This Instant Pot Chicken Corn Chowder is a hearty soup is made with chicken and corn, along with potatoes for additional texture and flavor. It's a great way to use your Instant Pot or pressure cooker so that you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes!
I hate to sound like an informercial, but with the Instant Pot, you can make amazing meals in minutes.
If you've recently acquired an Instant Pot and it's still sitting in the box, be sure to check out my Instant Pot basics and Instant Pot Fear (I know it can be scary to start...I'm here for you!)
Chicken Corn Chowder
When the weather starts to turn cooler, nothing is more comforting than a bowl of warm soup.
Soups and chilis, in particular, taste like they've been cooking for hours when you cook in an electronic pressure cooker. Whether it's Instant Pot cheeseburger soup or a simple Instant Pot vegetable broth, one taste and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about!
This recipe for chicken corn chowder is perfect for a chilly day when you don't want to spend too much time cooking in the kitchen. We have other things to do, I know, so let's get cooking!
Ingredients
This Instant Pot recipe uses basic ingredients from the grocery store, so don't let the long-ish ingredient list intimidate you. I'm here to walk you through it all, including shortcuts you can take!
- bacon - if you have cooked bacon in your freezer, you can skip step 1, or for another shortcut, you can use precooked bacon bits.
- unsalted butter
- white onion
- minced garlic
- chicken, boneless skinless chicken breasts
- red bell pepper
- chicken stock - store bought or homemade chicken broth
- potato - I used Russet potatoes. but red potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes work, too.
- sweet corn - the recipe calls for canned corn kernels but if you have fresh corn or frozen corn, use them! I still have frozen sweet corn in my freezer that is perfect for this soup.
- creamed corn
- spices - paprika, black pepper
- Worcestershire sauce - I can't say this word for the life of me, but it adds great flavor here
- dairy - it's a dairy party with whole milk, heavy whipping cream and cheddar cheese (I used mild cheddar)
- cornstarch - for thickening
How to Make the Best Chicken Corn Chowder
The beauty of making this soup in the Instant Pot is that everything can cook in one pot, which means less mess and fewer dishes. Everything you need to know is in the handy dandy recipe card below.
Step 1: We'll use the instant pot to cook our bacon, which means we save on dishes and stovetop clean up! Remove the bacon for now and drain the fat.
Step 2: Using the same pot, melt the butter and then cook the onion and peppers until they start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so, taking care not to overcook.
Step 3: Add the diced chicken to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken broth and use a flat bottomed spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Step 4: Add potatoes, corn, paprika, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine. Close the lid on the Instant Pot and seal. Cook for 6 minutes
Step 5: Once the cooking time is complete open the valve to release pressure. To thicken the soup, combine the cornstarch and milk in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture and heavy cream to the pot and allow to saute until thickened.
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later!
Add the cooked bacon and cheese into the pot and stir to combine.
Shortcuts and Cooking Tips
These shortcuts and tips will save you time along the way!
- Use bacon bits or frozen cooked bacon to shave off precious time
- Use rotisserie chicken and add the cooked chicken to the finished soup
- This recipe calls for a 6-quart Instant Pot.
- Keep in mind the cooking time does not include time for the pot to come to pressure, so allow for an additional 10 minutes so.
- The cooking time may vary depending on the size of your chicken breasts.
What to serve with Chicken Corn Chowder
Honestly, this soup slash stew combo is a complete meal the whole family can enjoy by itself. We seem to always have buttermilk cornbread muffins or saltine crackers every time a bowl of soup hits our dining room table.
More Instant Pot Soups you'll love
Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli Soup
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
I hope you love this creamy chicken corn chowder! Please leave a recipe review or comment below so I can see what you think!
Instant Pot Chicken Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon chopped
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ white onion chopped
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 ½ cups chicken boneless skinless breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ cup red bell pepper chopped
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 ½ cups potato peeled & diced into 1-inch cubes. I used Russet potatoes
- 15 ounce can sweet corn
- 15 ounce can creamed corn
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded (I used mild cheddar)
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to sauté mode. Once it's hot, add in your chopped bacon. Use a wooden spoon to sauté until the bacon is crisped. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel covered plate. Discard the bacon fat.
- Keep the Instant Pot on Saute and add butter. Melt the butter, then add onion and bell peppers. Sauté onion and peppers for about three minutes, stirring occasionally until they soften and begin to become translucent. Add in your garlic and sauté with the onions for 30-60 seconds, taking care not to burn the garlic.
- Add the diced chicken to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, using a flat bottomed wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any browned bits. This will add flavor and also keep you from getting a burn notice.
- Cancel the saute function and add potatoes, corn, paprika, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine. .
- Close the lid on the Instant Pot and seal. Cook on high pressure for six minutes.
- Once the instant pot is done cooking, do a quick release and open the valve to release pressure.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch into the milk. (this is called a slurry and acts as the thickener for your soup to help make it creamy)
- Stir in heavy cream. Turn your Instant Pot to sauté and allow it to simmer for 5 to 8 minutes or until thickened.
- Add the bacon and cheese. Stir to combine and continue to stir until the cheese is melted.
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
