Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder
As we head into the cold days of winter, let’s warm up with a batch of this tasty Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder!
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With the holidays over and the cold, brr-y (yes, brr-y is a word…at least in my dictionary) days of winter on the horizon, it’s time to settle down to some easy, comfort food meals. We’ve been known to pull out the slow cooker all year long. This Cajun Snack Mix and this Blueberry Apple Cobbler are both legit reasons to dust off the slow cooker in the middle of the summer. But now it’s time to turn our attention to meals that that’ll warm your belly on the cold days ahead.
Soups, stews and chowders are always favorites in our house, and we typically make something along these lines at least once a week. We might end up eating it for quick lunches at work, or we might save it to reheat for dinner. Either way, a good stew or chowder is hard to beat in the winter! The flavor of the week this week is this Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder, and it’s definitely a tasty (and easy) meal for these early days of the year.
Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder
Slow Cooker Chicken Corn ChowderWe opted for bread bowls for this Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder, and they were the perfect accompaniment to this recipe! I’ve always loved a good bread bowl. I mean you get to eat the soup/stew/chowder, and then you’re left with a delicious piece of crusty bread that’s soaked with the flavors of the soup. Plus, you get to eat your dishes…and that means less to clean up! Bonus points for this one!
When it comes to slow cooker soups, I feel like the spices are key. Sure, you’ve got chicken and potatoes in there to bulk up the soup, but the spices bring the flavor. What are your go-to spices in your spice rack? It depends on what we’re making, but chili powder, cumin and paprika are always at the forefront when it comes to soups and stews. Oh, and garlic. I know garlic isn’t technically a spice, but it’s definitely a staple when you need to add some flavor to soup! (To be fair, I can’t really taste the garlic itself in this Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder, but I can say that the combination of flavors totally works!)
And then there’s the bacon. Bacon just makes everything better, right? I opted to cook the bacon early, and then I browned the chicken in the bacon grease before putting it on the slow cooker for the day. When you start with a punch of flavor like that, things can only get better from there! Truth be told, though, the hardest part of making this soup was not eating the bacon after I cooked it. That bacon was destined to be crumbled on top of the Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder, but that meant it had to wait for a number of hours…and crispy bacon is never safe around our house!
So as we head into the cold, brr-y days of winter, pull out the slow cooker and make a batch of this Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder. No matter how cold it is outside, this one will definitely warm you from the inside! Cheers, friends!
Did you make a batch of this Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder at home? Leave a comment and rating! Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog).
Looking for more tasty soups and stews? Check out these other fun recipes:
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup
Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 3 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1” pieces
- 2 large red potatoes diced into ½” cubes
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 3 cups corn frozen
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1½ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup half-and-half
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
- {for garnish} green onions chopped
- {for serving} bread bowls
Instructions
- Using a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crispy; pat cooked bacon dry with paper towels and set aside.
- {Optional}: Drain most (but not all) of the bacon grease from the pan and add cubed chicken. Brown chicken for approximately 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Using a 6-quart slow cooker, add all remaining ingredients except for half-and-half and cornstarch (chicken, potatoes, onion, celery, corn, chicken stock, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, oregano, paprika and black pepper); stir until well combined.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 6-7 hours. (Note: Can be cooked on high for 3-4 hours.)
- Using a small bowl, whisk together the half-and-half and cornstarch. Add this mixture to the slow cooker; stir until well combined.
- Before serving, top with crumbled bacon and chopped green onions.
I love using my slow cooker – especially during the weekdays. There’s nothing better than coming home and having dinner all ready. The bread bowls are a great way to serve this soup. I’m putting this corn chowder on my menu!
I couldn’t agree more, Kathy! That slow cooker really gets a workout in our house. A good slow cooker soup or chowder is almost impossible to beat, too. Just walking in the door and smelling dinner simmering away is an awesome feeling! Definitely keep this corn chowder on your menu plans…it’s a good one. And definitely serve it in bread bowls, too. (Less dishes to wash that way. Haha!) Hope you had a great weekend, my friend!
David, last weekend we were in the 60s, today we are barely cracking out of the 40s – so “brr-y” is most definitely a word for me too… while I might not be a fan of cold weather – I am a huge fan of cold weather soups like THIS! Loving that spice combo you have and LOVE LOVE LOVE the bread bowl! We just had Panera baked potato soup with some extra cheese and bacon and jalapeno in bread bowls and it was perfect for a cold night! Haha – l do agree: “bacon does make everything better!” Hoping y’all stay warm and have a wonderful weekend!
Oh, Shashi. The 40s!? That’s t-shirt weather! Yes, my blood has thickened considerably since we moved north. Haha. I think the temperature here last night was 6. No 0 behind that. Just 6. 🙂
And, yes, that’s where comfort food like this chowder comes into play! Plus, there’s just something magical about serving soup/chowder in a bread bowl. I love eating the dish that it’s served in…it means less dishes to do! I hope you and Lil S had a great weekend down there in the balmy forests of Georgia!
Brr-y is definitely a word! I’ve been using it a lot lately in the morning when Cookie wants to go for a walk and I’m not prepared to face the freezing temps. We had a couple of days where it was colder here than in Anchorage! I don’t deal well with cold so I’ve been making soup on repeat and this sounds great to add to the rotation. Happy Friday!
Wait. It freezes where you live? Like really freezes? I mean you did live in upstate New York for a while, so I know you understand cold. I also didn’t realize Anchorage was having such a heat spell this year. 😉 Just kidding!
Either way, soups and stews and chowders are where it’s at this time of the year. There’s just something magical about walking in and smelling dinner simmering away in the slow cooker. In fact, I’ve got another batch of soup cooking away up in the kitchen right now. I can’t wait til dinner tonight! I hope you and Cookie had a great (and warm) weekend, my friend!
While we don’t get the cold weather that many are facing now, our area of Florida does get cool and chowders and a warm and comforting meal that I enjoy. Yours sounds delicious.
Hey, cool and cold are all relative to what you normally get in terms of weather. If it’s normally sweltering hot, then cool weather means soup and stews and chowders for dinner! This slow cooker corn chowder is a favorite around our house…plus, it’s really fun to eat the bread bowls afterwards. 🙂 Thanks, Karen!
Hi David! Nothing like a big bowl of chowder to bring a smile to my face and tummy! I so agree that the bread bowl is such a nice bonus! The thing I really like about corn chowder is you can swap in different proteins and it becomes a whole new dish. Also I always have all the ingredients on hand!
Stay warm my friend!
Oh, you’re telling me, Dorothy! January and February are the depths of the cold weather here in upstate New York, and that means soups, stews and chowders on repeat. Plus, you’re totally right that you can change the protein out and maybe alter the spice profile, and you end up with a whole new dish. I hope you and Gary had a great weekend down there in Tennessee! We certainly had a fun (but cold!) weekend up here. Cheers, my friend!
I love chowder in a bread bowl and yours look so appetizing. For me, it’s the best of both worlds. Great chowder and some smacking good sourdough bread. Oh, and yes David, everything is better with bacon. Have you ever had chocolate covered fried bacon? I once had some at an Amish butchery in Ohio. As soon as it gets cold here I’ll be making this one. Central Europe is buried in snow and we haven’t seen snow in ages, it’s just not right. Send snow please…
I couldn’t agree more, Ron! The thought of a sourdough bread bowl that has soaked up some of the liquid from a good soup or chowder just makes my stomach growl! So chocolate covered bacon, eh? I can’t say I’ve ever had that one. I have made maple glazed bacon, and that is magical. I can see how chocolate would be amazing as well. I’ll have to keep my eye out for that one…or make it myself!
And I hear ya about snow. We can still see the ground here, although I hear that a storm is brewing this weekend. Up to 12″ of snow coming our way. So much for that ground…haha.
Although I’ve been known as a person who’s quite resistant to cold weather, I can tell you: it’s been COLD here lately. So I genuinely feel sorry for people who aren’t as resistant as I am 🙂 Delicious thik soup or stew is a great decision! We always enjoy seafood chowder (It’s Atlantic Canada, after all), but we should discover other variations…but Andrey needs to approve it first. He’s very picky when it comes to chowder (ex.: no corn and it must be…seafood). Getting his approval will be not easy. Have a great week!
It’s been downright cold here lately, too, Ben! Not much snow yet, but I hear that’s about to change this coming weekend. Early reports are up to 12″ of snow on Sunday. Umph. That is definitely a soup in a bread bowl kinda day!
Seafood chowder is a classic, but I don’t think I’ve ever made one from scratch myself. I’ll have to do that soon…perhaps this coming Sunday. Haha! I say you make a batch of this chicken corn chowder and keep it for yourself. It makes for great lunches the next day! 🙂
The slow cooker is a necessity this time of year and recipes like this chicken corn chowder is always welcomed! Love that your crisped the bacon beforehand….ain’t nobody got time for limpy bacon 🙂 Love the presentation, too, with the cute little bread bowls. Plus, minimizes clean up which is never a bad thing 😉
Preach on, Dawn! Limpy bacon is the worst! Slow cookers are magical for so many things, but not crispy bacon. I need my bacon good and crispy! But toss that bacon on top of this slow cooker chowder? Now you’re talking my kinda language! 🙂 Hope you have a great week ahead, my friend. Stay warm!
Truth be told we’re in Kauai right now, so it’s not brry…;) BUT it’s 20 degrees at home and I’ll be trying this immediately when we get there!!
Oh man, you’re making me jealous, Marissa! They’re calling for somewhere between 20-24″ of snow here this weekend, so Kauai sounds pretty much ideal right now. 🙂 But when you get back home, you’ll definitely need some comfort food STAT! This chowder is a good one for sure. Enjoy the vacation, my friend!
Chowder is the best. Especially when it starts with thick cut bacon and is served in a bread bowl! So in LA it’s raining and we think it’s cold. Clearly we’re totally spoiled! 🙂
Everything is better with bacon, right?? I hear ya about being cold in LA. Here’s the thing about cold, though…it’s all relative. Cold in LA might not be the same as cold in upstate NY, but it’s still cold to folks in LA. And that means it’s still soup, stew and chowder season there! 🙂 Thanks, Valentina!