This is our favorite Corn Chowder with tender veggies, smoky bacon, and sweet corn! This thick and creamy chowder is the ultimate comfort food -- nothing better than a big bowl of this with some crusty bread for dunking!
FRESH CORN: Cut the corn off the cobs. I set one down firmly on a cutting board and slice the corn off. Then rotate the cob and slice again. Rotate, slice, etc. until the corn is all removed. Measure out 4-1/2 cups of corn and set aside. Cut or break the bare cobs in half (don't discard them!) and set them aside for now.
OR FROZEN CORN: Measure out 4-1/2 cups of corn and set aside. Keep remaining 1/2 cup out and allow to thaw slightly. (Note 1)
BACON: Dice the bacon into small pieces. (This is easiest with cold bacon and a sharp knife!) Add to a large pot (5.5-quart or larger) over medium-high heat. Stir frequently, cooking until bacon is golden and fat is rendered. Leave the fat behind and use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon onto a paper-towel-lined plate. Set aside for now.
VEGGIES: Lower heat to medium. Add in the 2 tablespoons butter and cook until melted. Once melted, add in the diced onion, diced carrot, garlic, and salt/pepper to taste. (I add 1 teaspoon of each here.) Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onion is golden. Add in the 1/4 cup flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Then add in the 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme and chopped potatoes. Cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.
BROTH: Gradually add the chicken broth while mixing constantly, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits. Mixture should be fairly thick. Add in the milk and bay leaves. Stir. Add the bare corn cobs you set aside earlier and press under the liquid. Increase heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a simmer. As soon as the soup is simmering, reduce the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Stir occasionally, checking that soup is simmering gently, but not boiling or bubbling! After stirring, promptly return the lid. Cook for 13-19 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender (a fork can easily pierce through). If potatoes still aren't tender at this time, slightly increase the heat but watch to make sure the soup doesn't boil.
FINISHING: Take off the lid and use tongs to pull out the corn cobs and dispose. Add in all the corn and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until corn is crisp tender/cooked to your liking (we like it to have some crunch/crispness still!). Mix in as much cream as you'd like -- you can even leave it out if you're watching calories. We typically add 1/2 cup. Mix through and taste the soup adding additional salt/pepper as needed. Flavors should be vibrant!
SERVE: Mix in about half of the bacon and fresh herbs if desired. Serve into bowls and add remaining bacon to top each bowl. Garnish with additional fresh herbs if desired. Serve with a hunk of bread and enjoy!
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Notes
Note 1:Corn: You can use fresh or frozen corn in this recipe. Obviously fresh is best, but frozen is still so tasty! For fresh corn, you'll need about 5-6 large ears of corn. We'll use a total of 4-1/2 cups of fresh corn or 5 cups of frozen corn. If using frozen corn, I like to set aside 1/2 cup and char it in a dry skillet as a chowder topping. (This is optional.)Vegetarian Corn Chowder: Leave out the bacon (add 2-3 tablespoons melted butter to replace the bacon grease) and replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock. You may want to increase seasonings a bit to make up for some of the missing flavor.Vegan Corn Chowder: Make the same changes as the bullet point above and replace heavy cream with coconut cream. Note that the flavor will be slightly different and sweeter. I'd recommend adding some cayenne pepper to balance the sweetness with some spice.Nutrition information will vary for vegetarian and vegan versions of Corn Chowder.