This is my homemade version of Chicken and Sweet Corn Cup-a-Soup with noodles. It’s quick and easy, and the flavour is in a completely different league to the instant kind!
Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup with Noodles
I often get recipe ideas just by wandering the aisles of the grocery store, seeing what everyone’s buying. Come winter, Australians pile their trolleys with ready-made Lasagna, Cottage Pie and pasta bakes, and the cup-a-soup aisle suddenly gets a lot more traffic too. Cream of Chicken Soup, Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup and Mushroom Soup are flying off the shelves.
And so is Chicken and Sweet Corn Noodle Soup, and I realised – hang on, I don’t have a recipe for that yet. Thought I’d better rectify that!
So here it is. It’s creamy with little bits of chicken, lots of sweet corn flavour and pasta that will actually fit in your soup spoon. That it leaves powdered packet soups in the dust goes without saying. 🙂
Ingredients in Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup with Noodles
I like how this soup is thickened without flour or cornflour/cornstarch. Instead, it relies on the starch from the pasta, creamed corn and a handful of cheese! I also added a few handfuls of green stuff into the soup, just because I can and cup-a-soups can’t. 😉
Two types of corn – This soup uses both creamed corn and corn kernels. The creamed corn forms part of the soup broth, adding flavour, corny-sweetness and also thickens it a bit. Feel free to substitute the corn kernels with frozen for fresh corn kernels if you want (2 cups).
Chicken stock/broth – I did try this using water rather than stock but found the soup broth lacking. It’s just tastier using chicken stock! My default is to use low sodium because it allows me to control the amount of salt I add into a dish, which varies depending on other ingredients I use. 🙂
Milk – This is what gives the soup broth a creamy colour. You can use any type of milk you want, dairy or non-diary, and any fat percentage you want (my default is low-fat because that’s what I drink)/
Chicken breast – I use around 400g/14oz chicken for this soup though you could easily use more if you want to bulk up on protein. The chicken I had when I filmed the video and took these photos was mega size – about 380g/13oz – so I just used one. You can also use thigh fillets.
Broken angel hair pasta – These fine, little bits of pasta cook in a flash (3 minutes!) and I also like them because it reminds me of the little bits of pasta in the cup-a-soup packets. They’re so small they fit in teaspoons!
Other pastas – Feel free to use any other tiny pasta – rizoni/orzo, star shapes, tiny macaroni, alphabet, dinosaur shapes (no judgement from me, even if there’s no one under 10 in your household). If using slightly larger pasta like ditalini, small shells, these will absorb a bit more liquid so just add an extra slosh of water into the broth, else your soup will be quite chunky.
Handful of cheese (optional) – A late addition, but once I did it, there was no looking back. 😊 It adds an extra oomph of flavour and it thickens the broth a bit too. But it’s entirely optional!
Green stuff (kale!) – I also like to stir in a few big handfuls of kale, just to get some green goodness into the soup and also because it adds a splash of colour. I use kale because there is always a bunch loitering in my fridge, though baby spinach, spinach, silverbeet/chard would do just as nicely. Else, you could always chop up some vegetables and sauté it with the onion (carrots, celery, zucchini, capsicum/bell peppers are go-to options).
How to make Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup with Noodles
I like to sear the chicken first which not only leave tasty brown stuff on the base of the pot that makes our soup tastier (it’s called fond!), I also find it easier to dice into small pieces compared to handling a slippery raw chicken. We add it back to the pot later, so it doesn’t need to be cooked through at this stage. In fact, you don’t want it fully cooked, otherwise it will be overcooked by the time the soup is ready!
Sear chicken – Split the chicken in half horizontally and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Then sear it in the pot for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side, just until the surface is lightly golden. It doesn’t need to be cooked through as we’re going to put it back in the soup broth.
Chop chicken – Take the chicken out then when it’s cool enough to handle, cut it into small pieces. I do this while I’m waiting for the broth to come up to the simmer (step 4 below).
Sauté the onion and garlic in the same pot, lowering the heat as needed to ensure the golden brown layer on the base doesn’t burn.
Soup broth – Add the creamed corn, corn, milk and chicken stock (use the empty cans to measure this out, you need 2 cans of each), plus the salt and pepper. Give it a mix and let it come up to the simmer.
Cook pasta and chicken – Once the broth starts bubbling, add the pasta and chopped chicken, plus all the chicken juices on the chopping board. Simmer for 3 minutes, or however long the packet says the pasta needs to be cooked for (the broken angel hair pasta I’m using is only 3 minutes). Stir every now and then.
Cheese and kale – Add the cheese, and stir to let it melt through. Then add the kale and stir until it is wilted, it barely takes 20 seconds. Then serve!
As with all pasta soups, the pasta will continue to absorb liquid and soften as it sits in the broth, so it’s best enjoyed straight away. If you plan to keep leftovers, I would drain or scoop out all the stuff (pasta, chicken and all), and store the broth separately if it’s practical to do so. If not, at least let the broth and noodles cool down separately before combining back together in a container. The pasta absorbs less liquid when cold so it will not bloat as much.
Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup with Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
- 350 – 400g/ 12 – 14oz chicken breast , cut in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt
- Pinch of black pepper
For the soup:
- 1/2 onion , finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves , finely minced or minced using garlic crusher
- 400g/14oz can sweet corn , drained (or 2 cups frozen or fresh corn)
- 400g/14oz can creamed corn
- 3 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (2 empty cans! Note 2)
- 3 cups milk , full or low fat, dairy or non-dairy (2 empty cans, Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups broken angel hair pasta , or other small pasta like risoni/ditalini, or break long strand pasta (Note 2)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese , or tasty cheese, Colby, Monterey jack, or any other flavourful melting cheese
- 3 tightly packed cups kale leaves (torn into bite size pieces) or baby spinach
Sprinkling (optional)
- Something green – sliced green onion, chopped parsley
- Shredded cheese
Instructions
- Season chicken – Sprinkle each side of the chicken with the salt and pepper.
- Sear chicken – Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Put the chicken in and sear each side for 1 1/2 minutes or until light golden, then remove (it doesn't matter if it's not cooked through).
- Make soup broth – Into the same pot, add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until translucent. Add the creamed corn, corn, stock, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- Chop chicken – Meanwhile, cut the chicken into 1cm / 0.4" cubes.
- Add pasta – Add the pasta and chicken (and any juices on the cutting board). Cook for 3 minutes (or whatever the pasta cook time is).
- Stir ins – Add cheese and stir to melt. Add the kale and stir until it wilts.
- Serve immediately, with a little sprinkle of green onion and extra cheese if you want!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Remembering Dozer
The unofficial photo album of a very ordinary week in Life of Dozer, this time 2 years ago. Which, looking back now, feels pretty special. ❤️
I love that last one especially. Me, setting up the camera timer with the hope of getting a lovely picture of us together, giving Dozer a sweet kiss on the cheek. Dozer, meanwhile, more interested in a bird or leaf blowing across the patio. That was so typical. I’ve scoured through 14 years of Dozer photos over the past few months, and one thing has become abundantly clear – my adoring love for him was very rarely reciprocated on camera. 😂
Hello from Washington state Nagi! I have been part of your flock for years, own both of your books & Row, Row Row. I love your recipes and your Dozer stories. Having just lost my fur baby of 10 years I thought how wonderful it would be if your next book was for Dozer, your pictures and narrations. Love & Hugs Nagi & Dozer too.
Hello, Nagi!
I’m in the UK. I have never seen creamed corn – or any other veg “creamed”. Sounds American.
Would adding another can of corn and extra cream work?
Please advise. Thank you.
As an American, yes, it’s common the south where I am, I would do what you suggest! Add more corn, drained from any liquid, at heavy/whipping cream and maybe a thicker later if the soup ends up runny. “Creamed corn” here is often made, or bought, with a thickener like corn starch/corn flour etc.
Hi Nagi, I can’t get creamed corn in UK, if I liquidised a tin of corn would it be similar? Thank you
Nagi. I love your cooking and your show. I too had a dog like Dozer ours was called Alfi after the show ALIEN LIFE FORM with that crazy little animal. I am aware of your loss. Sending good thoughts to you.
Hi Nagi, love the look of this recipe, a hearty soup for winter, I suffer from colitis so need to avoid onion and garlic among other things, how could I use infused garlic and onion oil in this recipe as a substitute and could green shallots work? Also do you have any Low Fomap recipes you can share
You can try with a soffritto of fennel, carrot and celery in place of onion and garlic and maybe add some tomato paste if you can have it (not to make it taste tomatoey but to add savoriness). Two anchovy fillets in the soffritto would be good too.
Best soup EVER…! Will make more. Perfect for winter…
Oooh i JUST made your creamy chicken noodle soup on Monday! (Has been wet and wild over here in Perth!) Im gonna need to make this one too
Hi Nagi,
I love your recipes & inspiration! Do you think I could use little GF pasta in this? Or rice noodles? I can’t really have wheat.
You actually read my mind, Nagi! I can’t believe it. I came to your website yesterday looking for a recipe just like this!! When this recipe popped into my email today I assumed at first I had been sent your Chinese chicken and corn soup because of some sort of algorithm with the search terms I’d used. But no! It’s a new recipe and exactly what I wanted!!!!
Soup looks delicious Nagi…thank you
Definitely on the list for this week 😀
Loving the memories of Dozer 🐶
As a fur baby mum, you can never have too many photos of our fur babies 🤣🤣🤣
Nagi, that soup looks gorgeous! I have to add a couple things to my grocery list , as I cant wait to make it.
Then….I came to my favourite part : Dozer…. I loved that dog. Goldies have to be the most friendly, affectionate, needy and clever dogs. ( minus the malting…) You surrounded him with un unconditional love that I know He gave you back too… What wonderful memories you now have of him. Maybe a little brother sometimes ? Take care. XX
Thank you so much for the photos of Dozer and yourself together Nagi – and for your thinking of us – all the best on your journey of love and remembering.
Nagi look up Adam Liaw coffee mousse recipe ..ice cubes instant coffee sugar blitzed into mousse
Oh Dozer. Can never get enough kisses in, bet your thinking. So very loved.xxxxx Love how you can see the humour amongst the sadness,bless you Nagi.xxx
Feels good to be able to share anecdotes about him without getting (too!!) upset these days 🙂 Thanks so much for your lovely message Lucy!! – N xx
I started following your blog when I was in the Southern Hemisphere and now I moved to the North!
1. skipped reading recipe,
2. added it to favs for September
3. scroll straight to IMOD section…
4. Day made seeing that tug-of-war pic!!!
Nagi + soup – already know I will love it!
MESSAGE OF THE DAY!!! ❤️
This recipe looks fabulous. I too love this kind of soup but rarely got it! Now that I’m well into adulthood I can have it whenever! I will admit I am a tiny bit jealous of all the pictures you have of you and Dozer. I have hundreds, okay thousands, of pics of my beloved Starri, but only a couple of the two of us. Since I’m the photographer and I’m hopeless with a timer, I just didn’t get those pictures. It is so lovely to see the two of you together! I especially like the first one.
I hear you Judith! In the early days – the first 8 years or so of his life – I have barely any photos of the both of us. Then I started to make an effort, plus I’m so lucky that I did the two cookbooks while I still had him so I even have some professional photos of him 🙂 Loving the vision of Starri and Dozer getting up to no good up there in the rainbow kitchen…. ❤️
Ahh, the kiss brings back memories of how it felt when I kissed my gorgeous Labrador. Thank you from northwest England x
Aww, I love that Sam 🙂 – N x
love the idea of using angel hair pasta, what a great idea. will be making it today. hope you are doing well.
Thanks Rena, I really am. I am not sure I will ever properly get over Dozer but I am definitely doing better these days. Thank you for asking – N xx
I love love this soup, especially when I’m ill. I’m now living in the UK and I’ve not been able to find creamed corn in the supermarket. Any suggestions for alternatives? Blending corn doesn’t work that well (and is more faff than I want tbh…)
Hi Angela! You could use flour as the thickener instead 🙂 Add about 2 tbsp (30g) into the onion once it’s cooked, then when it melts add 1/4 cup flour. Stir it in – it will go lumpy/pasty. Then while stirring slowly pour the stock in – use a whisk if needed to make it lump free. Then continue with recipe. Oh – and use 2 cans of corn instead! – N x
This looks delicious!
What is creamed corn and can i make it or do you have a substitute? Seems like something we don’t have in the Dutch supermarket. Thanks you!
Hi Angelica! Creamed corn is a product which is like corn kernels in a partially pureed corn that is kind of milky. So it’s thickened and creamy-like (you can see in the video). If you can’t get it, you can make this using flour as a thickener instead, see in the comment above where I left directions for another reader! – N x