Chicken Corn Chowder (Slow Cooker)

This Chicken Corn Chowder couldn’t be easier to assemble — we throw everything into a slow cooker, turn it on, and forget about it! This chowder is robustly flavored and mimics the flavors of Mexican street corn. This chowder is loaded with crisp corn, savory black beans, tender bites of chicken, and fire-roasted diced green chiles – yum!

Chicken Corn Chowder

There is nothing I crave more than soup when the weather gets cold. I mean, a warm, right-out-of-the-oven chewy chocolate chip cookie is next on that list…but soup first!

And this Chicken Corn Chowder is one for the books! Not only is it ridiculously simple to make, but it’s also got such a great flavor. The inspiration for this soup comes from Mexican Street Corn (Elote) — we’ve got corn, cilantro, and plenty of street-corn-inspired seasonings. And once it’s finished off we top it with sour cream, fresh lime, and plenty of cilantro — truly, this chowder is delicious! 

Let’s chat ingredients

Below are some notes on a few of the ingredients in this chowder:

• Chicken: While chicken breasts will work, I highly recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The thigh meat becomes exceptionally tender in the slow cooker and shreds quickly and easily. It’s also more forgiving if it is cooked for longer since chicken breasts tend to dry out if they’re cooked too long.
• Creamed corn (which is also called cream-style corn) is a canned ingredient and doesn’t have any actual cream in it. So what’s up with that name? About half of the fresh corn kernels are pureed (or “creamed)” and the other half are left whole. The two are mixed together to create creamed corn or cream-style corn. We love the texture it adds to this chowder!
• Half and half is a dairy product — half whole milk and half heavy cream. Half and half is typically found near other dairy products (like heavy whipping cream) in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. If you don’t have access to this product, combine equal parts whole milk with heavy cream, shake it together, and voila — “homemade” half and half! More about half and half here.
• Chicken stock. A high-quality, flavorful stock adds loads of flavor and allows us to cut down on spices or other additions. We highly recommend Swanson’s® chicken stock — it’s our favorite in Chicken Corn Chowder.

Chicken Corn Chowder Toppings

While Chicken Corn Chowder is great as is, the toppings truly seal the deal, delivering an unforgettable meal experience. Below are our “must-have” toppings.

• Cheese: We like to freshly grate the cheese right on top of each bowl. Our favorite is sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack, but pepper Jack cheese is another great option.
• Sour cream: My personal favorite in this soup is lite sour cream. Regular sour cream or even a Mexican crema works nicely too.
• Fresh lime juice: A few squeezes of fresh lime heighten all the flavors in this soup and add a burst of brightness.
• Hot sauce: a few squirts of hot sauce add some nice spice and flavor!
• Chips: Crushed tortilla strips (seasoned or plain) add a nice contrasting crunch to the creaminess of the soup.
• Fresh cilantro: If you’re a cilantro fan, you’ll love what this herb does to the soup with its freshness and citrusy flavor. And if you’re in the anti-cilantro crowd, try thinly sliced green onions or chives.
• Ripe avocado or guacamole: For an additional element of creaminess, we love a ripe avocado sliced on top.

If I could only pick three toppings for this chowder, they would be the cheese, sour cream and lime juice. I highly recommend at least those three additions.

More delicious slow cooker recipes:

• Crockpot Chili dozens of rave reviews and winner of chili cook-offs!
• Quinoa Tacos meatless, nutritious tacos made simple in the slow cooker
• Chicken Chili creamy Zupas restaurant copycat
• Crockpot Cajun Chicken with tender shredded chicken and veggies
• Crockpot Sloppy Joes on toasted brioche buns!

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4.72 from 109 votes

Chicken Corn Chowder

By Chelsea Lords

This Chicken Corn Chowder couldn't be easier to assemble -- we throw everything into a slow cooker, turn it on, and forget about it! This chowder is robustly flavored and mimics the flavors of Mexican street corn. It's loaded with crisp corn, savory black beans, tender bites of chicken, and fire-roasted diced green chiles - yum!

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 pound (16 oz.) boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts Note 1
• ▢ 2 cloves minced garlic
• ▢ 2 cans (14.25 oz. EACH) cream-style corn Note 2
• ▢ 1 can (14.75 oz.) fire-roasted corn, regular canned corn, or Mexi-corn (drained & rinsed) or 1-1/2 cups (230g) frozen corn
• ▢ 1 can (15.25 oz.) black beans, drained & rinsed
• ▢ 1 can (4 oz.) fire-roasted diced green chiles, undrained
• ▢ 2 teaspoons chipotle (or regular) chili powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 and 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 cup chicken stock (or broth) (we love Swanson's)
• ▢ 2 cups Shredded cheese Colby & Monterey Jack is a good blend Note 3
• ▢ 2 cups half-and-half or heavy cream Note 4
• ▢ Fine sea salt and pepper
• ▢ Add-ins: additional cheese, fresh lime, fresh cilantro, hot sauce, sour cream, avocado, tortilla strips/chips Note 5

Instructions 

• PREP: Spray a large slow cooker (I use a 6-quart one) with nonstick spray. Trim the fat off of the breasts or thighs. If you are using breasts, cut each breast into 2-3 pieces.
• SLOW COOKER: Add the chicken, garlic, creamed corn (undrained), fire-roasted corn (drained), drained and rinsed black beans, undrained diced green chiles, chipotle chili powder, paprika, and cumin to the slow cooker. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I usually add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; add to taste preference). Add chicken stock or broth.
• COOK: Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours or low for 4-6 hours-- or until the chicken shreds easily.
• SHRED CHICKEN: Remove the chicken and shred with two forks. While shredding the chicken, add in the freshly grated (if you use cheese from a bag it gets greasy) cheese and the half and half.
• FINISHING CHOWDER: Return the shredded chicken and mix it into the soup. Taste and season to taste with salt and pepper; the flavors should sing!
• SERVE: The toppings seal the deal! Ladle soup into bowls and top with desired toppings: additional handful of cheese, a few squeezes of fresh lime, finely chopped fresh cilantro, squirt of hot sauce, spoonful of sour cream, and/or diced fresh avocado.
• INSTANT POT: Thanks Tammy for sharing how you make this in the Pressure Cooker! Tammy writes, "I make this all the time in my instant pot! I add everything but the cream and cheese. Then I choose soup and it cooks for 30 minutes. Shred the chicken and add the cream and cheese. We love this soup!"
• STORAGE: Leftover chowder will keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. Reheat in a pot over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. Don't boil the chowder or reheat it at a high temperature; this can cause the ingredients to separate or curdle. Because of all of the dairy in this chowder, it isn't a great candidate for freezing and thawing. The milk solids will separate as the chowder thaws, resulting in a grainy texture with some separation. 

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Chicken: While chicken breasts will work, I highly recommend boneless skinless chicken thighs. The thigh meat becomes exceptionally tender in the slow cooker and shreds quickly and easily. It’s also more forgiving if it is cooked for longer since chicken breasts tend to dry out if they’re cooked too long.

Note 2: Creamed corn: (which is also called cream-style corn) is a canned ingredient and doesn’t have any actual cream in it. About half of the fresh corn kernels are pureed (or “creamed)” and the other half are left whole. The two are mixed together to create creamed corn or cream-style corn. Don't drain this corn before adding.

Note 3: Cheese: Feel free to get creative with the cheese. We like Colby and Monterey Jack best, but you could add in some sharp Cheddar or even some pepper-Jack. We highly recommend using cheese in a block and grating the cheese for the best texture. Pre-grated cheese contains preservatives that keep the shreds from clumping together in the bag, but they also keep the cheese from melting smoothly.

Note 4: Half and half: This is a dairy product -- half whole milk and half heavy cream. Half and half is typically found near other dairy products (like heavy whipping cream) in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. If you don't have access to this product, combine equal parts whole milk with heavy cream, shake it together, and voila -- "homemade" half and half! For a thicker and creamier chowder, use all heavy cream.

Note 5: Toppings: While this chowder is tasty out of the slow cooker, the toppings truly seal the deal, delivering an unforgettable meal so don't skimp on these! 

Nutrition information does not include the add-ins, since they will vary by your preference.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 646kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 164mg | Sodium: 1118mg | Potassium: 866mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 979IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 525mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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