Hearty Homemade Corn Chowder
User Reviews
4.8
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
35 mins
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Total Time
50 mins
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Servings
6 servings
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Course
Main Course, Soup
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Cuisine
American
Hearty Homemade Corn Chowder
Description
This corn chowder starts by cooking diced bacon until crisp, rendering flavorful fat reserved for sautéing onions and garlic. Flour is added to make a roux that thickens the broth once water or stock is incorporated. Fresh corn kernels removed from the cob, along with potatoes cut into half-inch pieces, are simmered with thyme and smoked paprika to develop depth and texture. The mixture is cooked until potatoes are tender, then partially blended to create a thick but textured consistency.
Half and half is stirred in for creaminess, and the chowder is garnished with chopped fresh chives and the reserved bacon for a smoky crunch. The balance of smoky, sweet, and savory notes makes this a satisfying soup, suitable as a main course or starter.
It can accommodate substitution of broth types and frozen or canned corn with minor adjustments such as adding honey to replace natural sweetness from fresh corn. Slow cooker adaptations allow for convenient hands-off cooking with similar results.
Ingredients
- 8 lices Bacon diced
- 2 Tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 5 cups water (chicken broth or vegetable broth may be substituted)
- 8 ears sweet corn husks and silks removed, yellow
- 1 lb. potatoes sliced into 1/2 inch pieces, yukon gold or baby red
- 1/4 tsp thyme dried
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- chives handful, chopped fresh
Instructions
- Slice corn kernels off the cob and set aside. Take each ear of corn and hold it over a bowl. Use either the back of your knife or a spoon and scrape any remaining pulp and juice from the cobs.
- Cook bacon pieces in large heavy bottomed pot (like a dutch oven) over MED heat. Cook about 5-8 minutes, or until bacon is crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
- Use a clean paper towel to absorb some of the bacon grease, reserving about 1 Tbsp of grease in the pot. Add butter and melt over MED heat.
- Add diced onions and cook about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add garlic and flour and cook about 1 minute, stirring often.
- While whisking, pour in water and increase heat to MED-HIGH. Add in corn, potatoes, thyme, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to MED-LOW and simmer.
- Simmer, stirring every so often, for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.
- Use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup until smooth. Alternatively, remove about 3 cups of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Stir the blended soup back into the pot.
- Add in half and half, reserved corn juice, and about half the chives. Stir in and heat through.
- Serve sprinkled with remaining chives and cooked bacon pieces, if desired.
Notes
- Adding a drizzle of honey can enhance sweetness when using frozen or canned corn.
- Reserve bacon crisped separately to use as a garnish providing texture contrast.
- Partial blending of the soup helps create a creamy texture while retaining body.
- Adapting this recipe for a slow cooker is possible by cooking the base ingredients on low for several hours.
- Use approximately 4 cups of frozen or canned corn if fresh corn is unavailable.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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