Corn Chowder Recipe

Bowl of corn chowder topped with crispy bacon and garnished with fresh chives.

4.96 from 42 votes

Quick and easy! This hearty corn chowder is loaded with bacon, ham and potatoes. Plus it comes together in 30 minutes on the stovetop. Instructions included on how to make this in the slow cooker or instant pot. Great easy dinner idea for the family.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Serene

Equipment

Ingredients

4 strips bacon
1/2 cup onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp all purpose flour
32 ounces corn frozen or canned (approx 9 ears of corn)
1 lb gold potatoes diced 1/2 inch cubes
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp paprika
4 cups chicken broth unsalted
1 cup half and half (or milk of preference)
1 lb ham diced into 1/2 inch cubes

Instructions

In a large dutch oven or pot, cook the bacon until desired crispness, remove the bacon from the pot and set aside, keep 2 tbsp of grease, drain any excess.
Add the diced onion and cook until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
Stir in the flour, allow this to cook for 1-2 minutes.
Stir in the salt, pepper, and paprika. Pour in the chicken broth. Stir to combine.
Add in the diced potatoes. Bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes over medium heat.
Remove the lid, add in the corn and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes until the corn is heated through and the potatoes are fork tender.
Turn off the heat and using an immersion blender blend up the soup to desired consistency. Be sure to leave some chunks of potato and corn in the soup. The more you blend the thicker the soup will be. IF you don't have an immersion blender, remove a portion of the soup carefully and blend in a blender or food processor. Then return to the pot.
Optional: sear the ham in a skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes, turning to ensure all sides are seared.
Add the ham to the pot and the cooked diced bacon, setting some aside for garnishing. Stir to combine. If you skipped searing the ham, you will need to turn the heat back on under the soup pot to give the ham time to warm in the soup before moving on.
With the heat still off the pot, stir in the half and half.
Serve soup warm with a garnish of fresh chives or parsley, fresh ground pepper, and cooked bacon.

Video

Notes

Fresh corn: Simply cut the corn off the cobs and use it fresh. No need to precook the corn before adding to the soup.
Frozen corn: Set the corn out to defrost when you start making the soup. It will be plenty of time. Add the corn to the soup according to the recipe and it will cook through and be warmed perfectly.
Canned corn: Open and drain the corn before adding to the soup. If you want to make the corn a bit thicker and sweeter, you can add a can of creamed corn as well!
Instant Pot: Sauté the bacon using the sauté setting on your instant pot, remove the bacon, continue sautéing the onion and garlic. Add in the chicken broth, seasonings, potatoes and corn. Cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes and do a quick release. Blend a portion of the soup. Whisk together flour and a small amount of the hot liquid of the soup, then add this to the chowder and stir to combine. Sauté for a few minutes if needed to thicken soup. Then add in the meats.
Slow Cooker: To make this soup in the slow cooker: add all ingredients to a slow cooker, MINUS the bacon, ham, flour and half and half. Cook on low for 6 hours. Blend the soup. If you still want thickness to the soup mix together equal parts flour and water (1 tablespoon each) and whisk into the soup. Cook on low an additional 30 minutes. Stir in the ham, bacon and half and half.

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