Chicken Corn Chowder with potatoes, bacon and cheese is hearty, creamy and perfectly seasoned. This comforting dish is great for summertime, holidays and special meals.

A blue bowl full of chicken corn chowder with cheddar cheese and bacon on top.

End of summer always makes me think of corn chowder.

And I love it so much, I had to give it a little twist and make it a complete meal on its own.

So here with are today with this Chicken Corn Chowder that is rich and creamy, well seasoned and oh so flavorful.

Plus, it’s served with cheddar cheese and the bacon to really take it over the top.

This hearty, warm, comforting dish is going to have you wanting to dive in for spoonful after spoonful.

A spoonful of chicken corn chowder being taken from a large deep pot of chowder.

It makes a great meal for late in summertime, but it's versatile enough you can make it all year round.

Cozy fall dinner or winter time warm-me-up, here you come!

Plus, it's a lovely dish to serve at holidays; I know corn chowder has made many an appearance at holiday spreads.

AND you can easily double the recipe to serve a bigger crowd.

OK, let’s get cooking so you can enjoy it too.

Chopped bacon cooked in a large deep pot.

Chopped onion sautéed in a large deep pot.

Potatoes and onions being cooked in a large deep pot.

A partially mashed mixture of potatoes and onions with milk.

A large deep pot of potatoes and onions with corn, chicken, butter and seasonings added before being stirred in.

A creamy mixture of chicken, corn and potatoes in a large deep ot.

Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make corn chowder. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

I’ve made this recipe lots of times and tested it in several different ways, so I want to share what I’ve learned.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Ingredient Notes:

Chicken: The chicken needs to be already cooked for this recipe. Please plan accordingly. You can use a rotisserie chicken from the store or boil a couple of breasts of chicken for about 30 minutes then chop.
Corn: I find it really easy and convenient to use a bag of frozen corn for this recipe. (You don’t even have to thaw it.) But you can substitute fresh corn if you’d like. You’ll need about 2 ½ to 3 cups total.
Potatoes: Russet potatoes help give the starchiness and texture to this chowder. You could try it with another type of potato, like Yukons, but it might affect the texture of the chowder.
Milk: My preference is to use 2% milk for this recipe. I’ve tried it with skim and it just seemed a bit more watery and less rich. You could also use whole milk.
Bacon: We’re using the bacon in two ways. The grease in the pan from cooking the bacon is what we sauté the onion in, and then we serve the chowder with the cooked, crumbled bacon pieces. This is a must for me. And in fact, I sometimes cook extra bacon in the microwave to have more for topping. ????
Spicy: You can add a jalapeño to sauté along with the onion if you want to add some spice to this. You can also serve it with hot sauce (which is what I do to keep it mild for my kids).

A serving spoon resting in a large deep pot of chicken corn chowder.

The only part of this recipe that is a tiny bit fussy is the potatoes.

First, you need to peel the potatoes.

I love a rustic look on potatoes as much as the next person, but those peels will come right off and float around in your chowder after you blend them down. (Cause I tried it in case I could offer that as a shortcut.)

That’s not great for the flavor or the appearance. So peel ‘em first.

Next, you do need to partially blend or mash the potatoes after they've cooked to break them down a bit.

They don’t need to be completely broken down to mush — I like having some intact potato chunks — but you want to give them a good mashing. This helps thicken the chowder and give it the right texture.

I use and love my immersion blender for this.

Close up of a creamy chicken corn chowder in a large deep pot.

If you don’t have a hand blender and you don’t want to fuss with transferring this to a regular blender, you can use a potato masher and just partially mash all of the potatoes.

I also tried skipping this step once - I do love a shortcut - but it just didn’t taste as good. It was too soupy. So I highly recommend you take the few minutes to break down the potatoes.

OK, let’s get ready to eat.

Now of course, you are serving this chicken corn chowder with the reserved bacon that’s part of the recipe. And that’s the ultimate topping here and included below.

But I’ve got a few other ideas if you want to dress this up and give it some extra oomph.

A serving of chicken corn chowder in a blue bowl with cheddar cheese and cooked, crumbled bacon on top.

Topping Ideas

Cooked, crumbled bacon
Extra shredded cheese
Sliced green onions
Chopped fresh chives
Cracked black pepper
A few dashes of hot sauce
Oyster crackers

Pick your favorites and mix and match.

Otherwise, this is a pretty complete meal on its own in my opinion.

Though you could absolutely add some homemade biscuits or drop biscuits to go with this. Yum!

A spoon resting in a blue bowl full of chicken corn chowder with cheddar cheese and bacon on top.

Finally, let’s talk about what to do with any leftovers.

Storing and Reheating:

- Leftover chicken corn chowder, once cooled, can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

- Reheat over medium low heat on the stove until warmed through. It thickens as it sits, so you may need to add some extra milk.

- I don’t recommend freezing the leftovers. The potatoes and texture don’t stand up well to freezing and thawing.

There you have it!

Hope you have a wonderful end of summer, and I hope it includes some of this delicious chowder.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

Yield: 4 servings

Chicken Corn Chowder

Name: Chicken Corn Chowder
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 slices of bacon, chopped; 1 small onion, diced; 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced in 1/2 inch pieces (about 4 cups); 1/2 cup water; 2 cups 2% milk, divided (see notes); 1 (12 oz.) package frozen corn (or about 3 cups fresh corn); 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 1/4 teaspoons salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese; Extra cheese or bacon, sliced green onions, chopped fresh chives, cracked black pepper, hot sauce, oyster crackers, etc.

Chicken corn chowder with potatoes, bacon and cheese is hearty, creamy and perfectly seasoned. This comforting dish is great for summertime, holidays and special meals.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

4 slices of bacon, chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced in ½ inch pieces (about 4 cups)
½ cup water
2 cups 2% milk, divided (see notes)
1 (12 oz.) package frozen corn (or about 3 cups fresh corn)
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

For serving (optional):

Extra cheese or bacon, sliced green onions, chopped fresh chives, cracked black pepper, hot sauce, oyster crackers, etc.

Instructions

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until well cooked on all sides. (Reduce the heat if yours starts to blacken.) Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel.
Add the chopped onion to the bacon grease and sauté over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
And the diced potatoes and water. Cover the pot and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork tender.
Add 1 cup of the milk then carefully use an immersion blender to lightly blend the soup and break down the potatoes. They don’t need to be pureed and it’s OK to have some chunks, but you want them broken down a bit to help with the texture of the chowder. (Alternatively, you could transfer the mixture to a regular blender and pulse to break them down. Or use a potato masher and roughly mash the potatoes to break them down.)
Add the remaining 1 cup of milk, the corn, chicken, butter, salt and pepper. Bring the chowder to a low simmer then reduce the heat and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes, until warmed through.
Serve the chowder topped with the shredded cheese, reserved bacon and any additional desired toppings. Enjoy!

Notes

Chicken: The chicken needs to be already cooked for this recipe. Please plan accordingly. You can use a rotisserie chicken from the store or boil a couple of breasts of chicken for about 30 minutes then chop.

Corn: I find it really easy and convenient to use a bag of frozen corn for this recipe. (You don’t even have to thaw it.) But you can substitute fresh corn if you’d like. You’ll need about 3 cups total.

Potatoes: Russet potatoes help give the starchiness and texture to this chowder. You could try it with another type of potato, like Yukons, but I’m not sure how it might change the chowder.

Milk: My preference is to use 2% milk for this recipe. I’ve tried it with skim and it just seemed a bit more watery and less rich. You could also use whole milk.

Bacon: We’re using the bacon in two ways. The grease from cooking it is what we sauté the onion in, and then we serve the chowder with the cooked, crumbled bacon pieces. This is a must for me. And in fact, I sometimes cook extra bacon in the microwave to have more for topping. 🥓

Spicy: You can add a jalapeño to sauté along with the onion if you want to add some spice to this. You can also serve it with hot sauce (which is what I do to keep it mild for my kids).

Storing and reheating: Leftover chowder, once cooled, can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over medium low heat on the stove until warmed through. It thickens as it sits, so you may need to add some extra milk. I don’t recommend freezing the leftovers. The potatoes and texture don’t stand up well to freezing and thawing.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 562Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 1159mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 3gSugar: 9gProtein: 35g