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This dump-and-go creamy Crockpot chicken corn chowder recipe is full of tender chicken, potatoes, and other vegetables for a cozy, satisfying comfort food meal.
When the weather starts to cool down, there’s nothing quite like a home cooked meal. Here in Florida we won’t start to see our endless summer start to chill out a bit until late November (just in time for the holidays!). But we’re almost to the point when early mornings and late evenings are pleasantly refreshing. And for this Buffalo girl at heart, that means soup season!
I’ve always loved a classic chicken corn chowder. Back in undergrad, a can of the Campbell’s version was one of my favorite cheap college meals! With big pieces of tender chicken, a variety of vegetables, and a rich, creamy, savory broth, this homemade whole food version is so much better.
And because we put everything into a slow cooker and let it do its thing, this couldn’t be easier to make. You don’t even have to brown the chicken first! No worries if you’re pressed for time or only have an Instant Pot because this recipe works equally well in an electric pressure cooker, and I give instructions for both methods.
What Makes This Recipe Stand Out
- It’s a dump and go Crockpot meal with minimal effort that’s delicious enough to earn you rave reviews from your family every time you make it!
- Leftovers are even better. If you’re a fan of Campbell’s Chunky Chicken Corn Chowder, you’re going to be excited that this recipe makes a big batch! Homemade soup is so much more healthy and delicious than canned. And you can freeze it in individual portions for quick lunches and dinners!
- No fuss and no frills, we let the flavor of the star ingredients shine. Corn, potato, and chicken are the stars of the show here. The creamy broth and flavorful garnishes enhance them without stealing their thunder.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free. And you can reduce the carbs a bit by using a low carb vegetable substitute for potato (such as cauliflower or zucchini) and adding 4 ounces of cream cheese instead of the cornstarch.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – A drizzle of olive oil adds an extra layer of flavor, and helps make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the Crockpot.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – I like the rich flavor and juicy texture of chicken thighs, but you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead if you prefer. Trim off the excess fat and cut them into 1-inch pieces.
- Salt and black pepper – Here we keep the spices simple so the flavor of the vegetables can shine.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic is such a great pairing with corn and potatoes in this creamy soup. It lends a ton of depth.
- Jalapeño – This adds a subtle spicy heat to balance the sweet corn and sweet cream. In this recipe, we use just one jalapeño to keep it mild, but feel free to add up to three if you want a little kick. If you don’t have fresh jalapeños on hand, you can use a little cayenne pepper instead.
- Fresh thyme – Adds a bright, fresh flavor that pairs beautifully with chicken.
- Onion – Onion adds complex flavor notes and is a lovely complement to the potato in this soup.
- Red bell pepper – This adds pops of bright red color and sweet flavor, and helps round out the meal with another veggie. (Well, I guess scientifically a fruit!)
- Celery – I’m not a huge fan of raw celery, but in soups its grassy flavor mellows and sweetens. Creamy soups in particular really benefit from celery!
- Frozen corn – Here you’ll need a 16 to 20 ounce bag of frozen corn. And there’s no need to thaw it!
- Yellow potatoes – If you use yellow potatoes (such as Yukon Gold), just scrub them and cut them into 1-inch pieces. They have a thin skin, so you don’t have to peel them! Another benefit to using yellow potatoes instead of starchy potatoes (such as Russet) is that yellow potatoes hold their shape better and don’t disintegrate into soups.
- Bay leaf – Helps create beautiful depth of flavor and irresistible aroma. Don’t worry if you don’t have bay leaves on hand, it’s not worth a trip to the store for just them; but if you have them, add one and you won’t regret it!
- Chicken stock or chicken broth – I love the richness and depth that chicken stock adds here. You can also use water and add Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base.
- Heavy whipping cream – In this recipe, we make a slurry of cornstarch and heavy whipping cream, which has great thickening power! The cream also adds delicious rich flavor.
- Cornstarch – To help thicken the soup.
- Beef bacon – Or you can use any type of bacon you like! Cook it until crispy, crumble it, and sprinkle it on top of the soup when you serve it. The bacon is optional, but its salty umami flavor is a perfect contrast with the creamy soup.
- Minced fresh chives – Normally I say that fresh herbs as a garnish are optional, but this one is highly recommended. If you like chives on a loaded baked potato, you’ll understand why – they add a fresh mild onion flavor that beautifully contrasts the potato and creamy broth.
How to Make This Crockpot Chicken Corn Chowder Recipe
- Drizzle the oil across the bottom of a slow cooker. Spread out the chicken in an even layer across the bottom. Sprinkle on the salt, black pepper, garlic, and thyme.
- Add the following in even layers: onion, bell pepper, celery, and jalapeño.
- Add the corn in an even layer, and then the potatoes. Add the bay leaf. Pour in the chicken broth. (Don’t stir.)
- Cook until the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender, on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Mix together the cream and cornstarch in a small bowl. If you’re cooking on LOW, stir in the cream/cornstarch mixture during the last 30 minutes of cooking. If you’re cooking on HIGH, stir in the cream/cornstarch mixture during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Pro Tip: Don’t Stir!
Once you have all the ingredients layered into the Crockpot, don’t stir! You’ll notice that the liquid doesn’t fully cover the top layer of potatoes; don’t worry, the potatoes will cook fine this way. However, we want to keep the chicken on the bottom so it cooks properly.
Serve garnished with crisped bacon and minced chives.
How to Make Chicken Corn Chowder in the Instant Pot
If you’re making this soup in an Instant Pot, you can omit the olive oil and use the fat rendered from crisping the bacon. Keep all of the other ingredients the same.
- Turn on the Instant Pot and press the “Sauté” button. Once hot, add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a bowl and set aside to use as a garnish when serving, but leave the rendered fat in the pot. Press “Cancel”.
- Add the chicken thighs, salt, black pepper, garlic, thyme, onion, bell pepper, celery, jalapeño, corn, potatoes, bay leaf, and chicken stock. Use a spoon to gently press down on the ingredients to submerge them in the stock as much as possible.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set it to “Sealing”. Turn it on “Manual, High Pressure” for 10 minutes.
- It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure, and then cook for 10 minutes at pressure. After that, carefully turn the valve to vent the pot and release the pressure. Remove the lid and press “Cancel”.
- Press “Sauté”. In a bowl, whisk together the cream and cornstarch. Stir this mixture into the soup, and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. If you want to thicken the soup even more, use a potato masher, immersion blender, or regular blender to puree some of the soup.
- Serve garnished with crisped bacon and minced chives.
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have cornstarch on hand, you can substitute with 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour or 4 ounces of cream cheese.
- You definitely don’t have to use frozen corn! You can also use canned corn (drained) or fresh corn cut off the cob.
- If you don’t have a red bell pepper on hand, you can use 2 medium carrots (diced) instead.
- If you want the soup even thicker, you can puree 2 cups of it in a blender and stir it back in, or simply use a potato masher to partially mash the soup when it’s done cooking. Note that this soup will thicken more as it cools; after refrigerating, it’ll be quite thick the next day!
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
This soup freezes and reheats really well, which makes it a great freezer meal for meal prep! After freezing, thaw it in the fridge overnight and gently reheat it until steaming hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! You can put chicken in the slow cooker raw. Depending on the flavor profile, some slow cooker chicken recipes call for browning the chicken before adding it, but others don’t.
In this Crockpot chicken corn chowder recipe, there’s no need to brown the chicken before adding it. Which of course is a bonus because there are fewer dishes to clean!
There are a few different ways you can do this. In this recipe, we pull out all the stops with a three-step method.
We use a slurry made of cornstarch and heavy whipping. A normal cornstarch slurry is made of cornstarch and cold water, but using cream instead of water adds another layer of thickening powder (and also rich flavor!).
And because of the potato in this soup, if you want it even thicker, you can puree two cups of it in a blender and stir it back in. Or simply use a potato masher to partially mash the soup when it’s done cooking.
More Easy Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes Your Family Will Want on Repeat
- Chicago-Style Italian Beef Sandwiches
- Restaurant-Quality Tuscan Chicken
- Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole
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Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 large cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped
- 3 large stalks celery sliced
- 1 jalapeño minced
- 20 ounces frozen corn no need to thaw
- 1 1/2 pounds yellow potatoes scrubbed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups chicken stock or chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 pound beef bacon cooked until crispy and crumbled (for garnish)
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives for garnish
Instructions
- Drizzle the oil across the bottom of a slow cooker. Spread out the chicken in an even layer across the bottom. Sprinkle on the salt, black pepper, garlic, and thyme. Add the following in even layers: onion, bell pepper, celery, jalapeño, corn, and finally the potatoes. Add the bay leaf. Pour in the chicken broth. (Don’t stir.) Cook until the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender, on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
- Mix together the cream and cornstarch in a small bowl. If you’re cooking on LOW, stir in the cream/cornstarch mixture during the last 30 minutes of cooking. If you’re cooking on HIGH, stir in the cream/cornstarch mixture during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
- If you want the soup even thicker, you can puree 2 cups of it in a blender and stir it back in, or simply use a potato masher to partially mash the soup when it’s done cooking. (Note that this soup will thicken more as it cools; after refrigerating, it'll be quite thick the next day!)
- Serve garnished with crisped bacon and minced chives.
Notes
- Don’t Stir: Once you have all the ingredients layered into the Crockpot, don’t stir! You’ll notice that the liquid doesn’t fully cover the top layer of potatoes; don’t worry, the potatoes will cook fine this way. However, we want to keep the chicken on the bottom so it cooks properly.
- Storage and Freezing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. This soup freezes and reheats really well, which makes it a great freezer meal for meal prep! After freezing, thaw it in the fridge overnight and gently reheat it until steaming hot.
- Frozen Corn Substitute: You can also use canned corn (drained) or fresh corn cut off the cob.
- Turn on the Instant Pot and press the “Sauté” button. Once hot, add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a bowl and set aside to use as a garnish when serving, but leave the rendered fat in the pot. Press “Cancel”.
- Add the chicken thighs, salt, black pepper, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, onion, bell pepper, celery, jalapeño, corn, potatoes, and chicken stock. Use a spoon to gently press down on the ingredients to submerge them in the stock as much as possible.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set it to “Sealing”. Turn it on “Manual, High Pressure” for 10 minutes.
- It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure, and then cook for 10 minutes at pressure. After that, carefully turn the valve to vent the pot and release the pressure. Remove the lid and press “Cancel”.
- Press “Sauté”. In a bowl, whisk together the cream and cornstarch. Stir this mixture into the soup, and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. If you want to thicken the soup even more, use a potato masher, immersion blender, or regular blender to puree some of the soup.
- Serve garnished with crisped bacon and minced chives.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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