Potato Corn Chowder with Bacon

Potato Corn Chowder with bacon is a thick, hearty, creamy soup that is full of flavor. It’s simple to make, and it’s done in just under an hour.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my crab and corn chowder and my langostino chowder recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my soup recipes in one place.

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Potato corn chowder with bacon

One of the benefits of big batch cooking is, you guessed it, leftovers. This is the time of year when schedules gets really hectic and being able to come home and heat up a bowl of soup is a life-saver. 

Need to feed a bunch of people? Potatoes are a great way to bulk up a recipe, to stretch a pot of soup and to thicken up a batch of chowder. They are delicious, inexpensive, and without question, one of the most versatile ingredients in your kitchen.

What you need to know

This corn and potato chowder is quick, easy, and comes together in no time at all. To make it even quicker for yourself, do a little prep beforehand. I’m not talking about spending your entire Sunday in front of the stove. 

What I’m talking about is 15 minutes of time. Cook the bacon ahead of time and while it’s in the oven (because you already know that’s the best way to cook bacon, right?) slice and wash your leeks. Just taking the time to get those two things done will make the actual soup-making go that much faster.

The recipe yields 3 quarts of soup, which is 12 cups. The leftover potato corn chowder makes an excellent lunch or dinner the next day. If you don’t like leftovers, cut the recipe in half.

Fresh sweet corn and the cobs give this chowder a ton of flavor, along with aromatics like leeks and garlic. This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon, and using vegetable stock instead of chicken.

Ingredients

This potato leek corn chowder is simple to make, and you probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already.

• Corn – It is late summer, so I used fresh sweet corn.
  • Substitution: Frozen corn is a great option that you can use all year.
• Potatoes – Yukon Gold potatoes are perfect in this recipe. They hold their shape, and don’t easily fall apart when cooked.
• Bacon – Smoky bacon adds a depth of flavor and a slightly salty note.
• Leeks – Leeks are perfectly oniony without being overwhelming. If you can’t find them at your market, you can substitute yellow onions.
• Flour – Flour, along with the potatoes, helps to thicken the chowder.
• Chicken stock – Homemade or store bought stock provides the liquid for the chowder.
• Salt & pepper – Season to your personal taste.
• Thyme and parsley – Herbs add a ton of flavor to this soup.
  • Substitution: Swap fresh thyme for dried. Use 1/3 the amount in the recipe.
• Garlic – Minced garlic adds so much flavor to the broth.
• Milk – Whole milk, or a combination of whole milk and half and half will give this chowder body and creaminess.

How to make

Here’s a quick summary of how to make potato corn chowder with bacon. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe. 

Whenever I have a few extra minutes, I make sure all of my ingredients are ready to go so that the actual cooking part is a snap. This is perfect for a weeknight meal when energy is not in abundance.

Before we get into it, let’s talk about leeks and how to work with them.

How to work with leeks

• You’ll use only the white and light green parts – the dark green tops are very tough and fibrous. Not good for eating.
• They need to be rinsed VERY well. There is sand between the layers that needs to be removed.
• To clean leeks, split in half lengthwise, then thinly slice into half moons. Fill a bowl with water and drop them in. Swish around and lift the leeks out. Do not pour the water out to drain. Because the sand settles to the bottom of the bowl, you’ll end up pouring sand over your clean leeks. You’ll want to lift the leeks out of the water so they stay sand-free.

1. Cook bacon until it is very crispy. Then, set aside.
2. Add sliced and rinsed leeks to the pot.
3. Make a roux with a bit of flour.
4. Add stock and corn cobs, then let it simmer. After the cobs have done their job, we’ll start adding the remaining ingredients to the pot.

When cooking the bacon, it needs to be SUPER crispy. Because it’s going into liquid, it’s not going to stay crisp. Cook it until you think it’s good and then go another 30 – 60 seconds.

We will stagger adding the ingredients so that everything is cooked through at the same time. The potatoes go in first, then the corn, and we’ll finish with the milk and the crispy bacon.

Potato corn chowder FAQ’s

Variations and substitutions

• Spicy – Add in a pinch of chili powder, or my Cajun seasoning to give it a spicy, smoky kick.
• Leeks – If you don’t want to work with leeks, you can substitute with a large yellow onion.

Helpful tools and equipment

• An enameled cast iron pot is the perfect pot for making soups, chowders or chili.
• White soup crocks – The handles make these bowls so easy to hold.

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Originally published 8/27/19, most recent update 8/5/24.