Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free
Thick and creamy filled with shredded chicken, tender vegetables, and a savory spice blend, this dairy free chowder is a warm, wholesome bowl of comfort. While my favorite method of cooking this soup is in an Instant Pot, I've also included directions below for making in on the stovetop or in a slow cooker/crockpot.
Why I love this recipe
Chunky and creamy, hearty without feeling heavy, Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder is a healthy meal in a bowl. Use the cooking method best suits your lifestyle and cozy up with a bowl of warm, steamy dairy free chowder tonight!
This thick, silky soup is brimming with hearty hunks of red skinned potatoes, sweet pops of corn, and tender shredded chicken simmered in a savory spice blend. Full-fat coconut milk replaces cream traditionally used in chowders, allowing this recipe to be delightfully dairy free. (Don't worry, you won't be able to taste any coconut flavor!)
Cooking tips
Instant Pot recommends cooking fresh/thawed chicken breasts 6-8 minutes per pound. I cook 7 minutes per pound.
Guess what?! You can use frozen chicken breasts in this healthy Instant Pot recipe and they will still come out tender and delicious! For 1 ½ pounds of frozen chicken breasts, cook for 27-28 minutes on high pressure. For 2 pounds frozen chicken breasts cook for 30 minutes on high pressure. Yay for all of us who chronically forget to take our meat out to thaw!
Moreover, you can manually release the steam after 10 minutes. Or, you can wait hours. The minimal hands on time is my favorite part of Instant Pot recipes! So, if you plan to eat later, you can allow the Instant Pot to naturally release the steam. This will keep the soup warm until you are ready for dinner.
Serving suggestions
While Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder absolutely stands on it's own, try topping it with avocado slices and dairy free cheese. We will often also eat a gluten free bread with it like Udi's Gluten Free French Baguette which is shown in the photos in this post.
If you are dairy intolerant and haven't tried Violife cheese alternative you are missing out! They offer mozzarella, cheddar, colby jack, and Mexican style shreds. We used the colby jack linked above to top our soup this week!
Stovetop directions
- Firstly, set a large soup pot over MEDIUM heat and add 2 tablespoon neutral oil. Dice chicken into bite sized pieces. Wait for the pot to become hot and oil to melt fully and coat the bottom of the pot. Then, place chicken in a single layer leaving room between each piece to allow meat to brown. Cook 1-2 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Chicken will still have some pink, that’s ok as it will continue cooking in the soup. This may need to be done in 2 batches.
- Next, keep the pot over MEDIUM heat and add dairy free butter. When butter begins bubbling gently add diced onions, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, celery and 2-3 pinches of salt. Sauté stirring often until tender about 5-7 minutes.
- Then, add spice blend: salt, oregano, dried parsley, bay leaves, cumin, sweet paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, coriander, basil, dried thyme, and minced garlic. Stir until fragrant about 30 seconds.
- Return chicken and accumulated juices, corn, red potatoes, and chicken broth. Use the minimum amount of broth needed to cover the ingredients. More liquid will be added later.
- Increase heat to MEDIUM-HIGH and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to LOW, cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
- Pour in ½ can of coconut cream. Increase heat to slightly over MEDIUM.
- Make the slurry: Add arrowroot flour to the remaining coconut cream and use a fork to mix together until smooth.
- Finally, stir slurry into the soup until fully combined. Continue stirring often while soup begins to simmer and thicken. This takes about 5-8 minutes depending on how thick you prefer the soup. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Enjoy!
Slow cooker/crockpot directions
- Firstly, add all ingredients, excluding chicken, to a large crockpot. However, instead of 4 cups of broth, add 3 cups. Since the liquid in a slow cooker doesn’t evaporate, starting with less broth helps prevent a thin, watery soup.
- Next place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Feel free to dice them into bite sized pieces. Or you can put them in whole and shred or dice after cooking.
- Then, cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH 4 hours. **Read next steps for thickening soup during the last 30 minutes of cooking***
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking: If you cooked the chicken breasts whole, remove to a cutting board and shred or dice. Add back into slow cooker.
- Pour in ½ can of coconut cream, stir to combine.
- Then, make the slurry: Add arrowroot flour to the remaining coconut cream and use a fork to mix together until smooth.
- Finally, stir slurry into the soup until fully combined. Allow the soup to cook the remaining 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Enjoy!
Storage
Similar to chilis, the longer Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder sits, the more delicious it becomes! Allow soup to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator 3-4 days.
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder {Dairy Free, Gluten Free}
Equipment
- 1 8 qt Instant Pot
- 1 Large wooden spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Soup Base
- 2 tablespoon dairy free butter
- 1 medium onion very small diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper very small diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper very small diced
- 3 stalks celery very small diced
Spice Blend
- 2½ teaspoon salt plus extra pinches
- 2 teaspoon oregano rub between your fingers to release oils
- 2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 medium bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Vegetables/Chicken/Liquids
- 1½ lbs chicken breasts whole
- 1 15 oz can corn drained (or 1¾ cups frozen)
- 5 medium red potatoes about 2-2½ cups
- 4-5 cups chicken broth just enough to cover
- 1 can full fat coconut milk divided (reserve half the can to prepare the slurry)
Slurry
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour
- reserved ½ can of coconut milk
Instructions
- Select the Instant Pot SAUTE function (Normal) and add dairy free butter. When Instant Pot reads HOT add diced onions, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, celery and 2-3 pinches of salt. Sauté stirring often until tender about 5-7 minutes.
- Add salt, oregano, dried parsley, bay leaves, cumin, sweet paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, coriander, basil, dried thyme, and minced garlic. Stir until fragrant about 30 seconds. Turn off SAUTE function by hitting CANCEL.
- Add whole chicken breasts, corn, red potatoes, and chicken broth. Use the minimum amount of broth needed to cover the ingredients. More liquid will be added later.
- Close the Instant Pot making sure to seal the pressure valve. Cook on HIGH pressure 7 minutes per pound of chicken*. Allow steam to naturally release at least 10 minutes or longer.
- Remove chicken and dice or shred. Add back into pot. Pour in ½ can of coconut cream. Turn SAUTE function back on (Normal).
- Make the slurry:Add arrowroot flour to the remaining coconut cream and use a fork to mix together until smooth.
- Stir slurry into the soup until fully combined. Continue stirring often while soup begins to simmer and thicken. This takes about 5-8 minutes depending on how thick you prefer the soup. Turn off SAUTE function by hitting CANCEL. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Enjoy!
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