Loaded Corn Chowder is 6 cups of corn, bacon, potatoes, and sharp cheddar in one thick pot, with a third of it blended to make the whole thing spoon coating. It takes 55 minutes and it eats like a meal, not a starter. Corn season is ending, so consider this your assignment.
Every September I Panic About Corn
Every year the corn is suddenly everywhere and cheap, and every year I get about 3 weeks into it before I realize I’ve been eating it off the cob like a raccoon and haven’t actually cooked anything with it.
This is what I make when I catch myself.
Six cups of corn. Bacon, and the bacon fat stays in the pot because throwing that out is a crime. Potatoes, cheddar, a proper roux so it’s thick rather than sad and watery. It comes out somewhere between a soup and a full dinner, which is exactly where a chowder should land.
Fresh corn is best in September and you should use it while you can. Frozen works all year and I’m not going to pretend otherwise, since I make this in February too.
One warning about the bacon. The smell of 6 slices hitting a hot pot brings every living thing on this property to the kitchen door. Remo materializes. Jack Ryan is already standing on my foot because Jack is always standing on my foot. Even Solo comes in from the pond, which tells you everything, because Solo does not come inside for anything less than an emergency.
Serves 6, one pot, and it’s better the next day.
The Secret Is Blending Part of It
This is the step that separates a chowder you’re proud of from a corn soup with some cream stirred into it.
Once the corn has had its 5 minutes, take an immersion blender and puree about a third of the pot, right there in the pot. Then stir it back through.
Corn is full of starch, and blending some of it releases that starch into the broth where it does the thickening for you. No extra cream, no cornstarch slurry, nothing added. The soup thickens itself using an ingredient that’s already in it.
The other two thirds stay whole, which is the point. You still want to bite into corn kernels and potato. What you don’t want is a bowl of things floating in broth with nothing holding them together.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, ladle a couple of cups into a regular blender, let it cool for a minute first, and pour it back in. Just leave the lid vented. Hot soup in a sealed blender is how people end up wearing dinner.
Ingredients In Loaded Corn Chowder
- Bacon (6 slices, chopped): Cook it first and leave about a tablespoon of the fat in the pot. That fat is the foundation of the whole soup. The bacon itself goes on top at the end so it stays crisp instead of going soft in the broth.
- Unsalted butter (3 tablespoons): Goes in with the bacon fat. Between the 2 of them you’ve got enough fat to build the roux properly.
- Onion, celery, and red bell pepper (1 large onion, 2 stalks, 1 pepper, all diced): The onion and celery are the base. The red pepper is for color and a bit of sweetness, and it keeps the bowl from being entirely beige and yellow.
- Garlic (3 cloves, minced): In last, 1 minute only. It’s sitting in hot fat and it’ll burn faster than you expect.
- All purpose flour (¼ cup): Cooked into the fat for a minute or 2 until it stops smelling raw. This is what makes it a chowder instead of a broth with corn in it.
- Chicken broth (4 cups, low sodium): Low sodium matters here, because bacon and cheddar are both bringing salt to the table and you can’t take it back out.
- Yellow potatoes (3 medium, diced): Yellow potatoes hold their shape through a simmer and go creamy at the edges. Russets tend to fall apart on you.
- Corn kernels (6 cups, fresh or frozen): Six cups is a lot and it’s meant to be. Fresh in season, frozen the rest of the year, and frozen genuinely works fine here.
- Dried thyme (1 teaspoon): The herb that belongs in chowder. Not negotiable in my kitchen.
- Smoked paprika (1 teaspoon): Smoked, not sweet. It reinforces the bacon and gives the whole pot a low hum of smoke.
- Salt and black pepper (½ teaspoon each): Start here and taste at the end, after the cheese has gone in.
- Heavy cream (1 cup): Full fat, in at the end, off the boil.
- Cheddar cheese (1½ cups, shredded): Grate it from a block. The pre shredded stuff is coated so it won’t clump in the bag, and that coating is exactly what makes it sit there refusing to melt into your soup.
- Green onions (3, sliced): On top at the end with the bacon. All that fat needs something sharp and fresh landing on it.
How to Make Loaded Corn Chowder
Cook the bacon: In a large pot over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until it’s properly crisp. Lift it out onto a paper towel and leave about a tablespoon of the fat behind in the pot. Resist the urge to eat all the bacon standing at the stove. Some of it is supposed to make it to the bowls.
Soften the vegetables: Add the butter to the bacon fat, then the diced onion, celery, and red bell pepper. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until everything has softened. Stir in the garlic and give it 1 more minute, no longer.
Make the roux: Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until it coats the vegetables and loses that raw flour smell. It’ll look thick and pasty, which is correct.
Add the broth and potatoes: Pour in the chicken broth slowly, stirring as you go so it stays smooth. Add the diced potatoes, thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes give easily to a fork.
Add the corn and blend: Stir in the corn and let it simmer another 5 minutes. Then take an immersion blender and puree about a third of the soup right in the pot, and stir it back through. This is the step that makes it thick, so don’t skip it.
Finish with cream and cheddar: Drop the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream and cheddar until melted and smooth. Do not let it boil from this point on. Cream and cheese both split under a hard boil and there’s no fixing it once they do.
Serve: Ladle into bowls and top with the crispy bacon, sliced green onions, and more cheddar. Nobody has ever complained about more cheddar.
Tips
- Leave only about a tablespoon of bacon fat in the pot. More than that and the chowder goes greasy on you.
- Keep the bacon out until serving. Stirred in early it goes limp, and crisp bacon on top is half the reason this is called loaded.
- Grate your own cheddar. I know it’s a chore. It’s also the difference between melted cheese and little orange threads that never quite disappear.
- Do not boil it after the cream and cheese go in. Low heat, gentle stirring, and it stays smooth.
- Taste right at the end, after the cheese. Between the bacon, the broth, and the cheddar, it’s usually seasoned already.
Substitutions and Variations
- Frozen corn works year round and needs no thawing. It goes straight in.
- Turkey bacon works if that’s what you use, though you’ll want a bit more butter since it renders very little fat.
- Vegetable broth in place of chicken broth is a straight swap.
- I haven’t tested these myself, so treat them as suggestions rather than part of the recipe, but this chowder would take shredded rotisserie chicken stirred in at the end, or a diced jalapeño cooked down with the onion if you want some heat against the sweet corn.
What to Serve With It
- Crusty bread or a good sourdough, because you’re going to want to get every bit of it out of the bowl.
- Biscuits if you’re feeling ambitious.
- A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette on the side, since this is rich and something acidic next to it helps.
- And if you end up with more than you can get through, my system is to text the neighbors and deliver it by golf cart. Soup travels surprisingly well.
Leftovers and Storage
Airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It thickens considerably overnight, which I consider an improvement, but loosen it with a splash of broth or milk when you reheat.
Reheat gently on the stove over low heat, stirring. Don’t let it boil or the cream will split.
I don’t recommend freezing it. Cream and potatoes both come back from the freezer with a texture nobody asked for.
Try These Recipes Next
- Fried Cabbage with Sausage and Bacon
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs and Vegetables
- Tex Mex Beef Enchilada Casserole
- Pork and Beans
Loaded Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 3 medium yellow potatoes, diced
- 6 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 green onions, sliced
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, cook the 6 slices chopped bacon until crisp. Lift it out onto a paper towel, leaving about a tablespoon of the fat in the pot.
- Add the 3 tablespoons butter to the bacon fat, then add the diced onion, celery, and red bell pepper. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until softened. Stir in the 3 cloves minced garlic for 1 minute more.
- Sprinkle in the ¼ cup flour and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until it coats the vegetables and loses its raw smell. This is what thickens the chowder into something rich and spoon coating.
- Slowly pour in the 4 cups chicken broth while stirring to keep it smooth. Add the diced potatoes, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Add the 6 cups corn and simmer for another 5 minutes. For a thicker, sweeter chowder, use an immersion blender to puree about a third of the soup right in the pot, then stir it back in. This releases the corn’s natural starch and body while keeping plenty of texture.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the 1 cup heavy cream and 1½ cups cheddar until melted and smooth. Do not let it boil once the cream and cheese are in, or the soup can break.
- Ladle into bowls and top with the crispy bacon, sliced green onions, and an extra sprinkle of cheddar.
Recipe Notes
- Bacon fat. Leave about a tablespoon in the pot after cooking the bacon. It’s the base of the roux and the backbone of the soup. Any more than that and the chowder turns greasy.
- Keep the bacon crisp. Hold it back until serving. Stirred in early it goes soft.
- Blend about a third. Use an immersion blender directly in the pot after the corn goes in, then stir it back through. This releases the corn’s natural starch and is what makes the chowder thick. With a countertop blender, work in batches, let it cool slightly, and vent the lid.
- Grate your own cheddar. Pre shredded cheese is coated with an anti caking agent that resists melting and can leave the soup grainy.
- Don’t boil after the dairy. Once the cream and cheddar are in, keep the heat low. A hard boil will split it.
- Potatoes. Yellow potatoes hold their shape and go creamy at the edges. Russets break down.
- Storage. Airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It thickens overnight, so loosen with broth or milk when reheating. Freezing isn’t recommended, since cream and potatoes don’t thaw well.
Nutrition Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, and no thawing required. Add it straight from the bag. I make this in February with frozen corn and nobody has ever noticed.
You don’t have to, but it’s the step that makes this thick and properly chowder like. Skip it and you’ll have a thinner soup that’s still good, just less impressive.
It boiled after the cream and cheese went in. Once those are in the pot, keep it on low and don’t let it bubble hard.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, and it’s so much better on day 2. Reheat gently and loosen with a splash of broth.
Swap the vegetable broth in and leave the bacon out, though you’ll lose the fat you’d build the roux on, so use a bit more butter. It’s a different soup, but a good one.
Leave a Reply