Corn Chowder with Bacon

Corn Chowder-cover

This has been one of my favorite chowder/soup recipes since my mother in law first made it when I was over at their house a few years back.

After spending the summer up in the mountains on Pennsylvania where the high temperature is regularly 65-70 degrees and the lows in the 40’s I have been craving warm soups and warm wintery things… After all these are colder temps that we normally have in the winter!!

Now that we are turning the corner into Fall temperatures in most of the country I figured it would be a great time to share this new favorite of mine.

Corn Chowder-1

So anyway… we have made this chowder a few times and I have some delicious additions and tweaks to keep this cowered tasting a little different each time you make it.

Here is what you will need to whip up a batch of the originalBacon Corn Chowder recipe. Additional ingredients are listed at the bottom of the post and are yummy things to try out but not necessary.

1 cup of scrubbed potatoes, diced into small cubes (1/2 inch is perfect in my opinion)
1 cup of carrots diced into small cubes (try to keep the potatoes and carrots the same size so they cook evenly)
1/2 a pound of bacon cooked or if you are like me, use the entire pound! (reserve the bacon drippings)
1 cup chopped onion (nice big 1 inch chunks)
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
pepper to taste
3-4 cups whole milk (yes, use whole, you know how I feel about skimping with skim or 2%…)
1 cup cream
2 cups cooked corn, freshly cut from the cob

Fry bacon until crips and set aside, reserve the drippings.

Add the potatoes and carrots to a small sauce pam with 1 cup water. Cover and simmer until desired tenderness, I like to leave them a little under done so that they don’t fall apart in the soup.

Add 1/4 cup of the bacon drippings (or as much as you have with a little oil) to a large pot. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes over med-high heat. They should just start to turn clear but not completely.

Measure out 3 cups of milk as set next to the pot so that it is ready for the next step. Add the flour to the onion and bacon and stir constantly for about 20 seconds. It needs to mix with the grease from the bacon but don’t allow it to stick or burn. After it is combined, slowly add the milk about a half cup at a time, continuously stirring so it doesn’t stick to the pan.

Tip: I like to use a utensil that has a wide flat bottom for stirring so that I can scrape the bottom of the pan better. A spatula will probably work better than a spoon for this job.

Keep stirring and add all the milk, then the cream.

Add the cooked potatoes and carrots to the pot along with the leftover water from the veggies.

Add the corn and crumble the bacon into the soup reserving a little for garnish, heat throughly.

Corn Chowder-2

After you have added all the ingredients to the chowder, it is personal preference if you add the additional cup of milk. Some people prefer a little more “broth” than others in their chowder.

Salt and pepper to taste, enjoy!!

Your Corn Chowder is done, but try one of these variations to change things up or for a new take.

At the very end when you are adding the corn and bacon try adding one of these:

For Crab Corn Chowder add 2 cups of cooked lump crab meat. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes to heat the crab and allow the flavors to throughly mix together.

For Chicken Corn Chowder add 2 cups of cooked chicken. This would be the perfect way to use a cheap rotisserie chicken that you can pick up for about $5 at a wholesale club.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder is also a fun twist. Add 2 cups of cooked shrimp. for best results, cup the shrimp into 1/4 – 1/2 inch chucks.

For more of a Southwestern Corn Chowder try adding 2 teaspoons of Cumin into the soup and a can of drained chili peppers (hot or mild). This is also delicious with the chicken added as well. It is fun to grill the corn before cutting it from the cob if you are making this version.

This is a great recipe by itself but the possibilities and variations are endless. Have you tweaked this recipe? what did you add to make it your own? Let me know in the comments!

Corn Chowder-pin

Corn Chowder with Bacon
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: American
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup of scrubbed potatoes, diced into small cubes (1/2 inch is perfect in my opinion)
  • 1 cup of carrots diced into small cubes (try to keep the potatoes and carrots the same size so they cook evenly)
  • ½ a pound of bacon cooked or if you are like me, use the entire pound! (reserve the bacon drippings)
  • 1 cup chopped onion (nice big 1 inch chunks)
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
  • pepper to taste
  • 3-4 cups whole milk (yes, use whole, you know how I feel about skimping with skim or 2%...)
  • 1 cup cream
  • 2 cups cooked corn, freshly cut from the cob
Instructions
  1. Fry bacon until crips and set aside, reserve the drippings.
  2. Add the potatoes and carrots to a small sauce pam with 1 cup water. Cover and simmer until desired tenderness, I like to leave them a little under done so that they don't fall apart in the soup.
  3. Add ¼ cup of the bacon drippings (or as much as you have with a little oil) to a large pot. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes over med-high heat. They should just start to turn clear but not completely.
  4. Measure out 3 cups of milk as set next to the pot so that it is ready for the next step. Add the flour to the onion and bacon and stir constantly for about 20 seconds. It needs to mix with the grease from the bacon but don't allow it to stick or burn. After it is combined, slowly add the milk about a half cup at a time, continuously stirring so it doesn't stick to the pan.
  5. Tip: I like to use a utensil that has a wide flat bottom for stirring so that I can scrape the bottom of the pan better. A spatula will probably work better than a spoon for this job.
  6. Keep stirring and add all the milk, then the cream.
  7. Add the cooked potatoes and carrots to the pot along with the leftover water from the veggies.
  8. Add the corn and crumble the bacon into the soup reserving a little for garnish, heat throughly.

 

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