This Healthy Chicken Corn Chowder is a one pot meal perfect for summer – it's an extra creamy soup that's satisfying and delicious!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – any neutral cooking oil, like canola or avocado oil, will work for this soup.
- Yukon gold potatoes – or another potato of your choice like russet or fingerling potatoes.
- Chicken breasts – you can make this soup with chicken thighs, just keep in mind it won’t be as healthy.
- Corn – I prefer fresh corn on the cob but you can try using canned unsweetened corn.
- Celery – chopped carrots would also add a bit of crunch to this recipe.
- Red onion – white or yellow onion would also work but will have a milder flavour.
- Red pepper – use any colour bell pepper of your choice such as yellow or orange pepper.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Salt – to taste.
- Paprika – cayenne would be a good substitute here, but will give the soup more of a kick.
- Thyme – oregano or marjoram would both provide a similar flavour to thyme.
- Pepper – to taste.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth would be the next best thing.
- Whipping cream – use another heavy cream or combine milk and butter to make your own heavy cream.
- Lime juice – use freshly squeezed or bottled lime juice. Lemon juice will also work if it’s all you have on hand.
Garnishes
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- Jalapeno pepper – serrano peppers would also be good. If you’re not a fan of spice, leave these out.
- Green onions – chives or scallions can be used for garnish as well.
- Cilantro – leave this out altogether if you’re not a fan of cilantro. Parsley might also be good.
- Bacon – turkey bacon would be a healthier option.
How to make chicken corn chowder
- Sauté the potatoes and chicken.
- Add in the veggies, spices and liquid.
- Roughly blend the veggie mixture.
- Top with your choice of garnishes and serve!
What to serve on the side
The great thing about this chicken corn chowder is that you’ve got all the elements of a meal in one dish with potatoes, veggies and chicken. If you want to serve something on the side, some garlic bread or crusty Italian loaf would be tasty! You could also cut down on the serving size and serve this soup with a nice salad, sandwich or wrap.
Frequently Asked Questions
This chicken corn chowder is made with chicken breasts, corn cut off the cob, lots of veggies including potatoes, spices and chicken broth. It's super easy and so delicious!
My secret to getting thick creamy soup is to roughly blend the veggies using an immersion blender. After the soup has come to the simmer, ladle out 2 cups of the veggie mixture, blend it in a bowl and then add it back into the soup before stirring in the cream. If you find that your soup still isn’t thick enough for your liking, you can also try adding in a bit of flour or a cornstarch slurry.
Yes! This recipe is a healthier take on classic corn chowder. It does include heavy cream, but since there’s only ¼ cup across all four servings, there’s only about one tablespoon of whipping cream per serving. It’s a much healthier way to enjoy this creamy chowder! There are 403 calories in one bowl of soup without any of the garnishes.
Storing and reheating
This corn chowder will last in the fridge for up to 5 days in glass bowls or airtight containers. Make sure to store the garnishes separately! When you’re ready to enjoy your soup, I recommend reheating it in a pot on the stovetop and bringing it to a simmer over medium-low heat. In a pinch, you can reheat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
Can you freeze chicken corn chowder?
Unfortunately, cream-based soups like this one don’t defrost well, so I wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe. The cream separates when it’s defrosting and the texture will be a lot different. It’s super easy to make though, so you can whip up a fresh batch in no time!
More healthy soup recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this chicken corn chowder into meal prep.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls for up to 3 months.
Healthy Chicken Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes diced
- 1 lb chicken breasts diced
- 4 cobs of corn cut off cob
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Optional garnishes
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Add potatoes and chicken, sauteeing for 2-3 minutes until chicken is lightly browned.
- Add in corn, celery, onion and red pepper, sauteeing for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Add in garlic and spices, sauteeing another minute until fragrant, then add in chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare toppings of choice.
- When soup is done simmering, ladle out about 2 cups of the potatoes/corn/veggie mixture (just avoid the chicken) into a medium-sized bowl, and then use an immersion blender to roughly blend the mixture before adding back to the soup (this step is optional but really adds to the creaminess so I highly recommend!)
- Stir in heavy cream and lime juice, then remove from heat. Serve in bowls, topping with garnishes of choice. Enjoy!
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