20 Minute Chicken Chowder

This is a simple chicken and corn chowder that you can easily throw together for a quick lunch or weeknight meal. The chowder is made with canned condensed soups, cooked chicken, and canned corn with peppers—this delicious chowder couldn’t be any easier! You’ll have a tasty chowder in less than 25 minutes!

I used about half of a rotisserie chicken for the 2 cups of diced chicken. I had enough rotisserie chicken left to make a few sandwiches the next day! Feel free to use leftover chopped chicken or use your Instant pot to quickly cook fresh chicken. This Instant Pot shredded chicken is perfect, just omit the taco seasoning.

There’s no sautéing necessary for this recipe, just dump everything in the pot and cook. If you want to customize it, however, you may sauté some aromatics, such as diced onions or green onions, garlic, celery, or bell pepper. Sautéed mushrooms would be a great addition as well.

The Ingredients

Condensed soups are key to making this quick and easy chowder. I used cream of potato and cream of chicken. Feel free to swap them out with different condensed soups, such as cream of mushroom, cream of chicken with herbs, cream of onion, or cream and celery.

Onion and garlic powders add flavor without the extra step of sautéing fresh garlic and onions.

Herbes de Provence is a blend of herbs, usually including thyme, savory, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and sometimes lavender. It’s an excellent blend to use with poultry, but you can certainly use whatever you like. Italian seasoning, thyme, or a poultry seasoning blend are good substitutions.

Corn with peppers is a Mexican-style blend that will give your chowder some extra color. If you decide to use plain whole-kernel corn, add a few tablespoons of chopped roasted red pepper, pimiento, or canned mild green chili peppers.

A rotisserie chicken is used to make this easy chowder. If you have leftover chicken, that’s fine as well. Or use freshly baked or poached chicken. You could even swap out the chicken for leftover cooked turkey. Whole milk is added to make it a hearty and creamy chowder. For a richer chowder, feel free to use half-and-half or light cream.

What to Serve With Chicken Chowder

• Crusty Bread, Rolls, or Biscuits: Bread is a great accompaniment to chowder as it’s perfect for dipping into delicious soup. Flaky biscuits are excellent with the chowder as well.
• Saltines or Crackers: I love saltines with this chowder, but any cracker will do. Ritz, butter crackers, low carb, or gluten-free—it’s entirely up to you!
• Green Salad: A fresh green salad with a light dressing provides a pleasant contrast to the creamy chowder. You might include ingredients like mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and radishes.
• Roasted Vegetables: A side of roasted vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts can add color and variety to your meal.
• Cornbread: This is another great option, whether unsweetened Southern-style corn muffins or a sweeter New England cornbread.
• Sandwiches: A simple grilled cheese would make this chowder a satisfying, well-balanced meal.
• Coleslaw: A side of coleslaw adds a crunchy and tangy contrast to the rich chowder.

Recipe Variations

This 20-minute chicken chowder is easy to customize with ingredients you have on hand. Here are some of my favorite add-ins and substitutions:

• Add crumbled bacon to this chowder just before serving.
• Add extra color with a few tablespoons of canned green chili peppers, diced pimiento, or diced roasted red pepper.
• Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, or pepper jack cheese just before the chowder is done for a cheesy chicken chowder.
• Ham complements chicken nicely. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of diced ham when you add the soups.
• Instead of chicken, use leftover turkey in the chowder.
• Leftover cooked vegetables, such as diced carrots, peas, or spinach may be added along with the chicken.
• Add a dollop of sour cream to each serving.
• If you like a bit of heat, add a drizzle of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the chowder.
• Instead of corn with peppers, use canned or thawed frozen whole kernel corn and add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of diced pimiento or roasted red pepper.

How to Store and Reheat Chicken Chowder

Refrigerate cooled chicken chowder in a covered container or heavy-duty food storage bags. A shallow container is a good choice as it will allow the chowder to cool more quickly. Properly stored chicken chowder should be consumed within 4 days.

Chicken chowder may be frozen for longer storage. To freeze the chowder, transfer it to a freezer container or resealable freezer bag. Label the container or bag with the name and date and consume it within 4 months for best quality. Defrost the chowder in the fridge overnight.

To reheat the chowder, transfer it to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it is hot. Keep in mind that the USDA recommends a minimum safe temperature of 165 F for leftover hot foods.

Keep it Safe

Never leave hot food out at room temperature for more than 2 hours—or 1 hour if the ambient temperature is 90 F or above.

Keep track of when you make and store leftovers, and discard the chowder if it smells or looks off when you take it out of the fridge.

If you must keep it warm for serving over a 2 to 4-hour period, choose a warming drawer, an oven with a warming function (usually 170 F to 200 F), or a slow cooker with a warm setting.

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