When the weather is chilly, this creamy chicken corn soup is deliciously comforting. The recipe is sweet, rich and a bit smoky to warm up your body and spirit!
It’s mid September and a chill is in the air here in West Virginia. Luckily, I’ve had this delicious creamy chicken soup recipe on my photography to-do list for quite a while. It’s rich and warming, so having a bowl for dinner was the perfect way to welcome in fall weather.
Soup season recipe
It’s also the unofficial start to soup season! When it’s cold, rather than turn on the heat, I reach for a cup of soup and a warm blanket. I guess I’m kinda frugal like that. But it also makes the chilly nights feel more like a special event rather than the foreboding of winter.
Chicken soup for the soul? Sounds right to me! From the homemade broth to the homegrown veggies that went into the mix, there’s something special about making a pot of soup. It warms the kitchen as you make it, warms your belly as you sip from the spoon and warms your heart as you relish in the simple delight of a home cooked meal!
Chicken chowder
I guess you could call this a chicken chowder except there are no potatoes. You could always add them if you’d like, but when I created the recipe I went for a Mexican fusion vibe and used peppers instead.
There’s sweet corn and jalapenos with garlic and cumin. It’s very savory and perfect served with a loaf of jalapeno cheddar sourdough. Creamy, indulgent and very filling!
More soup recipes to try
- Autumn Roasted Vegetable Soup
- Classic Potato Soup
- Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup
- Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Thai Pumpkin Corn Soup
Ingredients and substitutions
Sweet onion → I used a sweet onion, but yellow or white onion work too.
Celery → I like the depth that celery adds to soup, but if you’re out, you can add parsnips, zucchini or potatoes to this recipe.
Bell pepper → I use red bell peppers because that’s what is growing in my garden. Plus, the red is a nice contrast to the yellow corn. But any color bell pepper will do.
Jalapeno → The red jalapeno adds a nice smokiness that cuts the creaminess of the soup. Because I allowed the peppers to ripen fully, the jalapenos are a little sweeter. It’s a mild heat, but if you like a spicier soup, feel free to swap out the red jalapenos for green or use hotter peppers like serrano or cayenne.
Garlic → This aromatic is an important ingredient! It keeps the soup from being overly sweet or bland.
Cumin → Cumin gives this soup a little Tex-Mex flair. It adds a little nuance that goes nicely with the garlic and jalapeno.
Chicken stock → I used our recipe for homemade roasted chicken stock. It’s rich and soothing and easy to make. If you don’t have homemade, store bought is okay too. If you don’t have either, you can use water, but use more veggies to add back the flavor.
Corn → I used frozen corn, but you can use fresh or canned as well.
Heavy cream → This is what makes the soup so rich and creamy! You could use half and half or whole milk instead, but you might what to cut back on the chicken stock so the soup isn’t thin and watery.
Butter + flour → make a roux to thicken the soup. If you’d like to make a gluten free version, omit the flour and reduce the amount of stock by 2-3 cups and add 2 large potatoes to give the soup body. Make sure to cook the potatoes with the stock until they start to break down before adding the cream.
Cheese → The recipe calls for pepper jack and cheddar, but you could use all of one instead. You can also substitute monterey jack for the pepper jack .
Cooked chicken → I use cooked chicken breasts for this recipe. I normally have some on hand because I like to roast a large package of them for easy dinners and quick lunches. A rotisserie chicken is another great trick. If you don’t have cooked chicken, cut up and saute two large chicken breasts.
Creamy Chicken Corn Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium sweet onion , diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 6 ribs celery , diced
- 1 sweet bell pepper . diced
- 2 large red jalapenos , diced
- 1½ teaspoons cumin
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 4 cups corn
- 4 ounces pepper jack cheese , grated
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, , grated
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast , chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- scallions for garnish
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium-high heat.
- Cook diced onions a few minutes, then add garlic, celery, bell pepper and jalapeno. Saute, stirring often, another 5-10 minutes.
- When the veggies are cooked (but still firm), add the cumin and flour and cook one minute while stirring constantly.
- Slowly pour in the chicken stock while stirring, then bring the soup to a boil.
- Meanwhile, puree half the corn in a blender with the heavy cream.
- Turn the soup down to medium-low and add the cream and corn mixture plus the remaining corn. Let simmer about 10 minutes.
- Turn back heat to low and slowly add in the cheeses then add the chicken. Simmer until the soup is warm.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste then serve with scallions.
Notes
- This soup recipe freezes and reheats well, but since it has cheese in it, reheat it gently over low heat.
- I like to use chicken breast in this soup, but any leftover chicken or turkey works nicely in this soup.
- If you don’t have leftover chicken, you’ll need two large chicken breasts.
- The jalapeno adds a nice smokiness that cuts the creaminess of the soup. It’s mild, but if you like a spicier soup, feel free to swap out the jalapenos for hotter peppers.
Nutrition
Looking for more comforting recipes? Check out all our delicious soups and stews!
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