Crock Pot Corn Chowder

Have you ever not realized just how badly you needed something until after you experienced it? For me, this weekend was filled with those fresh, sweet moments of relief, including this healthy recipe for Crock Pot Corn Chowder.

In last week’s lemon cream cheese bar recipe post, I mentioned that Ben and I have been tackling a slew of overdue housing projects, but I left out a few of the less enjoyable details. Nearly the entire time we completed them, Ben was living in his office from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. He’d arrive home, and we would work until midnight, at which point I became incoherent and went to bed, and Ben pulled out his laptop and went back to office work for another hour or two. The next day, we would both woke up at 6 a.m. to repeat the same routine. All work and no sleep—a recipe for a weary heart (and grouchy attitude) that even my constant coffee refills couldn’t seem to suppress.

This up-all-night, work-until-you-drop is not how we typically spend our evenings, nor what we want our lives be like. We pushed ourselves to finish our projects before Memorial Day weekend so that we could truly relax and focus on the first two people to stay in our newly redone guest bedroom: my younger sister Elaine and her fiancé Joey. They just got engaged three weeks ago, and it was so special to have them here in Milwaukee to celebrate.

I suspected I was going to need a break after two non-stop weeks of sleep deprivation, but I didn’t realize just how good it would feel to ignore my alarm and spend hours relaxing with some of the people who I love most in the world. I felt as if I were on a mini vacation. For three days, I barely touched my laptop, spent every waking moment outside, and when my phone battery died, I didn’t bother to recharge it. It was glorious.

Whether they last two nights or two months, we all go through periods where we are so busy and overwhelmed by work, cooking something healthy and homemade for dinner feels unattainable. It’s chaotic nights and weeks like these that make me feel so grateful for easy recipes like this Crock Pot Corn Chowder with Chicken (check out my Crock Pot Creamed Corn for another easy corn recipe.)

All you need to do to make this Crock Pot Corn Chowder is dump the ingredients in your slow cooker and turn it on. The recipe prep is less than 10 minutes, and at the end of it, you’ll have a creamy, comforting, and healthy to soup to serve.

The inspiration for this Crock Pot Corn Chowder is an old recipe belonging to a dear friend’s mom. I’ve kept my favorite parts of it (the red peppers, sweet corn, and rosemary), but added an extra kick of cayenne pepper, chicken to make it heartier (vegetarians, feel free to omit), and Greek yogurt to make it lusciously creamy.

I also used frozen corn in place of fresh corn to make recipe more budget-friendly, keep it accessible in non-summer months, and shorten the prep time. That said, with summer’s sweet corn season upon us, you can certainly use fresh corn instead.

My friend’s original healthy corn chowder recipe is made on the stovetop in 20 minutes flat (assuming you have chicken that’s already cooked), but I chose to adapt it to the slow cooker for maximum flexibility on busy days. If you prefer to make this Crock Pot Corn Chowder on the stove like the original, I’ve included recipe directions for that too.

Tools I used to make this recipe:

• Programmable Slow Cooker
• Immersion Blender

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Crock Pot Corn Chowder

Yield: 4 -6 servings

Prep Time:

10 mins

A creamy and delicious recipe for Crock Pot Corn and Chicken Chowder. Healthy and EASY. The slow cooker does the work!

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs — trimmed of excess fat
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 32 ounces corn — fresh, frozen, or canned (if using canned, drain first)
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion — about 1/2 large onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3-4  cups low-sodium chicken stock — or vegetable stock, divided
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt — non-fat, 2% or whole, depending upon your preference, plus additional for serving
• 1 red bell pepper — cored and chopped (about 1 and 1/2 cups)
• Sliced green onion — optional, for serving

Instructions

1. Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, rosemary, and cayenne. Top with the corn, onion, and garlic. Pour in 3 cups of the chicken stock, reserving the remaining cup. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
2. Remove the chicken from the chowder and set aside on a plate to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, chop into bite sized pieces or shred with two forks.
3. With an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is thickened, leaving the texture fairly chunky. If you do not have an immersion blender, transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor in a few batches, being careful not to burn yourself.
4. Stir in the remaining chicken stock until the chowder reaches your desired consistency, then the Greek yogurt, chopped bell pepper, and reserved chicken. Serve warm, topped with additional Greek yogurt and green onions.

Recipe Notes

To make this corn chowder recipe on the stove instead: Cook and shred the chicken, then set aside. Saute the onions, salt, pepper and garlic together in a large pot, until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the corn and saute a few additional minutes, until the corn is soft as well. Add 3 cups chicken stock and bring to a simmer. With an immersion blender (or in a food processor in batches), puree the soup until roughly blended, leaving a few larger corn pieces. Add additional chicken stock if a thinner consistency is desired. Stir in the Greek yogurt, then the bell pepper, rosemary, and chicken. Enjoy warm, topped with green onions.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Crock Pot Corn Chowder, Easy Homemade Soup Recipe, Healthy Crock Pot Recipe

All text and images © Erin / Well Plated.

Nutrition Information

Amount per serving (1 (of 6)) — Calories: 285, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 261mg, Carbohydrates: 34g, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 12g, Protein: 22g

Did you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!

If you like this Healthy Crock Pot Corn Chowder, don’t miss these other sensational soup recipes:

Slow Cooker Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Easy Taco Soup

Slow Cooker Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Soup