The soup of my childhood. This is the get-better soup that my mom made for me, pretty much up until the time I was 25, whenever I wanted something warm and comforting or was feeling under the weather. Over the years, I finally decided to learn how to make it for myself. It’s incredibly easy to make and uses mostly pantry staples, so you can see why it’s a great soup to make when you’re feeling under the weather and can’t exactly make it to the store. My moms chicken corn soup is like chicken noodle soup, minus the noodles and the other veggies, add the corn and mash it together with a traditional egg drop soup that we’ve pretty much all ordered at one time or another at our favorite Chinese restaurant.
When I’ve got a sore throat, all I want is something warm and cozy, that doesn’t require much chewing and something that soothes the throat. This chicken corn soup hits all the marks. And at some point in my late teens, I started adding a scoop of cooked rice to my soup bowl, and I have to be honest, I’m still eating it this way, almost two decades later. Besides being a hearty bowl of soup, it takes roughly 20 minutes to make from start to finish if you’ve got cooked shredded chicken in the freezer or use leftover rotisserie chicken.
What do you need to make chicken corn soup?
chicken stock creamed corn corn kernels soy sauce vinegar sugar black pepper sesame oil chicken cornstarch: eggs:
What if I don’t have creamed corn?
I have to be honest; I seldom have creamed corn at home either. Here’s a quick tip: just run a can of sweet corn kernels in your food processor on the pulse setting and voila! Creamed corn!
Do I have to make homemade stock for this recipe?
You absolutely do not have to make your chicken stock for my chicken corn soup recipe. However, I do advise using a good quality chicken stock that has a lot of flavor. Since we’re not flavoring this soup with a whole lot, it’s essential to use quality stock. Don’t skimp on this one!
How to make homemade chicken stock:
Over the years I’ve gotten into the habit of saving random parts of chicken (a couple of wings, a few backbones from my spatchcock chicken recipe testing, a drumstick or two) and eventually when I have enough, I throw them onto a sheet pan and roast the chicken with a glug of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Then into a stockpot, they go with all the wilting, sad veggies (carrots, celery, onions, a whole head of garlic) that need to be cleared before I make a trip to the grocery store and spices (black peppercorns, and bay leaves.) Once it simmers for a couple of hours, I strain my chicken stock, pop it into one-quart containers and freeze them. That way I’ve got homemade chicken stock ready to go for when I need it.
How to make chicken corn soup:
How can I make this spicy?
A squeeze of sriracha amps up and brings the heat in a pinch! Or if you’ve got time, I suggest mincing a serrano pepper and adding it to 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Allow for it to sit for roughly 1 hour and add a teaspoon or so to your bowl! So good that way!
Can I make this vegetarian?
Sure, I would suggest swapping the chicken stock or good quality vegetable stock. And swapping the chicken for sautéed sliced mushrooms. You want to do this beforehand and not add the mushrooms into the soup raw, and they’ll release a ton of water, thus diluting the soup flavor. I would saute them in a skillet with a little butter and salt and pepper. You could even use sautéed zucchini with the corn; it would go really well! And that’s it! It’s easy enough to put together if someone you know is sick. It’s warm, and cozy and chicken corn soup is sure to kick that cold right out!
In a pinch, you can add a (15 ounce) can of whole corn kernels (half drained) into the food processor and pulse it to make your own creamed corn!
