Chicken and Corn Chowder

This chicken corn chowder has been in my regular rotation for years. It started as a loose inspiration from an old cookbook, but over time it turned into the version my family asks for whenever the weather cools down. At this point, it’s fully ours, and I wouldn’t make it any other way. The chowder is smooth and comforting, with a deep corn flavor layered with sage and thyme, then finished with hearty chunks of chicken, carrots, and peas for texture. It’s the kind of cozy, one-pot soup that feels right on a cold night and always disappears fast.

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Corn Chowder

• Mostly Hands-Off Cooking: This chowder comes together in just under an hour, and most of that time is hands-off simmering. That leaves you free to prep the rest of dinner, tidy the kitchen, or pour yourself a glass of wine and let the pot do its thing.
• A GF Way to Get It Creamy: Instead of a flour-and-butter roux or heavy cream, this chowder gets its smooth, creamy texture from pureed corn simmered in chicken broth. The result is thick, rich, and comforting without relying on traditional thickeners.
• Comforting Without Feeling Heavy: Using corn puree instead of cream keeps the chowder creamy and satisfying without tipping into overly rich territory. It still has that slow-simmered, cozy flavor, plus it’s naturally gluten-free and dairy-free with no specialty ingredients required.
• Great for Making Ahead: This soup reheats beautifully, making it perfect for cooking a day or two in advance. Since there’s no cream or roux, it’s freezer-friendly and won’t separate or turn grainy when thawed.

Tips for Success

• Cook in a heavy-bottomed pot. While you can use any large soup pot or stockpot, I prefer one that is heavy-bottomed, particularly an enameled cast iron Dutch oven. This allows you to simmer the soup for a long time if you like without it scorching, and they are easy to clean.
• Choose how to puree. An immersion blender is a great option to minimize cleanup, but a regular blender works fine too. I love to use my Blendtec blender. It always makes veggie soups super smooth and velvety.
• Use up Thanksgiving leftovers. You can make this recipe with leftover roast turkey from your holiday feast. Also, feel free to add some cooked and crumbled sausage or sliced kielbasa for an extra kick of flavor.
• Swap the veggies. As I said, fresh or frozen veggies are both great option, but you can also add some sauteed peppers or celery, stir in a little kale or spinach for some dark leafy greens, or really any vegetables you love.
• Make it vegetarian. Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth or stock and omit the chicken for a basic corn chowder recipe. Or feel free to add some white beans for protein.
• This is definitely a soup you can make in advance, and leftovers are delicious. It’s also simple to make a double batch.

Proper Storage

Whether you refrigerate or freeze it, you can package leftover chicken corn chowder in individual portions or make it ahead and store it as a full batch that you can reheat to have enough for a family dinner.

• Refrigerate – Cool the soup and store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.
• Freeze – Transfer the leftover soup to an airtight container, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the freezer. It can be frozen for up to about three months. The night before you are going to eat it, let it thaw in the refrigerator. Then reheat as instructed.
• Reheat – To heat it up, transfer the soup to a pot to gently warm to a simmer on the stove or microwave until just barely starting to bubble, stirring occasionally.