Chicken and Corn Chowder
This is a fresh summer corn appreciation recipe. There’s nothing more beautiful than this chicken and corn chowder recipe to celebrate fresh corn. This recipe checks all of the boxes for a perfect summer meal — delivering sweet flavor from the fresh corn, tender textures from the baby potatoes, herbaceousness from the chive topping.
How long can corn chowder last in the fridge? This is one of the very rare recipes where I’ll advise you to eat and serve the dish immediately without saving leftovers if possible. The freshness of the corn and potatoes are at peak quality immediately after cooking and the texture of the soup won’t hold overnight.
What benefit do adding corn cobs to the broth add to a chowder? Corn cobs are filled with great corn flavor. By adding them to the broth to simmer rather than just throwing them away, you’re enhancing and deepening the corn flavor of your soup.
Can corn chowder be frozen? No, corn chowder cannot be frozen after cooking. There are a few reasons why:
The potatoes will become overcooked as they reheat, leaving a mushy texture to the chowder.
The cream in chowders typically do not reheat well and can potentially have the fat separated out of the cream during the process, leaving you with a chunky soup.
How to thicken corn chowder? Adding flour to chowder recipes helps thicken the broth and gives the chowder a nice viscosity that otherwise would become watery from the vegetables. For best results, brown the flour lightly in the oil before adding broth or liquids to ensure you cook out all of the raw flour flavor before adding the broth.
What to serve with chicken and corn chowder? The beauty of chicken and corn chowder is that it is a very hearty and satisfying dish, so it can be served as a dinner all by itself. If you decide to include side dishes with this recipe, my recommendation would be one of the following:
Garden salad
Fresh sourdough bread slices
Cucumber and tomatoes sliced and seasoned lightly with salt, pepper, and vinegar — a classic southern side dish
How to make chicken and corn chowder:
Chicken and Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 cups of fresh corn (frozen is acceptable if needed)
- 1 large bell pepper
- 1/2 large yellow onion
- 2 slices of bacon
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 4 cups of Chicken broth
- 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 lb baby potatoes
- Fresh chives
Instructions
- Chop the bacon into small pieces and sauté in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Do this gently so you don’t burn the bacon and all of the fat renders out. Once the fat has rendered from the bacon, remove it from the pan, put it aside on a plate, and pat it dry with a paper towel to keep it crispy.
- Dice onion and red pepper and add to the pot with bacon fat over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 10 minutes, until onions are translucent and red bell peppers are soft.
- Chop corn kernels off the cob. Save corn cobs.
- Add corn and sauté for another 5 minutes, until frozen corn is warmed and soft.
- At this point, look at the pan and see if the vegetables look dry as they’re sautéeing. If they do, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the pan .
- Add the tablespoon of flour to the vegetables and fry it gently for 2 minutes until it is golden brown. This will help thicken the sauce, and cooking the flour before adding liquid helps remove any raw flour taste from the final product.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, cube potatoes in small, half inch bites and add to the pot once it has reached a boil. Season with salt and pepper again to give flavor to the potatoes.
- Add the corn cobs to the pot. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are soft and able to be punctured easily with a fork.
- Adjust any seasonings if needed, then add the heavy cream, and shredded rotisserie chicken. Remove the corn cobs.
- Let the soup cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, looking for the cream to chicken slightly and the chicken to shred even more than it already was in the sauce.
- Top with chives and the bacon pieces - enjoy!
