Chicken Corn Chowder
This chicken corn chowder is is packed with flavor and texture and perfectly balanced with red pepper, tender corn, cheese, and salty ham.
I’ve got chowder on the brain. From the creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes to the Boston Clam Chowder I posted recently, warm soups are just the medicine I need to avoid the doldrums of a cold, chilly fall leading toward the inevitable doom of winter.
This particular chowder recipe is from my incredible chef of a sister-in-law, Erin (the exact same one that brought us the clam chowder recipe – she’s a gold mine of fabulous food!).
I made this soup last week and despite the long list of ingredients, it really does come together quickly. The night I served this, things (or should I say kidlets) were particularly crazy at the table.
With four boys, we get our fair share of rowdiness every night but this night was out of control. Yelling, shouting, vying for attention. Phrases like “M000000M, make him quit looking at my soup!” and “His feet are touching my chair!” were flying rampant.
My husband and I didn’t so much as make eye contact during dinner since we were so busy diverting flying elbows and acting as the dinner police. Imagine my surprise when my husband managed to boldly exclaim through the chaos that this soup was “awesome.”
Awesome.
He said it twice. TWICE. Twice on a night when we had no business saying anything to each other or even tasting our food for that matter, since all of our resources needed to be directed toward convincing our children not to start an epic family food fight. And he was right.
This soup is awesome. Packed with flavor and texture, it is perfectly balanced with the sweet red pepper, tender corn, creamy milk and cheese, and salty ham.
Just don’t ask how much ended up on my kitchen floor.
What To Serve With This:
Cornbread Muffins or Cornbread and Fluffy Honey Butter
Broiled or griddled cheese quesadillas (for a fancier quesadilla these Crispy Cheese Wraps)
Fresh, seasonal fruit
Chicken Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and membrane removed (this is important for flavor – but doesn’t add heat because the seeds and membranes are removed and it is cooked with the other veggies)
- ¼ cup thinly sliced or cooked chopped ham
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans (14-ounces each) chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 ears fresh corn kernels or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 4 oz. softened cream cheese
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute celery, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ham; cook for another 3 minutes.
- Whisk the broth with the flour in a liquid measuring cup or bowl and then stir into the soup. Stir in the corn and chicken. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat.
- Whisk together the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl until smooth (I had a difficult time getting my cream cheese to completely whisk into the milk so my soup had some minor small lumps but next time, I’ll soften the cream cheese until almost melted in the microwave).
- Whisk the cream cheese/milk mixture into the soup along with the salt, pepper, and cheddar cheese. Simmer on low until ready to serve.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from my sister-in-law, Erin
I’ve made this recipe numerous times over the years. It’s always so comforting and delicious at the same time We are now empty nesters of 4 kids and my daughter requested this first thing when she came home for the break from college. I hadn’t made it in a few years and man it’s great. Will be making this a lot more now that we live in a cold climate!
This soup is SO GOOD! I didn’t have ham, but it was perfect as a chicken corn chowder.
I made this chowder a few years ago and loved it. I don’t know why I haven’t made it again since! While my Easter ham was in the oven, all I could think about was using some leftovers for this chowder. This will feed us for days.
Really really good! Made with bacon instead of ham, because that’s what I had. The last serving got lost in the refrigerator and had been there for a week, maybe. I decided to eat it anyway, and it was even better than the first day. Like many soups and stews, the time only enhanced the flavors. If you can hold off from eating it for a few days, you’ll be happy. I understand if you can’t 🙂
Thanks for the comment about the cream cheese, I like you had to do the same thing. So I appreciated the comment.
I just made this again last night and was reminded how much I love it. I’m currently pregnant and it is one of very few dishes that doesn’t make me gag at the thought of eating leftovers! Haha
This soup is so delicious! I have made it as-is several times as well as made adjustments like leaving out the chicken, adding potatoes, using bacon instead of ham. All variations are wonderful! It’s a family favorite at our house. My husband especially loves when I make your Brazilian cheese bread with it. Delicious combo!
Delicious! Just like everything on this site!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it tonight and it was REALLY good! I didn’t have ham so I used sausage and it tasted great! A great comfort soup! I didn’t have a jalapeño either so I left that out. Thanks for sharing!!
This is such an excellent soup. I love how it is not too thick and rich, but definitely hearty enough. I always have trouble with the cream cheese leaving lumps no matter how much I microwave the cream cheese (even tried heating the milk with it). So today I added the softened cream cheese after the veggies were sauteed. The heat from them combined with my whisking ensured there were no lumps. Not that it matters, because it is always so delicious. It’s still hot where we are, but I put the AC on and made soup!
Great idea. We love this soup but always had lumps from cream cheese. Tried your trick tonight and worked great.
Have to Complement You on this recipe. Cooked last night form my Wife & Mom,,,Came out great,, i did nuke the cream cheese in microwave for 30 seconds then stirred then another 30 seconds,, this worked well with milk. Will make often. Thxs again..
Wow, this is absolutely delicious! With an ice storm heading in, this was the perfect soup!
My chicken stock came in a 32 oz container, so I used all of it and bumped the cream cheese to 6 oz and the milk by a quarter cup and the flour another tablespoon and a half and it came out perfectly!
Thank you for yet another favorite in our house!
This soup is really good! I used leftover turkey instead of chicken and it worked fine!
Last night I made Mel’s Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with some added red potatoes… today used the leftovers from the turkey, the red potatoes and the carrot filled gravy/sauce in making this soup …(followed all the directions for making the soup as above, just added the chopped turkey and potatoes and the sauce) put it in the slow cooker to simmer…at the very end added some chopped spinach. The soup was delicious and so appetizing with the bright carrots, peppers, corn, spinach and creamy sauce. Thanks again for a good family recipe!
Oh my, this was so good and so forgiving of my adjustments. To accomodate my fridge contents I left out ham, but used bacon fat instead of evoo. Also left out jalepeno and celery (running low on fresh veg) and added a bit of potato and sweet potato. Added an extra T flour and used 32oz stock since we like it thick. Used only 3oz cheddar. So creamy rich and delicious! We’ll definitely have it again and will probably add just a little more corn.
Thanks so much for consistently churning out such reliably good, mostly not too time consuming, recipes. I’ve been seeking some new family friendly recipes for my young family (1 and 3 yrs) and have had some tremendous flops from some blogs. Man I hate to throw out a whole pot of food, and we’ve never had to do that with a MKC recipe. THANK YOU!
Thanks, Jen!
Made a double batch and it is delicious. Oddly, it has been soup weather in July in Wisconsin. I will definitely make this for cool weather camping and ice fishing, it is so quick and filling. We always freeze alot of sweet corn and this is an awesome way to use it up.
I have been making many great recipes from this site for the last 2 years. Tonight I just made the chicken corn chowder….AMAZING. My husband and kids (6 and 2) gobbled it right up. Thank you for helping a busy working mom make wonderful meals for her famly!
Just made this with leftover turkey and ham from Christmas dinner – SO good!! We all loved it!!!
Wow, the fam loved this! It was a cold San Diego night (okay it was 60 degrees, but still cold for us and any excuse to have chowder is rare) and the kids (3 teens and 1 tween) devoured it. I know it’s good when my 6′ 3″ tall 15 year old says “Mom, you didn’t make enough food again!” He had the dutch oven in the air trying to scrape every last little bit in his soup bowl! Thank you, thank you!
Just wanted to comment that this is perhaps my favorite recipe from your site! When asking the hubs for input on dinner menus this ALWAYS makes it to the top of his list. So good that we’re even eating it tonight, regardless of the 95 degree heat surrounding us! Thanks!
A little late to the party here, but this was a big hit with my kids tonight. Wonderful flavor reminiscent of Max & Erma’s chicken tortilla soup. My 7 year old son thinks we should open a restaurant and sell this soup! Thanks for the recipe. I have yet to go wrong with a recipe from your site.
Great chowder. Can’t afford red peppers so used a green. Added 1 cup of ham because we have too much ham in the kitchen, so says my wife. Thanks Mel good eatin’!
I love this soup. Love love love love it! Used fat free milk and lo fat cream cheese and lofat sharp cheddar…still soooooooo good. Thanks! You improve my life always!
We loved this! I had bacon on hand and used that instead of the ham and it was awesome. I overheard my friend’s husband tell her to ask me for the recipe.
Wonderful, I’ll give it a try & let you know!
Stephanie – I’ve never frozen this but it’s probably worth a try. The texture might be slightly different upon reheating but the flavor should still be great.
I just made this today with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving & it was wonderful! Do you thin this would be OK to freeze after cooking? I’d live to make a double batch to have on hand for nights I don’t want to cook. Thanks & I love your site!
Wow! Another hit with the hubby. We loved this soup. Next time I might triple the jalapeno (daring, I know). I also added carrots in place of the red pepper, as I don’t like red pepper, and omitted the ham. It was wonderful!! Mel, thank you so much! This soup was a dream come true!
This soup finally made it to my dinner table last night and it did not disappoint. Not only is it entraordinarily yummy and comforting, it is beautiful with the flecks of red, yellow and green. Thank you, Mel for sharing this awesome recipe.
Mel, you have made my dinner table 3 nights in a row: Fabulous Orange Chicken on Monday, Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork (we made sandwiches) Tuesday, and tonight the Chicken and Corn Chowder simmers, waiting for children to come home from sports practices (but I’ve test-tasted, and it’s delicious!). I am a big fan of your great recipes!
It’s a cool rainy autumn day and I had all the ingredients on hand, so I decided to make this chowder. I started by cooking and shredding the chicken using Mel’s recipe for simple shredded chicken posted a few days ago. I used two jalapenos with seeds and membranes because I like a little heat. Wow, it turned out so yummy! Will definitely make this recipe again.
Hi there! Yet again I have found another one of your recipes I love so much that I had to give it a “fit” makeover for my blog (www.mimisfitfoods.com)! This is the soup my husband requests most. When he got home from work last week and saw that it was on the stove he cheered . . . seriously cheered! Thanks Mel!
BEST-SOUP-EVER.. . .. I mean . . .EVER. Made tonight and both kids and husband ADORED. Followed up with fab Chocolate Chip Bars (FABULOUS!) and Mel is hero of dinner! Made enough for 2 adults + 2 kids and 3 additional adult portions- freezing them for husbands lunches, he says that Mel left-overs are a million times better than eating out and this soup is a perfect example- hurrah hurrah!! Thank you thank you!!!! (ps- SO love that when I shop/make/serve anything by Mel- it is always a thrill with picky kids and husband alike! So no more kid whining/protesting/eventual throwing out of most of cooked meal! (and mother rage. .!) The slow cooked pulled-pork buns last week also major hit along with your peanut butter cookies- old recipe for PB cookies in trash!). 3 cheers for Mel!
Oh my. I just made this soup for dinner and my husband, who is not a big fan of cheese or milk in things, gobbled up TWO bowls. I was VERY glad to double this recipe (pregnancy exhaustion is killing my love of cooking) and SO happy we don’t have to fight over leftovers. I think I will add 1 more jalapeno for our taste next time, but this soup was HEAVEN! THANK YOU!
So I just made this soup tonight with the cornbread – SO FRICKIN DELICIOUS!!! For a soup that I’ve never made it turned out PERFECT! BTW: It makes plenty. I fed 9 people with it. It was gone but everyone was chuck full! I also added more milk, chicken boullion and prob about twice the corn – It was perfect!
What a great soup! Really easy to prepare…thanks for all of the helpful hints. I was going to ask if you’ve ever frozen this but we only had one bowl for leftover lunch tomorrow. My houseguests went back for seconds! I served it with sourdough rolls and fresh fruit…it was a fantastic lunch for our houseguests to sit down for upon their arrival…you made me look like a pro! Thanks so much for sharing!
This continues to be tied for my very favorite soup! I made it tonight and totally forgot to pre-cook the chicken. I just sauteed raw chicken cut in bite size pieces for a couple minutes in the oil before adding the onion and peppers and it worked like a charm! I love the egg noodle idea too – I think I’ll try that next!
Hi Mel! My husband especially loves this recipe. When I searched for it on your site tonight, I realized that many other husbands adore this soup, and thought I would propose a name change – “Happy Husband Chicken Corn Chowder” ! 😉 Just wanted to say thanks for this recipe and for all the others that you share with us. We’ve enjoyed many meals & treats from your collection.
mel…yet another family fave! i made this tonight and the hubby ate two bowls and then proceded to call dibs on the leftovers for his lunch tomorrow..lol. thanks!
Tobi – I love it when my husband declares dibs on leftovers before dinner is even over and I hate it, too, because it means I have to fight him for them. Glad this soup was a hit!
This was delicious!! I added some egg noodles because I needed to feed extra people. Everyone loved it! My 3 year old kept saying “this is the bestist dinner ever!” Thank you!
Whitney – great idea to add egg noodles, you brilliant little lady! Your 3-year old’s comment is adorable.
melanie i made this last night and oh my goodness it was good. i usually don’t look forward to leftovers but i was sooo excited to eat this again today. we loved it so much i will double the recipe next time! thanks for another great recipe.
Jackie – so glad you liked this one (especially the leftovers!).