There is no single dish that means more to me than corn chowder. It is the first thing I learned to cook and was taught by my mom. It always has and will always have a special place in my heart. This Chicken and Corn Chowder is a little different from my mom’s. She never put the chicken in it, but it still has that same feeling as my mom’s recipe. When I eat it, I’m still reminded of my mom and of her teaching me to cook. She taught me that one of the secrets to good corn chowder is using leftover baked potatoes. I’ve taken that a step further and used leftover roasted chicken, making this dish comforting, delicious, and frugal. I hope you enjoy the recipe and the chowder. Let’s get to it.
Chicken and Corn Chowder Ingredients
As I said in the introduction to this post, Chicken and Corn Chowder is a fantastic way to use up leftover roast chicken and baked potatoes. That’s exactly what I’ve done with this recipe. The first two ingredients are leftover chicken and baked potatoes. Of course, you can cook the chicken and potatoes fresh if you’d like. The other ingredients are creamed corn, corn niblets, onion, bacon, milk, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and a little sugar.
I used to work at a restaurant where we served corn chowder. Their recipe, which made four litres (a gallon) of chowder, had an entire kilogram (2.2 lbs) of sugar in it. It was way too sweet. I didn’t like it all, but lots of people loved it. So, if you want to add a little more sugar than I did, you can. I’ll leave that up to you. But I don’t recommend adding as much as that restaurant did.
How To Make Chicken and Corn Chowder
Bacon
If you have leftover cooked bacon, you can use that, but I cooked my bacon fresh. I like really crispy bacon in my chowder, so I made what’s called lardons. That’s a French term for really crispy pieces of bacon. To make the bacon super crispy, put it in a pan, put the pan on medium heat and let it cook. The fat will render out of the bacon, and it will get crispy in about 10 minutes. Once the bacon is cooked, drain the fat off and set it aside until you’re ready to add it to the chowder. Alternatively, you can microwave the bacon for a few minutes.
Sauté The Onion
The chowder starts with a base of sautéed onion. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add a bit of cooking oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. The salt will help break down the onions a little and speed up the cooking process. Cook the onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until they are soft, translucent, and a little brown around the edges. Cooking the onions until they start to brown makes them a little sweet, lessening the need for sugar.
Next Step
After the onions are cooked, add the corn niblets to the pot and cook for about two minutes. If the corn gets a bit of colour on it, all the better. Next up, add the bacon, creamed corn, and 4 of the 5 cups of milk. Stir the pot, making sure to scrape the bottom to lift off any bits of food that have stuck. Heat the chowder until the milk is hot and starts to steam. Heating the milk should take between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on your stove.
Thickening
While the chowder is heating, take the remaining 1 cup of milk and mix it very well with the cornstarch. Pour that mixture into the chowder and stir until it thickens. About 5 minutes. Make sure to stir the milk and cornstarch mixture immediately before adding it to the chowder to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed.
Chicken and Potatoes
Once the chowder’s thick and chowder-like, add potatoes, chicken, salt, pepper, and sugar. Simmer for about five minutes or until the potatoes and chicken are heated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper, then serve.
The Wrap-Up
I can’t tell you how happy I was doing this post. Specifically, when I was done cooking and got to eat the chowder. It doesn’t matter what kind of mood I’m in or what’s going on in my life. A big bowl of corn chowder, chicken or otherwise, will always put a smile on my face. Hopefully, it puts a smile on your face too. Enjoy!
That does it for today. Thanks for reading. I hope you’ve enjoyed the post. Remember to share this on Facebook or Pinterest and leave a comment below. I love to hear from you. Finally, remember to sign up for my mailing list so you don’t miss out on exclusive recipes and cooking tips. Members of the mailing list also get a sneak peek at all the upcoming posts. Sign up below. Have a great day! I’ll see you back here next Thursday.
Equipment
- 1 medium skillet
- 1 Large Pot
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- paper towel
Ingredients
- 1 cup bacon, diced
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 can corn niblets, drained, 341 ml 12 oz
- 1 can Creamed Corn, 398 ml 14 oz
- 5 cups Whole Milk split
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
- 2 cups cooked potato
- 1/2 tsp salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Put the bacon in a medium skillet and put it on medium heat. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until the bacon is crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain it on a paper towel. Set aside.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the cooking oil, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook the onion for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onions soften, turn translucent, and start to brown around the edges.
- Add the corn niblets to the pot and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the creamed corn, crisp bacon, and 4 cups of milk. Stir to loosen any bits of food from the bottom of the pot. Cook until the milk starts to steam.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine 1 cup of cold milk with the cornstarch. Mix well, then pour into the steaming milk. Cook, stirring, until the chowder thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken, potato, salt, pepper, and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes, gently stirring now and again. Taste the chowder, adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper, then serve.
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