Slow Cooker Chicken and Corn Soup

Slow cooker chicken and corn soup is a wonderful recipe that is a full meal in a bowl. Flavorful golden broth filled with tender chicken, sweet corn, and pasta. This hearty soup is a perfect meal any time of year.

I take offense at the term "soup season". Soup is perfect all year long. I do feel that some soups are "heavier" and better suited to colder days. But easy soups like this one are great in both cool and warm weather.

This slow cooker recipe has something for everyone. It is flavorful in surprising ways while still being simple and amazing. Basically, it is an all-around winner among slow cooker meals.

Unlike many crock pot chicken corn chowder recipes, this soup does not contain any dairy products. However, it still has a creamy texture and qualifies as the ultimate comfort food.

🥣Assembling ingredients

If you are planning to use a slow cooker liner, adding that is always the first step. Add all food ingredients to your slow cooker, except pasta. Cover and cook on the low heat setting.

If you will be using fine egg noodles, you can stop here. If you will be using Udon or another type of pasta, cook as per al dente instructions on the package.

After about 5 hours, remove the chicken and shred it. Return shredded chicken to pot and stir into soup. Half an hour prior to serving, stir pasta in to slow cooker.

A NOTE ABOUT NOODLES

One of the most common questions I get is: Can I cook pasta in my slow cooker. And the answer is YES - but....

Pasta in chicken corn soup (or any slow cooker dish) can be tricky. If you put it into your dish uncooked, it will absorb as much of the liquid as it can. This can result in mushy pasta. It can also cause your original recipe to be more a gummy bowl of noodles than soup.

To avoid this, the best uncooked pasta to use in hearty soup recipes is a smaller pasta. Angel hair pasta, thin egg noodles, and pastina all work well in crockpot soup.

If you would like to use a larger noodle, cooking it first can make all the difference. I love making this recipe with thin egg noodles when I am being super lazy. But, When I have the time, Udon noodles take this dish to a whole new level. It requires a few extra minutes of prep but it makes the soup feel more like a meal (to me).

Substitutions

You can use a homemade broth for the base of the soup if you have some handy. If not, a super easy reconstituted base works just as well. You can also substitute with a low sodium chicken broth.

Want to turn this slow cooker chicken corn soup into creamy corn chowder? Add in one cup of heavy cream or cream cheese about 15 minutes prior to serving.

Looking to add in some extra veggies? Carrots celery, potatoes, and parsnips would all make great additions to this soup and can be added right in at the beginning. 

🍽Serving Suggestions

This soup is a warm and comforting meal all by itself. A warm bowl of soup is always delicious when accompanied by a nice crisp salad and a crusty roll. Cold tuna or Turkey salad sandwiches or a gooey grilled cheese sandwich are side dishes the whole family will love.

This corn soup recipe is especially wonderful served with some meatloaf or beef and broccoli.

Sliced green onions or sprigs of fresh parsley make for the perfect garnish.

Storing leftovers

Although leftovers of this soup are rarely spotted in the wild, it can happen. Store these rare leftover creatures in airtight containers or zipper topped bags. They will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator and about 2-3 months in the freezer.

😉Hints & hacks

1. Tabasco Brand Green Jalapeño sauce is my new favorite ingredient. It is a little milder than the red hot sauces and adds just the right amount of pepper flavor without all of the heat. If you like it hot, add a small can of chopped green chiles along with your other ingredients.
2. One time-saving hack is to cook your pasta in advance and store it in either a zipper top bag or an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator or even frozen if you want to keep it longer.
3. The not-so-secret “secret” ingredient here is sesame oil. It makes all the difference. It doesn’t take much to make a big flavor impact.
4. This is an excellent dish if your people will be eating at different times. After the cooking time, turn your slow cooker to low and everyone can have a warm and filling meal, no matter what time they are ready to eat.
5. There are a lot of different opinions regarding the best way to shred chicken. Some people prefer to use a potato masher while others use the beaters of a handheld mixer. This chicken will be so tender it will be very easy to shred with two forks. I like to keep it simple.
6. I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. Of course, this is an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less costly per-piece price.
7. In the market for a new slow cooker? I love mine!