A pound and a half of chicken breast cooked on LOW with three cups of corn, a pound of Yukon Golds, onion, celery and smoked paprika.
The chicken is shredded out, half-and-half and cream cheese make it a chowder, and a cornstarch slurry on HIGH gives it body.
Why This Recipe Works
- The dairy is held back six hours. Half-and-half and cream cheese both break down over a long cook; added at the end they emulsify into the hot broth in minutes.
- Cream cheese as well as half-and-half. The cream cheese is what gives a chowder its cling — half-and-half alone would make a thin, milky soup whatever the slurry did.
- Corn goes in frozen at the start. Six hours on LOW is gentle enough that it keeps its bite, and it releases starch that thickens the base before the cornstarch is even needed.
- Yukon Golds in half-inch cubes. They hold their shape over six hours where a floury potato would dissolve, and a dissolved potato is how a chowder becomes a purée.
- The slurry goes in before the chicken comes back. Ten to fifteen minutes on HIGH sets the cornstarch, and shredded chicken added first would just get in the way of stirring it smooth.
Seven Steps, Three Phases
Six of the six and a half hours are one phase, and everything that makes it a chowder rather than a soup happens in the last twenty minutes.
Stage 1 of 3
The long cook, no dairy in sight
Steps 1–2 of 7
Chicken, corn, potatoes, onion, celery, broth, smoked paprika, thyme, salt and pepper into a 6-quart cooker, then five and a half to six hours on LOW until the chicken reads 165°F and the potatoes are tender. This is broth and vegetables only.
- Fill the cookerAdd the chicken, corn, potatoes, onion, celery, broth, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cook on LOWCover and cook on LOW for 5 1/2 to 6 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F and the potatoes are tender.
Stage 2 of 3
Enrich
Steps 3–4 of 7
The chicken comes out to be shredded, and half-and-half and cubed cream cheese are stirred into the cooker until smooth. Doing it with the chicken out is what lets you stir properly — cream cheese around whole breasts never disperses.
- Shred the chickenTransfer the chicken to a plate and shred it.
- Make it a chowderStir the half-and-half and cream cheese into the cooker until smooth.
Stage 3 of 3
Thicken, and put it back
Steps 5–7 of 7
Two tablespoons of cornstarch whisked into two tablespoons of cold water, stirred in, then the shredded chicken back and ten to fifteen minutes on HIGH. Scallions at the table.
- ThickenWhisk the cornstarch with cold water and stir it into the chowder.
- Chicken back, on HIGHReturn the chicken and cook on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- ServeServe with scallions.
Ingredient Notes
- Frozen corn
- Three cups, straight from the freezer. Corn is a defining ingredient here rather than a vegetable filler — this is a corn chowder.
- Yukon Gold potatoes
- A pound in half-inch cubes. Waxy enough to hold their edges through six hours; a russet would break down into the broth.
- Cream cheese, cubed
- Four ounces, cubed and added at step 4. It is the body of the chowder, and cubing is what lets it melt evenly into a full cooker.
- Half-and-half
- One cup, also at step 4. Never at the start — six hours on LOW would curdle it.
- Cornstarch and cold water
- Two tablespoons each, whisked together before they meet the pot. Cornstarch tipped straight into hot chowder seizes into lumps.
How to Make It
Fill the cooker
Add the chicken, corn, potatoes, onion, celery, broth, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper to a 6-quart slow cooker.
Cook on LOW
Cover and cook on LOW for 5 1/2 to 6 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F and the potatoes are tender.
Shred the chicken
Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred it.
Make it a chowder
Stir the half-and-half and cream cheese into the cooker until smooth.
Thicken
Whisk the cornstarch with cold water and stir it into the chowder.
Chicken back, on HIGH
Return the chicken and cook on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Serve
Serve with scallions.
Success Tips
- Cube the potatoes evenly so they finish together at hour six.
- Take the chicken out before the dairy goes in — stirring is far easier.
- Cube the cream cheese cold; it melts faster than a block.
- Whisk the cornstarch into cold water only.
- Give it the full ten to fifteen minutes on HIGH so the starch actually sets.
Serving Ideas
Crusty bread or oyster crackers, and crumbled bacon on top if you have it. It is a full bowl on its own.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It thickens considerably as it cools.
Freeze
Freezing is not recommended. Dairy-thickened chowders separate on thawing and the potato goes grainy.
Reheat
Reheat gently over low heat, stirring, with a splash of broth or milk to loosen it. A hard boil splits the dairy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add the cream at the start?
It would curdle. Six hours on LOW is far too long for half-and-half and cream cheese, which is why both arrive at step 4.
Can I turn it into a tortilla soup?
That is a different recipe. Corn and potato are the defining ingredients here and the chowder is dairy-thickened rather than broth-based.
Mine was thin.
Either the slurry went in without the cold-water step or it did not get its ten to fifteen minutes on HIGH. Cornstarch needs real heat to set.
Can I use fresh corn?
Yes, about three cups of kernels. Frozen is specified because it is reliable year-round; fresh at the height of the season is better still.
