Easy Corn Chowder Recipe
This easy-to-prepare creamy Corn Chowder Recipe comes together in under one hour and is the perfect late-summer soup.
Ingredients
- 8 unshucked ears of corn
- 10 slices of chopped bacon
- 1 peeled and small diced sweet onion
- 4 small diced stalks of celery
- 1 seeded and small diced red bell pepper
- 3 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 1/3 cup of cream sherry
- 10 each large diced red potatoes
- 80 ounces chicken stock
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups 1/2 and 1/2
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- Tabasco to taste
- Lea & Perrins to taste
- fresh sliced green for garnish
Instructions
- Add the corn in the husk onto a sheet tray, place it on the middle rack in the oven at 425°, and cook for about 25 minutes or until tender.
- In a large hot pot on medium-high heat, render the bacon fat and cook the bacon until it becomes crispy. Once it's cooked, remove the bacon lardons from the pan, turn down the heat to medium, add the onions, celery, peppers, and garlic, and saute for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Continue to sweat the vegetables over low heat for 10-15 minutes
- Deglaze with the cream sherry and cook until it becomes absorbed and only a small amount remains.
- Now, remove the corn from the oven and cool slightly before shucking and trimming the kernels off the cob. Add them to the pot with sautéed vegetables along with the potatoes.
- Pour in the stock, turn the heat to high, and bring the soup to a boil.
- Whisk the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Then, whisk the slurry or roux into the soup until it becomes very thick, as a chowder should be.
- Cook it for a few more minutes over medium-low heat. The technical term is called nappe, which means the soup can coat the back of a spoon.
- Whisk in the ½ and 1/2 and add back in the crispy bacon lardons, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce.
- Garnish with optional green onions and additional crispy bacon lardons.
Notes
Make-Ahead: This soup can be made up to three days ahead for freshness.
How to Store: This can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can be frozen in a plastic container for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for one day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of soup to a small pot over low heat until hot. The soup may need to be re-seasoned with salt and pepper and thickened.
Substitute with about 4 cups of frozen or canned corn kernels.
A roux is a thickening agent used in cooking and commonly used in chowders. It provides thickness and body to the soup.
The technical term for deglazing and cooking liquid until it is almost gone is au sec.
To re-thicken, add a small amount of slurry to the soup once it's brought to a boil.
A slurry is an equal parts volume of cornstarch mixed with water until combined.
The outer husk should be firm if you're unfamiliar with selecting fresh corn. The top part of the husk, where all the silk is ( that's the long stringy stuff), should be a little moist. There should also be no blemishes on the outside.
Nutrition
Calories: 336kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 13gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 518mgPotassium: 659mgFiber: 2gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 765IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 1mg