Description
A comforting and creamy Potato Corn Chowder featuring crispy bacon, tender red potatoes, sweet corn, and fresh herbs, perfect for a hearty meal any time of year.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Dairy
- 5 slices bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- Shredded cheese for garnish
Vegetables and Herbs
- 2 stalks celery, small-diced
- 1 medium onion, small-diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweet corn kernels, drained
- 3 medium red potatoes, skin-on and cut into small cubes
Pantry
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 5 cups chicken broth, plus more as needed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the bacon: In a large 6-quart Dutch oven, cook the diced bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, chop into smaller pieces, and set aside.
- Sauté the base vegetables: Remove all but about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pot. Over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the celery and onions until softened, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add aromatics: Stir in the minced garlic, thyme, and smoked paprika (if using). Sauté for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Make the roux: Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat for about 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Add broth and thicken: Gradually pour in the chicken broth while stirring to dissolve the flour and scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a simmer; the broth will thicken as it heats.
- Cook potatoes: Add the diced potatoes to the pot and bring back to a simmer. Cover with a lid and let cook for 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add more broth if the soup becomes too thick.
- Add corn and cream: Stir in the corn and simmer for another 5 minutes. Then, stir in the heavy cream or half-and-half to taste. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
- Add bacon and garnish: Stir the chopped bacon into the chowder, reserving some for garnish. Serve the chowder topped with shredded cheese, the reserved bacon, and chopped parsley or scallions. Enjoy!
Notes
- For a thicker chowder, blend some cooked potatoes with a little broth and stir back in instead of using flour.
- Make the chowder up to 3 days ahead and store refrigerated. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding extra cream or broth as needed to adjust consistency.
- To freeze, omit the dairy. Add the cream or half-and-half when reheating.
- Substitute red potatoes with Yukon Gold or russet potatoes for slightly different textures.
- If using milk instead of heavy cream or half-and-half, mix half milk and half broth to maintain the chowder’s creaminess.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 310 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
