Chicken Sweet Corn Soup

This clear yet creamy Chicken Sweet Corn soup is made with chicken, sweet corn and crunchy vegetables in an aromatic broth, and finished with an egg drop confetti. Enjoy this bowl of comfort in a little over 30 minutes using your Instant Pot or stove!

Easy Dump & Start Meal

This recipe is part of my dump and Start Instant Pot meal series.  I pressure cook corn, chicken and aromatics in seasoned stock. After pressure releases, I shred the chicken, add cabbage and egg and simmer for a few minutes.

Check out more Dump and Start meals

Sweet Childhood Memories

Chicken Sweet Corn soup always brings back some fun childhood memories for me. Growing up, my family, all big Chinese food fans, used to frequently visit a restaurant called Daitchi.

We would order the same dishes every single time.  My dad and I would start with a Wonton or a Hot & Sour soup, and my mom and sister would ALWAYS get the Chicken Sweet Corn soup. And 9 out of 10 times, dad and I would end up digging in to their bowls.  It was just that good!

So, this recipe is dedicated to my mom and sis!  I hope this makes up for all the soup I've eaten from their bowls 🙂

How to Make Homemade Creamed Corn

Creamed corn is one of the key ingredients in this flavorful soup. You can always use a can, but it is real simple to make it at home with just 2-ingredients. Plus, I prefer the flavor of homemade creamed corn.

Adding creamed corn to this soup does two things- one, it power packs the 'corn' flavors in this dish. Second, it helps naturally thicken it, making the end result creamy.

Simply blend a cup of yellow sweet corn with chicken or vegetable stock , water, milk or half and half, depending on how light or creamy you would like it to be. Blend till its consistency is smooth. You'll still be able to see little specs of corn skin, but most of it will be pureed.

How to Make Chicken Corn Soup in Instant Pot

Here are step by step instructions on how to make this simple and tasty soup using your Instant Pot. This recipe would work with most electric pressure cookers, like Mealthy Multipot.

Step 1: Make Creamed Corn

• Blend together 1 cup thawed or fresh yellow sweet corn with chicken or vegetable stock , water, milk or half and half. I prefer to use chicken stock to keep the calories down. Blend into a smooth paste. See detailed instructions and picture above.

Step 2: Pressure Cook

• Turn on the Instant Pot. Add chicken stock, crushed ginger and garlic, corn kernels and creamed corn to the cooking pot.

• Add carrots, spring onions, soy sauce and vinegar to the pot.

• Add salt, pepper, chicken breast and stir well. Close lid and pressure cook on Manual/Pressure cook (high), for 8 minutes. If skipping chicken to make Vegetarian Sweet Corn Soup, adjust cook time to 2 mins.

Step 3: Simmer and Thicken

• Wait 5 minutes before carefully releasing the pressure manually (NPR 5, then QR). This prevents the soup from squirting out of the pressure valve.
• Remove chicken breast and shred it using two forks.
• Turn on Saute and check for seasoning. Add cabbage, shredded chicken and sesame oil to the pot.

• Beat an egg and add to the pot WHILE stirring continuously. This makes the egg cook in thin ribbons instead of chunks. This also helps thicken the soup.
• Optional step for thickening more: If you want to thicken the soup more, add the cornstarch slurry while stirring the soup.
• Bring it to a boil and turn off Saute. Garnish with spring onions and enjoy

Optional but Recommended Garnish- Chili Vinegar

Even though this garnish is optional, I highly recommended it. The vinegar and chili provide an additional layer of flavor which cuts through the sweetness of the corn and balances it really well. Here's how to make Chili-Vinegar:

In a small microwave safe bowl, add thinly sliced Serrano chili or Jalapeno, and rice vinegar. Microwave for 30 seconds and cool completely. You can refrigerate this for up to a week.

Healthy & Gluten-Free One-Pot Recipe

I love one-pot recipes that include a good balance of all, or most food groups.  Between the sweet corn, veggies, chicken and egg,  this Chicken Sweet Corn Soup is a pretty well-balanced meal.

It's a gluten-free dish, since the only flour it uses is cornstarch, which is gluten-free as well. You could also called it a lighter version of Chicken Corn chowder, minus the heavy cream and the flour.

How to Make Vegetarian Sweet Corn Soup

You can easily customize this recipe and make it vegetarian. Simply skip the chicken and substitute chicken stock with vegetable stock. Follow the rest of the recipe as per instructions and reduce the pressure cooking time to 2 minutes.

You can make this recipe vegan by skipping the egg in addition to the changes above. Use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the soup. (see instructions for cornstarch slurry below)

How to Make Cornstarch Slurry

To thicken the soup, mix together 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of water to make a cornstarch slurry. Stir with a spoon or a small whisk till all the cornstarch is combined.

Add slurry to the pot while stirring the soup continuously.  This prevents any lumps and helps thicken the soup evenly. Bring the soup to a simmer and then turn off the heat.

Checkout 11 easy Instant Pot Soup Recipes

How to Make This Soup for a Mixed Group (Vegetarians + Meat Eaters)

To make this soup for a mixed group of vegetarians and meat-eaters, skip the chicken and substitute chicken stock with vegetable stock. Cook for 2 mins.

Check with the vegetarians folks if egg is ok.  If not, skip adding egg after pressure cooking and simply add the cornstarch slurry to thicken.

Cook the chicken separately (read below on how-to), or use rotisserie chicken, shred it and account for about ¼ cup in each bowl for the meat eaters.

How to cook chicken separately:

Broil it in the Oven: You can season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and broil it in the oven for 7-8 minutes each side, or till the chicken cooks through.

Stove-Top:  Turn on stove to medium-high heat.  In a sauce pan add about 2 cups chicken stock and one chicken breast.  Cook for 16-18 minutes, or till pull-apart tender.

Buy it pre-shredded:  These days many grocery stores carry cooked pre-shredded chicken in the deli section.  Simply add that and simmer the soup for 2-3 minutes so the chicken warms through.

How to Make Chicken Sweet Corn Soup on the Stove?

✓ Heat a stock pot on medium-high heat.

✓ Make creamed corn as per the instructions.

✓ Add all the ingredients listed under "Pressure Cook" and stir.

✓ Bring it to a boil, reduce heat, cover the pot and cook for 16-18 minutes, or till chicken is cooked through and tender.

✓ Remove chicken, shred it using two forks and add it back to the pot.  Beat an egg with water, and add it to the pot while stirring so it cooks like thin ribbons.

✓ If you want to thicken the soup more, make a cornstarch slurry (see instructions above) and add it to the pot while stirring.  Bring the pot to a boil and turn off the heat.

✓ Garnish with spring onions and chili-vinegar and ENJOY!

More SOUP recipes From my Kitchen

• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Minestrone Soup
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Thai Red Curry Soup
• Pasta Fagioli

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📖 Recipe

This recipe was updated in 2019 with new photos, helpful information, tips, and step-by-step photos.