Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter 🧈
- 1 tbsp olive oil 🫒
- 1 medium onion, diced 🧅
- 2 celery stalks, diced 🥬
- 1 large carrot, diced 🥕
- 2 cloves garlic, minced 🧄
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour 🌾
- 4 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen) 🌽
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced 🥔
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 🍲
- 1 cup whole milk 🥛
- 1 cup heavy cream 🥛
- 4 slices bacon, chopped (optional) 🥓
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional) 🌶️
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried) 🌿
- 1 bay leaf 🍃
- Salt and black pepper to taste 🧂
- Chopped chives or parsley for garnish 🌱
- Lemon wedges for serving (optional) 🍋
Instructions
- If using bacon, cook chopped bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel, leaving about 1 tbsp of bacon fat in the pot (or discard fat and use butter/olive oil).
- Add butter and olive oil to the pot. Sauté diced onion, celery and carrot over medium heat until softened, about 5–7 minutes.
- Stir in minced garlic and smoked paprika, cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes to form a light roux.
- Gradually pour in the broth while stirring to avoid lumps. Add diced potatoes, corn kernels, thyme and bay leaf.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 12–15 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in the milk and heavy cream. Heat gently (do not boil) until the chowder is warmed through and slightly thickened, about 4–5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- For a thicker, creamier texture, mash a cup of the potatoes/corn in the pot with a potato masher or blend 1 cup of the chowder and return it to the pot.
- Stir most of the cooked bacon into the chowder (reserve some for garnish). Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Ladle chowder into bowls, garnish with reserved bacon, chopped chives or parsley and a lemon wedge if desired. Serve hot with crusty bread.