Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup

Easy40 minsQuick

This Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup recipe is quick and easy to make on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot, it’s full of protein and veggies and it’s naturally gluten-free, and it is sooo comforting and delicious.

A few weeks ago when I was coming down with a cold, I found myself craving both chicken soup and my all-time favorite egg drop soup.  So, I decided to go retro and stir up a batch of soup that combines the best of both worlds…

…Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup.  ♡

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(Did you guys grow up eating this at Chinese restaurants too?!)

Well for those of you unfamiliar with this one, chicken and sweet corn soup is basically egg drop soup made with extra chicken, corn and veggies.  And when made with my favorite broth, which is seasoned lightly with ginger, garlic and sesame oil, this simple soup is incredibly flavorful and delicious.  And when thickened with those beautiful egg ribbons and loaded up with classic chicken soup ingredients?  Well, I’m convinced that this soup is about as comforting as it gets.

So if you’re on the hunt for a new chicken soup this season, or if you’re feeling under the weather and are in need or some warm and cozy comfort food, grab your soup pot (or Instant Pot) and let’s make a quick batch together.  I think you’re going to love it.

Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup Ingredients:

To make this Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup recipe, you will need:

• Chicken: You can either just added shredded or diced cooked chicken to this soup.  (A rotisserie chicken would come in handy here, or I often use leftovers from my baked chicken breasts recipe.) . Or, you are welcome to cook the raw chicken from scratch in the soup itself.  I’ve included instructions below for how to do this in the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.
• Corn: This soup is traditionally made with both creamed corn and whole kernel corn, which I call for in the recipe below.  But if you don’t have a can of creamed corn on hand, no worries, you can just puree some whole kernel corn in the blender or food processor before adding it to the soup.  (Or just skip creaming the corn altogether and use 100% whole kernel corn, either canned or frozen.)
• Ground ginger and garlic powder: We will use these to season the broth and give it some extra depth of flavor.
• Green onions: We will slice these thinly, and use the white parts to help season the broth itself, then use the green parts as a garnish when serving the soup.
• Carrots: The other traditional veggie in this soup.
• Cornstarch: Which we will use to thicken the broth.
• Eggs: The magical ingredient which will also thicken this soup by creating all of those beautiful egg ribbons.
• Toasted sesame oil: We will add this in at the very end, so that it doesn’t overcook and become bitter.
• Salt and pepper: To season the soup.

Stovetop Instructions:

To make chicken and sweet corn soup on the stovetop, simply:

1. Cook the base soup ingredients.  In a large stockpot, stir together 7 cups of the stock, chicken*, ginger, garlic powder, the white parts of the green onions, carrots, whole kernel corn and creamed corn until combined.  Simmer until the carrots are cooked.
2. Make and add the cornstarch slurry.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining stock and cornstarch to form a slurry.  Then add it to the soup to thicken.
3. Make those magical egg ribbons.  My favorite part!  Using a spoon, swirl the broth around slowly in a continuous motion, round and round.  Then while you are swirling with one hand, use the other to slowly pour the whisked eggs into the broth in a steady stream.  The eggs will cook instantly when they hit the hot broth, and the slow swirl will form them into beautiful long ribbons that will thicken the soup.
4. Season the soup.  Add in the toasted sesame oil, then season with salt and pepper as needed.
5. Serve.  Garnished with the green parts of the green onions.

*As mentioned above, you are welcome to make things easy and just add pre-cooked chicken (diced or shredded) into the soup.  Or you can add 1 pound of uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts to the broth itself, simmer until cooked through, remove and shred, then add back to the soup.

Instant Pot Instructions:

To make chicken and sweet corn soup in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker), simply:

1. Cook the base soup ingredients.  In the bowl of your Instant Pot, stir together 7 cups of the stock, chicken*, ginger, garlic powder, the white parts of the green onions, carrots, whole kernel corn and creamed corn until combined.  Cover and turn the lid to “sealing”, then pressure cook on high for 8 minutes, followed by the quick release.
2. Make and add the cornstarch slurry.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining stock and cornstarch to form a slurry.
3. Make those magical egg ribbons.  My favorite part!  Using a spoon, swirl the broth around slowly in a continuous motion, round and round.  Then while you are swirling with one hand, use the other to slowly pour the whisked eggs into the broth in a steady stream.  The eggs will cook instantly when they hit the hot broth, and the slow swirl will form them into beautiful long ribbons that will thicken the soup.
4. Season the soup.  Add in the toasted sesame oil, then season with salt and pepper as needed.
5. Serve.  Garnished with the green parts of the green onions.

*If making this soup in the Instant Pot, it’s super easy to just add uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts to the broth, and let them pressure cook along with the rest of the soup.  After the quick release, remove and shred the chicken, then add it back to the soup.  Or, you are welcome to just add pre-cooked diced or shredded chicken to the soup at the beginning.

Possible Variations:

There are all sorts of ways that you can customize this soup!  For example, feel free to…

• Add extra veggies: Anything from shredded cabbage to peas to chopped stir-fry veggies (such as bell pepper, asparagus, green beans, etc.) would be delicious mixed into this soup.
• Make it vegetarian: If chicken isn’t your thing, just omit it completely and use vegetable stock (not chicken stock) to make this soup completely vegetarian.
• Make it spicy: If you’d like to give this soup a kick, I recommend stirring in some sriracha or Thai bird chiles.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup

This Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup recipe is quick and easy to make on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot, and tastes so comforting and delicious.  Heads up — this recipe makes a pretty large batch, so feel free to halve it if need be.

Total Time:40 mins

Prep Time:15 mins

Cook Time:25 mins

Ingredients:

• 8 cups good-quality chicken stock or vegetable stock, divided
• 3 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken breasts* (about 1 pound chicken)
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced with the white and green parts divided
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced
• 1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn (or see alternative below**)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 6 large eggs, whisked
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Directions:

Stovetop Directions:

1. In a large stockpot, stir together 7 cups stock, chicken, ginger, garlic powder, the white parts of the green onions, carrots, whole kernel corn and creamed corn until combined.  Heat over medium heat until the soup reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the carrots have softened.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup stock and cornstarch until combined.  Stir the mixture into the soup and cook for 1 minute, or until the soup has thickened.
3. Using a spoon, begin to swirl the soup slowly in a continuous motion.  Then while you are still swirling the soup, drizzle the eggs into the soup in a steady stream.  The hot broth will instantly cook the eggs, and they will form those beautiful egg ribbons.
4. Add in the toasted sesame oil, and stir to combine.  Then taste the soup, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
5. Serve warm, sprinkled with the remaining green parts of the green onions.

Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Directions:

1. In the bowl of an Instant Pot, stir together 7 cups stock, chicken, ginger, garlic powder, the white parts of the green onions, carrots, whole kernel corn and creamed corn until combined.  Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to “Sealing.”  Then pressure cook on high for 8 minutes, followed by a quick release.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup stock and cornstarch until combined.  Stir the mixture into the soup and cook for 1 minute, or until the soup has thickened.
3. Using a spoon, begin to swirl the soup slowly in a continuous motion.  Then while you are still swirling the soup, drizzle the eggs into the soup in a steady stream.  The hot broth will instantly cook the eggs, and they will form those beautiful egg ribbons.
4. Add in the toasted sesame oil, and stir to combine.  Then taste the soup, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
5. Serve warm, sprinkled with the remaining green parts of the green onions.

*Feel free to use raw boneless skinless chicken breasts in place of the pre-cooked chicken too!  If using the:

• stovetop method, simply add the raw chicken breasts along with the rest of the broth ingredients in step one.  Then simmer until they are cooked through.  Remove the chicken breasts, shred with a fork, then add them back to the soup, and continue on.
• Instant Pot method, simply add the raw chicken breasts along with the rest of the broth ingredients in step one.  Then once the broth has finished pressure cooking, remove the chicken breasts, shred with a fork, then add them back to the soup, and continue on.

**If you do not have a can of creamed corn, no worries!  Just take a can of whole kernel corn and pulse it in a food processor or blender until it’s mostly blended, then add it to the soup.  (Or you can skip this step altogether, and just use 100% whole kernel corn instead of the whole/creamed mix.)

Difficulty: EasyCategory: Quick

All images and text ©Gimme Some Oven

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