Corn Chowder
Corn Chowder is a creamy homemade soup made with sweet corn, potatoes, turkey bacon, and fresh herbs. It's an easy comfort food recipe that's rich, hearty, and ready in just 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 ears fresh sweet yellow corn kernels removed
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 5 slices turkey bacon chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 –3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- Shredded cheddar cheese optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the chopped turkey bacon and onion. Cook for 8–10 minutes until the onion becomes soft and lightly golden.
- Stir in the garlic and flour, cooking for about 1 minute while stirring continuously.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until smooth.
- Add the corn kernels, diced potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Carefully transfer about 2½ cups of the chowder to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Return the blended mixture to the pot and stir well.
- Add the half-and-half and honey, stirring until heated through without boiling. This Corn Chowder develops an incredibly creamy texture while keeping plenty of whole corn and potato pieces for added texture.
- Serve hot with chopped chives and shredded cheddar cheese if desired
Notes
- For a vegetarian version, omit the turkey bacon and use vegetable broth.
- Frozen corn can replace fresh corn when it's out of season.
- For extra richness, substitute heavy cream for half-and-half.
- Add a pinch of smoked paprika for subtle smoky flavor.