Corn Chowder

This corn chowder is creamy and hearty with the fantastic flavors of summer. It’s made with fresh summer corn, sweet onions, tender potatoes, fresh thyme and bits of crispy bacon. It’s hard to resist this fabulous soup, and you can have this summer chowder all year long. It’s great for a quick lunch or dinner and it can easily be made dairy-free.

Summer means we’re getting the best produce of the year, and corn on the cob is abundant so take advantage of the season with this corn chowder.

There’s nothing fancy here, just simple ingredients that blend into an amazing chowder.

Basic Ingredients

Here you can see an overview of everything that you need.

How to make chowder:

1. First, prep all of your veggies. Cut the kernels off the cob, peel and chop the potatoes and onions, mince the garlic and thyme, and chop the uncooked bacon.
2. In a stockpot, cook the bacon until it’s crispy. Then remove the bacon and set it on a paper towel to drain off the excess fat.
3. Add the onion, stirring occasionally until it’s soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and thyme. Stir and cook for 1 minute until you can smell the garlic.
4. Next, add the cornstarch and stir so that it coats the onions. Add the chopped potatoes with the chicken stock and turn the heat on high and bring to a boil.
5. Cook until the potatoes are tender.
6. Transfer soup to a blender and puree the soup until it’s smooth.
7. Put the soup back in the pot and add the remaining chicken stock, along with fresh corn kernels and a bay leaf.
8. Cook for an additional 10 minutes until the corn kernels are tender.
9. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the heavy cream and butter.
10. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with crisp bacon bits and green onion or cheese and serve!

You can store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Fresh corn kernels vs. frozen corn kernels

The answer here is two-fold. If it’s summer the obvious answer is to use fresh corn off the cob. It’s fresh, it’s sweet and it’s the star of this chowder.

If you find yourself wanting a warm and cozy soup to cheer up the gray days of winter, by all means, use frozen corn kernels. It makes it easy and tastes great. If you use frozen corn, I recommend pureeing two cups of corn with heavy cream and then adding the rest of the whole kernels and the puree into the soup to cook.

Can I freeze corn chowder?

This soup is best with fresh ingredients and because of the heavy cream, I don’t recommend this as a freezer-friendly soup. But it is easy enough to make, so you shouldn’t have a hard time getting the ingredients together to make this hearty cozy chowder during busy weeks.

What is cornstarch?

Cornstarch is an essential pantry item that most people have even if they don’t know all the uses for it.

Primarily, cornstarch is used as a thickening agent. It helps thicken sauces, stews, pudding, custard or even drinks like this healthy eggnog!

It works better as a thickening agent than flour, and because it’s made of corn, it’s naturally gluten-free. It sometimes works as a substitute for flour in gravy and sauces, too.

To activate the cornstarch, it must be heated in liquids which is why it’s perfect for soups like chowder.

If you don’t want to use cornstarch, might I suggest this delicious Gluten Free Loaded Baked Potato Soup? It’s another hearty soup that’s sure to be a hit!

What is the purpose of the bay leaf?

Bay leaves infuse earthy notes and have slightly floral overtones that resemble oregano and thyme. It has an emboldened flavor that is great for enhancing stews, sauces, and soups (like this Clam Chowder with Bacon).

They also add a hint of bitterness that keeps stews from being overly heavy.

If you ask an Italian why they add bay leaves to their sauces, they will tell you that it takes out the acidity.

We know that bay leaves aid in digestion and are effective in settling an upset stomach, so there just may be more to them than adding robust flavor.

No need to cut or chop the bay leaves, it doesn’t add anything to the flavor, so just add it straight into the pot.

Because bay leaves are coarse and hard to chew, it’s always recommended to take them out before serving.

The biggest health risk of bay leaves is choking. Maybe this is why you kiss the cook when you find a bay leaf in your bowl because you found it before trying to swallow?! 😉

What to serve with corn chowder?

• This Overnight Sourdough Bread is nice and tangy and perfect served with this summer chowder.
• This Chicken Leg Quarter Recipe makes an amazing dinner served with chowder. It’s super easy and really good!
• If you like soups and salads, this Caesar Salad with lemon and roasted chickpeas would be terrific.
• If you think this chowder is hearty enough for a summer dinner, try these Dinner Muffins. They’re yeast-free, whole wheat and stay soft and fluffy for days.

If you try this creamy corn chowder or any recipe on the site, I would love to see pics and hear about your experience. Just tag and follow #fooddoodlesrecipes so that I can find them easily. Thanks!