just fine)
2 T. butter
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 ” cubes
2 sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
3 cups frozen corn (not thawed)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Mix milk and muffin mix in bowl until well combined. Meanwhile, heat butter in large pot over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, chicken and sweet potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes.
Stir in milk and muffin mixture and simmer until soup thickens, about 10 minutes. Add cheese and corn and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Country
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
So, the chicken cooks in the soup? I’m assuming it does because the directions say to just add it. Or am I supposed to cook it before adding it to the soup?I’d like to make it tonight…it sounds delish!
OK, so I cooked it before adding it to the soup. Great tasting chowder! I loved it!
Anonymous – sorry I didn’t get back with you before you made this, but I’m glad it worked out to add the cooked chicken to the soup. Thanks for letting me know and I’m so glad you liked this!
I love that is has sweet potatoes in it! That is so unique!
This looks so yummy, and I bet my picky husband will actually eat it. I’ve been craving a creamy soup or chowder. Definitely bookmarking this one.
Ok, so I made a corn chowder earlier this week and deemed it my new favorite soup. Now I want to try this one because it sounds even better!!
Mel! You’re amazing, thank you!
Does this soup freeze well?
Anonymous – I’ve never frozen this so I don’t know the answer to that. My guess is that it probably doesn’t freeze that great considering the milk and potatoes, but I could be wrong. Let me know if you try it!
I made this soup last night for supper and it was a huge hit!!!
Hey Anne – I’m glad you liked this unique soup. It is one of our favorites. Thanks for letting me know!
I’m excited to make this. I love sweet potatoes. Please clarify, do I use cooked chicken or put raw chicken in the soup to cook? Thanks.
Melanie, I have the same question as Anonymous–when you make it, does the chicken just cook in the soup? I can cook it ahead of time but would rather save the time if it can be cooked in the soup with the sweet potatoes. Thanks!
Anonymous and Cheri – yes, you use raw chicken and it cooks while the chicken simmers for the eight minutes. Just make sure the chicken is cut into small pieces so it cooks quickly.
Thanks, Melanie! Can’t wait to make this tonight.
I really liked this! It’s simple, didn’t contain anything I didn’t like, and it was very tasty. It made a LOT though — I think next time I will plan to share with a new mom or something!
Gina – I’m glad you liked this. Thanks for letting me know! And yes, it does feed a lot and would make a GREAT take-in meal.
So yummy! I am a long time visitor but this is my first time commenting
I cooked the chicken a bit after cooking the onion and garlic, then added the broth…worked perfectly.
I froze a portion also. It was fine. texture was a bit different but fine for leftover lunches
This earned rave reviews for the kiddos!!
kjtroxel – thank you for your comment (and for being a long-time reader!). I’m really glad that you liked this recipe and thanks for the tips on freezing it – sounds like a perfect lunch!
I made this soup yesterday for a family in our ward and it.was.awesome. WOW! Seriously delicous! I really don’t know how you and PW come up with so many amazing recipes but the two of you are the cream of the crop when it comes to cooking websites. Thank you!
Cathryn – you are so sweet! Thanks for your nice comment…and thanks for checking in to let me know you liked this recipe. I’m really glad it was a hit!
I made this and it is so super yummy! I was wondering if you think it could be made in the crockpot?..
Cassie – I’m glad you liked this soup. I’ve never tried it in the crockpot since there is a little bit of prep work in sauteing the onion and garlic…plus, potatoes take a really long time to cook in the crockpot and although sweet potatoes may cook differently, I just don’t know the ins and outs of this recipe for the slow cooker.
I am making this for dinner tonight and LOVE IT. Thanks for another delicious recipe!
Hey I made this last night and we loved it! Do you use yams or sweet potatoes. I used actual sweet potatoes, but the potatoes in your picture look kind of orange. Did you use yams?
Ashley – I used the orange sweet potatoes (also called yams). I can’t find the white-flesh sweet potatoes easily here so I always use the classic orange ones.
I just made this soup for company tonight. I have so much confidence in you Mel, that I didn’t even try it out beforehand. It was absolutely delicious and the pot is empty!
Oh heavens, Mary, that’s a lot of pressure! I’m glad this soup turned out for you, though. Thanks for checking in to let me know!
My husband said this was some of the best soup he’s ever had (and he doesn’t always love soup to begin with – is it a guy thing?)! I have a lot of sweet potatoes right now, so I pureed an extra one and added it to the soup, so the soup was extra orange which made it look very cheesy, though it didn’t taste super cheesy. I made other minor modifications, but it was so yummy and you get all the credit. We also made the velvet sugar cookies and the frosting from your sugar cookie post and once again, the best……. I really don’t need to look anywhere else to find yummy food!
Shannon – I love the pureed potato idea! Your comment was so nice…I’m so happy the cookies worked out well for you, too.
sounds delish, but I’d like to add more veggies- any suggestions??
Nicole – the sky is the limit with a soup like this. Try sauteing carrots, celery and bell pepper with the onion!
I added more sweet potatoes, and some carrots, and a big bunch of kale- soooooo yummy, especially in bread bowls!!!
Made it with turkey instead of chicken and added a jalapeno. Delicious!
YUM. I just wanted to let everyone know that I did freeze this (Its just my husband and myself, there was a TON left over!) and it re-heats wonderfully! I put it in the crock pot on low (I think not getting it too hot kept it from separating or curdling)….it was exactly the same as the day I made it! In fact, my husband thought I made it a second time. Ha.
I have had this recipe marked for some time and today was the day to try it.
I made a substitution, I used crab instead of chicken since that was what I had and needed to use up. Oh and I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth~
I loved it, using the corn bread mix for a thickener is something new to me. This recipe does make a big pot of soup- not a problem, some into the freezer and I can always call the kids over for a nice bowl of the chowder too. Love your site and your recipes – thank you, Maggie
This was fabulous!! I have never tried corn chowder. It just never sounded good to me. But wow! The flavor and texture is amazing. My husband and I gobbled this up in 2 days! Thanks Mel:-)
Hi! Been loving your recipes! Just wondering, I don’t have any Monterey Jack cheese. Would cheddar work as well? Or is there really that much of a taste difference with Monterey Jack?
Thanks!
Hi Anna – the taste of cheddar would probably work – I think the key is that Monterey Jack is a cheese that melts really well, whereas cheddar can become kind of grainy and greasy when melted.
I made this last night and had it again today for lunch. So perfect for a rainy day in the Pacific Northwest! We left out the chicken (always looking for a good meatless meal) and used canned corn (which I won’t do next time). The leftovers today were thinner, not sure why. I prefer it thick and creamy like it was last night, but I’m sure when my husband gets home from work he’ll report that he like it better today -just last night he said he liked it, but wanted it thinner
Mel, this soup was so good. My kids wished the sweet potatoes were carrots instead, but I can’t wait to break out the leftovers for dinner again. Thanks.