Easy Potato Corn Chowder

The potato corn chowder garnished with bacon bits and chives served in a white bowl.

Easy Potato Corn Chowder

This potato corn chowder is thick, creamy, and packed with hearty flavors. Made with tender potatoes, sweet corn, onions, and celery, then finished with crispy bacon and fresh chives, it’s a comforting soup that’s perfect for any season.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword corn, easy soups, potatoes

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 631kcal

Author Elizabeth Rodriguez

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Butter
1 medium Onion small dice (yellow or white onion)
1 Celery Rib diced
2–3 Garlic Cloves minced
½ teaspoon Salt plus extra at the end if needed
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
4 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
4 cups Chicken Broth
2 (16-ounce) cans Cream-Style Sweet Corn
10 ounces Frozen Corn defrosted (cooked to approximately half the suggested time on the package)
1½ pounds Potatoes peeled and diced (russet potatoes preferred, but Yukon gold, yellow, or red potatoes will also work)
½ cup Half-and-Half or Whole Milk
4–5 Bacon Slices cooked crispy for garnish – optional
1 tablespoon Chopped Chives or Green Onions for garnish – optional

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and foamy, add the onions and celery. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent.
Add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often.
Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1–1½ minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Stir almost constantly.
Gradually add the broth while stirring briskly with a whisk or wooden spoon. Continue adding and stirring until the flour is fully dissolved.
Stir in the creamed corn.
Raise the heat to bring the soup to a simmer, which will take about 5 minutes. Once simmering, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
While the soup simmers, cook the frozen corn enough to defrost—usually about half the recommended time on the package. Drain well.
Add the potatoes and defrosted corn to the pot. If the soup doesn’t begin simmering immediately, raise the heat slightly. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the half-and-half (or milk), cover, and cook gently for 2–3 minutes, until heated through.
Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference, ½ teaspoon was added to ours.
Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with crispy bacon and chopped chives or green onions, if desired.

Notes

If you’re sensitive to salt, use reduced-sodium ingredients like unsalted butter, low-sodium broth, and low-sodium bacon for garnish.
Frozen corn can be substituted with fresh corn kernels when in season or canned whole kernel corn (drained and rinsed).
To prevent browning, keep peeled and chopped potatoes covered with cold water in the fridge if prepping them ahead of time. Be sure to drain them well before adding them to the pot.

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