Corn Chowder Recipe with Bacon and Potatoes
Corn chowder recipe with crisp bacon, Yukon Gold potatoes, and sweet corn in a creamy broth. A thick one-pot chowder that feeds 6 in under an hour.
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This corn chowder recipe is the thick, bacon-studded kind that eats like a full dinner. Bacon renders first, the vegetables cook in that fat, and a quarter cup of flour turns the broth into something that coats the back of a spoon before the corn ever goes in.
The corn goes in near the end for a reason. Kernels are already tender, and 25 minutes of simmering turns them soft and washes out the sweetness that makes this soup worth making in the first place. Five minutes is all they need to heat through and stay poppy.
Everything happens in one pot, bacon included. Start it in a cold pot over medium heat so the fat has time to render out slowly, and you get both crisp bacon for the top and a couple tablespoons of drippings to cook the onion in.
Why You’ll Love This Corn Chowder Recipe
- One pot and one cutting board. The bacon, the vegetables, and the chowder all happen in the same pot, drippings and all.
- Thick enough to be dinner. A flour roux plus a pound and a half of potatoes gives you a chowder you eat with a spoon standing up in it.
- Cheap all year. Frozen corn, potatoes, and a few slices of bacon feed six people, and none of it depends on the season.
- Kids clean the bowl. Sweet corn, bacon, and cream is a combination that needs no selling at the table.
Corn Chowder Ingredients
Frozen corn is the reliable pick most of the year, since it’s cut and frozen at peak sweetness. If it’s August and you have fresh ears, cut the kernels off and then run the back of your knife down each stripped cob to scrape out the milky liquid. That goes in the pot too, and it’s the best part.
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups corn kernels, fresh, frozen, or drained canned
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced, for serving
Recipe Variations
- Leave the bacon out and start with 3 tablespoons of butter instead. Use vegetable broth and the whole pot is vegetarian. Half a teaspoon of smoked paprika helps make up for the missing smoke.
- Stir in 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken with the corn and heat it through to 165°F for a heartier bowl.
- Add 8 ounces of large shrimp (31-40 count), peeled and deveined, in the last 3 minutes. They’re done when they’re pink, opaque, and curled into a loose C.
How to Make Corn Chowder
- Render the bacon: Put the chopped bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven and set it over medium heat, starting from cold. Cook 7-8 minutes, stirring, until the pieces are browned and crisp. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel and pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.
- Cook the vegetables: Add the onion and celery to the bacon fat and cook 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Make the roux: Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1 minute, until no dry flour is left and the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Simmer the potatoes: Pour in the chicken broth slowly, whisking to keep it smooth. Add the potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then drop to a steady simmer and cook 15 minutes, until a knife slides into a potato cube with no resistance.
- Add the corn: Stir in the corn and simmer 5 minutes, just until it’s hot through. The kernels should still pop between your teeth.
- Finish with the dairy: Turn the heat to low and stir in the milk and heavy cream. Warm 3-4 minutes, until the chowder is steaming and thick enough to coat a spoon. Don’t let it boil or the dairy can break.
- Serve: Ladle into bowls and top each one with the reserved bacon and the sliced green onions.
Recipe FAQs
Can I Make This Corn Chowder Recipe with Frozen Corn?
Yes, and it’s the reliable pick most of the year. Corn is cut and flash frozen at peak sweetness, so it often beats out-of-season fresh ears. Add it straight from the bag with no thawing and give it the same 5 minutes.
How Do I Make Corn Chowder Thicker?
Scoop out a cup of the chowder once the potatoes are tender, blend or mash it smooth, and stir it back in. Potato starch thickens better than adding more flour at that stage, and it doesn’t dull the flavor.
Why Did My Chowder Curdle?
It boiled after the dairy went in. Milk and cream break when they hit a hard boil in a salty, slightly acidic pot. Drop the heat to low before they go in and keep the chowder at a steam.
Can I Make It without Bacon?
Yes. Start with 3 tablespoons of butter in place of the bacon fat and use vegetable broth to keep it meat-free. You lose the smoke, so half a teaspoon of smoked paprika is worth adding.
What Potatoes Work Best in Corn Chowder?
Yukon Gold. They hold their shape through the simmer and still give up enough starch to help thicken the pot. Russets break down and go grainy. Red potatoes hold up fine but thicken less.
Cooking Tips
- Start the bacon in a cold pot. The fat renders out slowly and completely that way, so you get crisp pieces and enough drippings to cook the vegetables in. A screaming hot pan sears the outside and traps the fat inside.
- Cut the potatoes to a consistent half inch. Uneven cubes mean some are mush and some are still crunchy at the same 15-minute mark, and there’s no fixing that afterward.
- Season at the end, after the dairy. A cup of milk and a cup of cream mute salt considerably, so a chowder that tasted right at the simmer stage will taste flat once it’s finished.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Keep the bacon in its own airtight container in the fridge, also up to 4 days. Re-crisp it for 20 seconds in the microwave or a minute in a dry skillet before it tops the next bowl.
To freeze: Freezing isn’t recommended. Cream separates and the potatoes turn mealy and grainy once thawed. If you want a freezer version, stop before the milk and cream go in, freeze the base up to 3 months, and add the dairy after reheating.
To reheat: Warm it over medium-low, stirring often, until it reaches 165°F. Keep it under a boil so the cream stays smooth, and add a splash of broth if it tightened up overnight.
How to Serve Corn Chowder
Corn Chowder is thick enough to be dinner with nothing more than a hunk of crusty bread or a warm biscuit for dragging through the bowl. Oyster crackers on top are the traditional New England move. A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette balances all that cream, and a grilled cheese alongside turns it into the kind of dinner nobody argues about.
Loved This Recipe?
Corn Chowder comes together in under an hour in one pot, and it’s the soup to make the second the weather turns.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Corn Chowder Recipe with Bacon and Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon chopped
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups corn kernels fresh, frozen, or drained canned
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 green onions thinly sliced, for serving
Instructions
- Render the bacon: Put the chopped bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven and set it over medium heat, starting from cold. Cook 7-8 minutes, stirring, until the pieces are browned and crisp. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel and pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.
- Cook the vegetables: Add the onion and celery to the bacon fat and cook 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Make the roux: Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1 minute, until no dry flour is left and the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Simmer the potatoes: Pour in the chicken broth slowly, whisking to keep it smooth. Add the potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then drop to a steady simmer and cook 15 minutes, until a knife slides into a potato cube with no resistance.
- Add the corn: Stir in the corn and simmer 5 minutes, just until it’s hot through. The kernels should still pop between your teeth.
- Finish with the dairy: Turn the heat to low and stir in the milk and heavy cream. Warm 3-4 minutes, until the chowder is steaming and thick enough to coat a spoon. Don’t let it boil or the dairy can break.
- Serve: Ladle into bowls and top each one with the reserved bacon and the sliced green onions.
Notes
If you made this, leave a star rating down in the comments. It takes about ten seconds, and it’s how other cooks decide whether a recipe is worth trying.
