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Pressure canning chicken and corn chowder gives you a hearty, shelf-stable soup base ready to enjoy or dress up with cream, bacon, herbs, or jalapeños.
Table of Contents
Chicken and corn chowder is classic comfort food—rich, savory, and full of hearty ingredients. This pressure-canned version, adapted from Angi Schneider’s Pressure Canning for Beginners and Beyond, gives you a flexible soup base that’s flavorful on its own, but easy to customize when you serve it. It’s the kind of jar meal that feels like cozy home cooking, straight from your pantry.
This version is pressure canned as a broth-based chowder. You can enjoy it as-is, or finish it at serving time with cream, a thickener, or your favorite toppings—from fresh herbs to crispy bacon.
Ingredients for Chicken and Corn Chowder
This recipe yields 4 quarts or 8 pints, and it scales well if you’re looking to fill a full-size pressure canner.
Cooked Chicken – Use cooked, shredded chicken (white or dark meat, or a mix). Leftovers or batch-cooked chicken from a whole bird work perfectly.
Corn – Fresh or frozen corn both work well here. Use sweet corn cut from the cob or frozen kernels—whatever you have on hand.
Potatoes and Onions – These two form the hearty base of the chowder. Dice the potatoes evenly so they cook consistently in the jar, and chop the onions fine for a smoother texture.
Jalapeños (Optional) – Use 2 to 4 chopped jalapeño peppers for a mild to moderate kick. Feel free to adjust based on your heat preference.
Broth and Seasonings – Chicken broth brings everything together. The soup is seasoned with canning salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and bay leaves—one for each quart jar.
How to Make Chicken and Corn Chowder for Canning
Begin by preparing your pressure canner and sterilizing jars. Heat the canner water to around 180°F for hot pack.
Add all of the ingredients—cooked chicken, corn, onion, potatoes, jalapeños, broth, and seasonings—into a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes to heat everything through.
Ladle the hot soup into clean, hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Place a bay leaf in each quart jar. Remove any air bubbles, adjust headspace as needed, wipe jar rims, and secure with two-piece canning lids.
Process the jars at 10 pounds pressure for weighted gauge canners or 11 pounds for dial gauge canners, adjusting for your altitude. Process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes.
Let the jars cool naturally and rest undisturbed for 12–24 hours. Check seals before storing.
Altitude Adjustments
With pressure canning, the processing times stay the same at higher altitudes, but the pressures change. Here are the altitude adjustments for pressure canning soup:
For dial gauge pressure canners:
- 0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
- 2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
- 4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
- 6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure
For weighted gauge pressure canners:
- 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
- Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure
Serving Ideas
This chowder is fully cooked and flavorful straight from the jar. Just heat and eat—or dress it up depending on your mood. For a classic creamy chowder, add a splash of cream and a thickener like potato starch or cornstarch.
You can also customize with toppings. Try cilantro, jalapeño slices, and chili powder for a spicy kick, or keep it cozy with cracked black pepper, crumbled bacon, and green onions. It’s a versatile base that adapts to whatever you’re craving.
Chicken and Corn Chowder
Equipment
Ingredients
- 7 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ lb cooked chicken, shredded and boned
- 2 cups onion, chopped
- 3 cups corn, removed from the cob, fresh or frozen, about 4 to 5 ears if fresh
- 3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
- 1 Tbsp canning salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 4 bay leaves, one for each quart jar
Instructions
- Prepare your pressure canner and heat the water to about 180°F for hot pack.
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, combine the chicken, corn, onion, potatoes, jalapeños, broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Ladle the hot soup into clean, hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Add one bay leaf to each quart jar.
- Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace as needed, and wipe jar rims clean. Apply two-piece lids and rings to fingertip tightness.
- Process in a pressure canner at 10 lbs pressure for weighted gauge canners or 11 lbs for dial gauge canners, adjusting for altitude.
- Process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes.
- Let the canner cool naturally. Remove jars and allow to sit undisturbed for 12–24 hours. Check seals before labeling and storing.
Notes
Canning Safety Note
This soup base contains low-acid ingredients and must be pressure canned. Never use a water bath for this recipe. Always follow tested guidelines for time, pressure, and altitude adjustments. Do not add butter, cream or thickeners to this recipe before canning. Those may be added at serving, but they’re not safe for canning.Altitude Adjustments
Adjust your pressure based on elevation: Dial Gauge Canners- 0–2,000 ft: 11 lbs
- 2,001–4,000 ft: 12 lbs
- 4,001–6,000 ft: 13 lbs
- 6,001–8,000 ft: 14 lbs
- 0–1,000 ft: 10 lbs
- Above 1,000 ft: 15 lbs
Serving Suggestions
Heat and serve as-is, or stir in cream and a thickener for a traditional chowder. Top with chili powder, jalapeños, and cilantro for a southwest twist, or go classic with bacon bits, cracked pepper, and chives.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Chicken Canning Recipes
Looking for more hearty chicken canning recipes to can and keep on the pantry shelf?
If you’re in the mood for cozy comfort food, try my recipe for Canning Chicken Pot Pie Filling—a thick, savory base filled with chicken, peas, and carrots, perfect for topping with biscuits or baking into a full pot pie.
For a lighter option, Canning Chicken Soup is always a classic. It’s great as-is or with noodles or rice stirred in when serving.
If you like a little heat, check out Chicken Chili Verde, a zesty Ball Canning recipe with white beans and salsa verde. Or go bold with Thai Red Curry Chicken—packed with warm spices and big flavor.
And if creamy comfort is your thing, you’ll love Canning Chicken and Gravy, which makes an excellent base for biscuits or an easy pot pie filling with just a little added thickener.
