Creamy Bacon Corn Chowder
Creamy corn chowder with potatoes and bacon … what could be more satisfying comfort food? Using corn cut off the cob, along with some bacon drippings and cream, make this soup base extra rich and satisfying.
INGREDIENTS:
4 ears of corn
8 oz bacon, roughly chopped and fried crispy
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 sweet onion, diced
5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 cups milk (whole milk or 2%)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half and half
2 large potatoes, cut into 1” cubes
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
3 green onions , sliced for garnish
Himalayan sea salt
Black pepper ground
DIRECTIONS:
Cut the corn off the cob (reserving the cobs and cut into large chunks for use in the base … will be discarded later)
Roughly chop 8oz bacon and fry in a Dutch oven until crispy
Remove bacon and place on a paper towel to drain off excess fat. Leaving the remaining fat in the Dutch oven.
Add diced onion and cook until translucent
Add garlic and saute for another minute or two (garlic burns easily and becomes bitter, so don’t leave unattended)
Add 5 Tbsp all-purpose flour to Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring
Add 2 Tbsp butter and stir until melted
Add chicken broth, milk, potatoes, thyme, bay leaf and chunks of reserved cobs and stir
Put a lid on the Dutch oven and simmer for about 30 minutes on medium heat. Making sure that the potatoes are completely cooked.
Remove lid and take out cobs and discard
Stir in heavy cream, half and half, and 3/4 of the chopped bacon
Simmer for a few minutes more to bring the whole pot to serving temperature
Add salt and pepper to taste
Serve in individual bowls and top with remaining bacon and sliced green onions
