For me, this chicken and corn soup recipe is a budget friendly must make! I enjoy this year round. In the summer I make it along side a shrimp salad roll and in the winter it’s great with some crusty bread on the side!
This is a great way to use that can of chicken you’ve been afraid to crack in the pantry!
Or maybe you’re a canned chicken lover and you’re just looking for new recipes, you will love this!
When to Serve This Chicken and Corn Soup Recipe
This soup is great year round! It’s really nice to serve a crowd, make for a weeknight treat, or a cozy Sunday dinner.
In the summer time I love to serve this along side really easy and cheap shrimp rolls to get that restaurant feeling without all the restaurant costs.
In the fall, it’s great to serve with some crusty bread or homemade biscuits.
Because this chicken and corn soup recipe has corn, this soup reminds me of clam chowder without the fishy flavor. And it’s seasonally appropriate for fresh summer corn. Although, I find it quite delicious with both canned or frozen corn.
How to Make Ingredient Swaps
I always say, use what you have on hand! I hate the idea of going out to buy expensive ingredients to make an exact recipe. It’s really not necessary and the ingredients can really add up. I recommend some basic swaps that can really cut down costs and make this your own.
Fresh for Dried:
While fresh onions and garlic are super budget friendly, if you don’t have them, it won’t kill the recipe. You can always swap out a teaspoon of onion or garlic powder for the fresh onion and garlic int his recipe.
Frozen celery or celery salt:
I always recommend buying celery on sale, chopping up and freezing any celery that you don’t need that week. Frozen chopped celery is absolutely perfect for soups. And if you don’t have frozen celery, celery salt is a great addition that still adds the flavor. I recommend 1/2 a teaspoon in this recipe.
Canned or Fresh Chicken:
If you love canned chicken already and you have a can, this soup is for you! If you are afraid of canned chicken, I recommend giving the chicken a rinse once you drain it. This will get rid of some of the “canned” flavor. I will tell you, my husband really doesn’t like canned chicken but he absolutely loved this soup and never knew it had canned chicken!
If you have fresh leftover or cooked chicken, by all means add it to this soup instead of canned! It’ll be great. And if you really can’t do the canned chicken and you have to buy some chicken for this soup, that’s totally fine too! (But I swear, you’d never know!)
Options for Corn:
For the corn, I like to use canned because it’s really cheap and doesn’t take up space in my freezer. But frozen bagged corn is definitely an option in this soup. And if it’s summer time and the corn is cheap, go ahead and cut some fresh corn right into this soup. It’s a great way to use seasonal vegetables that are often less expensive!
What to use instead of chicken broth:
I always recommend making your own chicken broth from a whole chicken or rotisserie chicken. I find it easiest for me to freeze the broth and defrost it when I need it. BUT you definitely don’t need homemade broth, if you don’t have it. I will buy store made chicken broth, if it’s on sale but I also really enjoy chicken bouillon and it’s soooo inexpensive. And in a pinch, I’ve also used water and salt and it still does the job!
Heavy Cream Swaps
Heavy cream in a chowder like this is absolutely delicious but the prices on this stuff aren’t getting any lower. I also just don’t always have heavy cream on hand. When making a soup, I often swap heavy cream for half and half or milk. When I do use milk, I’ll add a little instant potato flakes or flour to thicken the soup. You’ll be surprised how well this method works!
Ingredients to Make Chicken and Corn Soup Recipe
This soup is pretty pantry friendly and only requires a few fresh ingredients. Make sure to refer to the swaps list above if you don’t have any specific ingredients. I always say “use what you have on hand.”
- 1/2 chopped onion or 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 stalks chopped celery
- 2 cloves minced garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
- 6 slices of cut up bacon
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken broth or bouillon or water and salt
- 1 can drained canned chicken
- 1 can of drained corn or frozen or fresh
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- Pinch of cayenne
- 3 russet potatoes peeled and cubed
How to this Make Chicken and Corn Soup Recipe
Start with a soup pot (this caraway one is my favorite) and sauté the bacon until it’s completely crispy. Add in the onion and celery and sauté for 5 minutes until it’s soft. Stir in 1/4 cup of flour and keep stirring for about a minute (make sure nothing burns on the bottom of the pain). Pour in minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Add 4 cups of chicken broth, 1 can drained corn, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, and your drained chicken. Add Italian seasoning and cayenne pepper as well as 3 peeled and cubed russet potatoes. Bring to a boil, turn to low, cover it half way, and cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are fully cooked through.
Check Out This and Other Canned Chicken Recipes
This canned chicken and corn soup recipe is absolutely amazing year round. You can watch me make this and 4 more canned chicken meals here! Or check out the blog here! For more delicious dinners, check out these 10 recipes for Simple and Cheap Dinners!
If you are looking specifically for fast and cheap recipes I’d go check out these 15 recipes for $5 in under 10 minutes or this list of 25 of the best rice and beans recipes. No matter where you end up, you’ll be getting some great, cheap, and delicious recipes!
Canned Chicken and Corn Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 6 slices bacon cut up
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 can corn drained
- 1 12.5oz can chicken drained
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 tsp italian seasoning
- 1 pinch cayanne
- 3 russet potatoes peeled and diced
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, sauté bacon until crispy.
- Add in celery and onion and cook for about 5 minutes until soft.
- Add in flour and stir constantly for 1 minute.
- Add in minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add in broth, corn, chicken, cream, spices, and potatoes.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cover half way and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are fully cooked through.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
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