When I was growing up, my mom made a variety of homemade soup. Out of all, the chowders were my favorites. Warm, creamy chowders are the perfect meal for cold winter weather! When I found this recipe, I knew I had to make it and I knew it would be good.
Ham and Potato Corn Chowder takes chowder to a higher level and is now my favorite It is also a favorite of my family and when the weather begins to get cold, I begin receiving requests. There is nothing boring about this chowder; it is hearty, flavorful, and satisfying. I like to serve it with a crusty baguette or crunchy rolls to dip in the chowder.
For a work luncheon I made a pot of this chowder, put it in my Crockpot, and when I got to work, I plugged it in to keep it warm until the luncheon began. It worked perfectly!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 cups cooked ham – diced into small cubes
6 slices bacon – cooked crispy and crumbled
1 medium yellow onion – diced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. dried oregano
2 (14.5 oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth
2 carrots – peeled and diced
1/2 cup sour cream or heavy cream (I’ve tried and like both versions)
2 celery stalks – diced
3 cups milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
5 1/2 Tbsp. butter – divided
1 bay leaf
5 medium red potatoes (1 ¾ lb.) – diced into 3/4-inch cubes
Chopped green onions or chives, for serving
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 cups fresh corn (or frozen)
Directions
In a large pot, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat.
Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add chicken broth, potatoes, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and allow to cook, stirring occasionally until potatoes are nearly tender, about 15 minutes.
Add in ham and corn and cook until potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes longer.
In a medium saucepan, melt remaining 4 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook mixture, stirring constantly, 1 1/2 minutes.
While whisking, slowly add in milk, and whisk vigorously to smooth lumps, season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a boil and allow to thicken, whisking constantly.
Remove from heat, stir in sour cream or heavy cream.
Pour the milk mixture into soup mixture (once potatoes are tender) and stir.
Serve warm and topped with bacon and chives.
Notes
• Salt: When seasoning slightly under-season with salt as the ham and bacon will add more saltiness to soup.
• Ham: Leftover ham works beautifully but avoid using a sweet ham (brown sugar glazed, honey glazed, etc.) because the sweetness will not taste good in this chowder.
• Spices: For a bit of a kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper. This will not make it spicy but give it a hint of heat.
• Potatoes: Yukon Golds and Russet potatoes are good substitutes for red potatoes. Russets are nice because they are more starchy than others and thicken the chowder nicely.