Creamy Corn Chowder
This Corn Chowder is so delicious, and fantastic comfort food.
Servings servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 2 teaspoons chicken base *plus some extra broth if desired, see step 5 in instructions.
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste before serving
- 8 ounces bacon
- 1 cup onion minced
- 2 small-medium potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces, about 2 cups or 10-12 oz
- 1 ½ cups frozen corn
- black pepper
- a few dashes of hot sauce like Tabasco
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika optional
- grated cheddar cheese for serving, optional
- green onions for serving, optional
Instructions
- Fry bacon until crisp or lay it flat on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes or until crisp.
- In the meantime, melt 2 tablespoons butter (or you could totally use bacon drippings here!) over low heat in a soup pot. When melted, add diced onion and saute for 5-7 minutes until tender. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and garlic and stir until butter is melted.
- Add flour and stir to combine to coat the onions. Add water very slowly while whisking until completely combined and there are no lumps.
- Add milk and chicken base along with 1/2 teaspoon salt (and smoked paprika if you're using) and bring to a low simmer -NOT a high rolling boil. Add potatoes and simmer, stirring very frequently so it doesn't stick and burn on the bottom of your pan, for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Note: While simmering- This is a very thick soup at this point. If you like it this thick, continue with recipe! If you'd like to stretch the recipe and still have it creamy, but not quite so thick, add up to 3 additional cups chicken broth (ready-made broth or broth+chicken base). I personally always add 2-3 cups additional broth but I want to include options based on your preference since many people love it extra thick!
- Add crumbled bacon and corn and heat through. Add a few drops of hot sauce and then a few cracks of black pepper and additional salt to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with extra bacon and cheese, plus green onions if you like.
Notes
This recipe has been a long-time favorite and is also in one of our cook books. At the risk of shaking things up a little, I recently updated the instructions just a bit. If this is a favorite of yours already, here are the original instructions:
Melt just 2 tablespoons butter in a stock pot and add the flour until it turns into a small ball. Slowly add water and whisk until there are no lumps. Add chicken base and milk and stir until smooth. Add onions and garlic and potato and simmer on low until potatoes and onions are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in bacon and corn until warm. Season with hot sauce, salt and pepper. Top with cheese if desired.
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a few days. You can also freeze individual portions of this soup for a quick meal. Frozen soup might have a very slight textural change from the frozen roux, but it's not super noticeable and still delicious.
Nutrition
Calories: 247kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 541mg, Potassium: 588mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 245IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 110mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 247kcal
Cost: $5
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