Easy Corn Chowder Recipe

Learn how to make a delicious Corn Chowder Recipe for your next meal that comes together in under an hour.  Serve it up with crispy bacon and green onions.

Corn Chowder is a tasty soup that should be made and eaten during the summer which is the peak season for fresh corn.  You can definitely buy frozen corn kernels and make this soup but you’ll be missing out on the sweetness and ripeness that only fresh corn off the cob can deliver.

Now I don’t want to complain about the summer weather cause I’ll take it all day every day, but man I wish corn was in season in the winter so I could make this soup to heat me up.  The problem is though, it’s summer and corn is fresh now so why not do as much with it as possible, which includes soup on a hot day.  After you taste this you will forget all about the 90° heat it’s that good.  Simple ingredients and bold flavors’ is what I’m about and this soup speaks perfectly to that!

Corn Chowder

Corn chowder is a tasty thick soup that uses stock and cream as the base and is simmered with other vegetables such as potatoes, celery, and onions, to make it a rich stew.  Traditionally chowders include things like fish, clams, and seafood, however, we are taking those same methods and applying it to fresh corn off the cob.

CHEF NOTE: If you are a chowder freak, then my New England Clam Chowder recipe is a must-make!

Selecting Fresh Corn

When selecting fresh corn on the cob, it’s important to remember a few notes before picking and buying it.

1. The outer husk should be firm
2. The top part of the husk where all the silk is ( that’s the long stringy stuff) should be a little moist
3. There should be no blemishes on the outside

To also ensure the corn is ripe and in season shuck the very top part of the corn by pulling it apart exposing the top of the corn cob.  If the corn kernels are bright yellow, firm, intact and full on the cob then you are good to go.

How to Make Corn Chowder

1. Add some corn in the husk onto a sheet tray and back in the oven at 425° for about 25 minutes

2. In the meantime, render the bacon fat in a large pot until crispy brown.  Set the lardons aside once cooked.
3. Add the onions, celery, peppers, and garlic to the rendered bacon fat and cook until browned over medium heat, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Deglaze with the cream sherry and cook it until it has been absorbed and only a small amount remains. The technical term for this is au sec, which means almost gone.

5. Now, remove the corn from the oven and cool slightly before shucking and trim the kernels off of the cob and add them to the pot with sautéed vegetables along with the potatoes

6. Pour in the stock, turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil.

7. While the soup is coming to a boil, we need to thicken it and you can make a blond roux by cooking equal parts weight flour and butter in a sauté pan over low heat until combined. A roux is a thickening agent used in cooking and commonly used in chowders.  It provides thickness and body to the soup.  The easier way though is to make a slurry using equal parts corn starch and cold water mixed together.

8. Whisk the slurry or roux into the soup until it becomes very thick, as a chowder should be, and cook it for a few more minutes over medium-low heat.  The technical term is called nappe which means the soup can coat the bacon of a spoon.

9. Whisk in ½ and 1/2 and back in the crispy bacon lardons along with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and tabasco sauce.

Can You Make It in a Slow Cooker

You can definitely make corn chowder in a slow cooker and you would do it just about the same way, except for a few nuances.  I’ll post them below the recipe in the notes for you.

Variations

To change up this corn chowder you can absolutely add in cooked chicken to make a chicken corn chowder or crab meat to make a delicious crab corn chowder recipe.  A few other options include:

• Ham and Potato
• Sausage
• Poblano
• Lobster
• Sweet Potato

For any of these variations, this soup recipe stays the same and you will simply add in the extra cooked ingredient to modify the chowder to your likings such as cooked ham, sausage, lobster, crab or chicken.  For vegetables, add them in when adding in the corn like poblano or sweet potato.

Making Corn Chowder Thick

In this corn chowder recipe I made it very classically using a blond roux, however, if you want to back away from the flour here are a few other ways to make your corn chowder thick.

1. Using an immersion blender, blend some of the ingredients together before adding in any thickening agent to naturally make the soup thick.
2. Use arrowroot or corn starch and water to help thicken.
3. Cook and mash the potatoes before whisking into the chowder before the roux is added as well.

How to Serve it

I like to add a few garnishes on top of the corn chowder to help add some flavor such as the cooked bacon lardons and sliced green onions.  You could also add some sauteed corn on top as well.  Here are a few things that would go well with the chowder.

• Slices of French Boule Bread Recipe
• Focaccia Bread Recipe
• Summer Salad Recipe

Make-Ahead and Storage

How to Reheat: If you plan on eating this soup for a few days you are going to need to reheat it.  To do this add the desired amount of soup you plan to eat to a small size saucepot over low heat until it reaches 165°.  The soup may need to be re-seasoned with salt and pepper as well as re thickened.

If the soup does need to be re-thickened, add a small amount of slurry to it once it reaches 165°.  A slurry is equal parts volume corn starch mixed with water until combined.

How to Store: This corn chowder can be stored covered in a plastic container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  In addition, it can be frozen covered in a plastic container for up to 2 months.  After thawing it can be reheated as described above.

More Soup Recipes

• Fish Chowder Recipe
• Chicken and Wild Rice
• Split Pea
• Italian Wedding
• Chicken Noodle

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