Creamy Corn Chowder with Bacon – 🌽🥓🥔 An EASY creamy corn chowder recipe with bacon and kielbasa for smoky flavor while fresh sweet corn adds juicy sweetness and light crunch! Along with potatoes and heavy cream, this is comfort food food at its finest! Made in ONE pot, ready in 45 minutes, and is so filling and satisfying! Can be made with frozen or canned corn if fresh corn isn’t in season.
Easy Corn Chowder Recipe
This is the perfect comfort food recipe to take advantage of fresh summer corn because juicy kernels of sweet corn are plentiful in every bite of this easy and creamy chowder recipe.
However, if you want to make my easy corn chowder recipe with frozen corn (or canned corn) when it’s cold and there fresh corn isn’t seasonal, you can definitely do so.
Apart from the corn kernels which adds a little crunch and freshness, there’s both smokey sliced kielbasa and crispy crumbled bacon which contribute to this chowder being somewhat smoky and extremely flavorful!
Russet potatoes naturally thicken this bacon corn chowder and to give it an over-the-top decadence, heavy cream is the finishing touch.
This is a one-pot chowder recipe that’s ready in 45 minutes. Whether you want to serve it as a meal and trust me, you can – it’s very satisfying and filling. Or serve it as starter before a meal or entree, but I guarantee that everyone is going to lick their bowl clean!
Ingredients in Simple Corn Chowder Recipe with Bacon and Kielbasa
- Bacon – I use thick-cut, but your favorite type is fine; more info in the FAQs below
- Kielbasa – More info in the FAQs below
- Sweet yellow onion – White or yellow onion may be substituted
- Garlic
- All-purpose flour
- Reduced sodium chicken broth
- Russet potatoes – See the FAQs for info about why I use Russet potatoes and not red potatoes or Yukon Gold
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Corn – In order of my preference, I suggest fresh, frozen, and then canned. All will work; see the FAQs below for more
- Heavy cream – Half-and-half may be substituted, check the FAQs
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Corn Chowder with Frozen Corn (or Fresh Corn)
To make this scrumptious corn chowder, you’ll need about 20 minutes of active cooking time and about 20 minutes of simmering time. This is an overview of the recipe. Be sure to consult the recipe card below (and the FAQs) for more complete info.
- To a large Dutch oven, add diced bacon and cook until crispy, 8-10 minutes. Remove it with a slotted spoon and place on plate lined with paper towels.
- Add the sliced kielbasa pieces to the rendered bacon grease and brown them for about 3 minutes. Remove it with a slotted spoon and place on plate lined with paper towels.
- Drain off all but about 4 tbsp of the grease, add the onions, and cook for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle the flour over the top, stir so that it absorbs the grease, and cook for 1 minute.
- While stirring, slowly pour in the chicken broth, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan for any burnt bits (flavor nuggets!).
- Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow the potatoes to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until they’re tender.
- Add the corn, kielbasa, heavy cream, and heat for about 5 minutes, or until everything is warmed through.
- Taste to check for seasoning balance, and as desired, add salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle the crumbled bacon top of the soup before serving. If you want to garnish with fresh herbs like fresh thyme, fresh parsley, chives, or a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat, go for it.
what to serve with creamy corn chowder soup
Storage
In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
In the Freezer: I prefer to NOT freeze recipes that have cream or dairy in them. However, being that this uses heavy cream (high fat content, helpful here), the chowder will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 3 months. Take care thawing and reheating it.
To Reheat: I use my microwave for quickness and ease and reheat my leftovers for about 30 seconds on high, or as needed. But you can use your stove, whatever is best suited for you.
Recipe FAQs
I developed this recipe so that you can use whatever type of corn you prefer. That being said, fresh is my favorite because there’s nothing like freshly shorn corn from seasonal sweet corn for both texture perfection and the natural sweet flavor.
However, if you want to make this soup when it’s not corn season, don’t worry – frozen or canned corn are both fine. I prefer frozen corn (no need to thaw – just add it straight into pot), but you can use canned corn that you drain if that’s what you have on hand. Something about the flavor of corn that has been in a can is never the same for me, but it’ll work in a pinch.
In my opinion, no you don’t need to cook or boil it. If you’re using fresh, seasonal sweet corn, it’s juicy, sweet, and tender enough to eat without first boiling the ears, and then shaving the corn from the cobs. Using fresh corn adds a little crunch and the light freshness is a perfect pairing for the whole dish since the potatoes, bacon, and cream are heavy. That being said, if you are someone who prefers a much softer (mushier) texture to your corn, you can boil the ears before shaving the corn from them to then be added to your chowder.
I use peeled and cubed Russet potatoes because they’re starchy and break down into the chowder to help thicken it while it simmers. For chowders that I want to be thicker, I like to use starchy potatoes rather than waxy potatoes (red potatoes, Yukon Gold, etc.) which hold their shape more as they simmer and don’t ‘disintegrate’ as much into the broth.
TIP: It’s very important though that the potatoes are not bigger than 1/2-inch cubes or they’ll take a long time to cook and be what holds up getting this chowder done and on the table!
I use 6 slices of thick-cut bacon. You can use your favorite type of bacon such as thick-cut, applewood, hickory smoked, whatever you love. Save the grease that it cooks in to brown the kielbasa (see next question)!
I use a polska kielbasa, sliced into thin rounds, and I brown it in the bacon grease for extra flavor. Since kielbasa has already been cooked (and it’s going to simmer in the broth anyway), the browning is technically optional. However, the lightly browned kielbasa is so much more flavorful so it’s 2-3 minutes well spent!
You can use all beef, all pork, turkey, or a ‘combo’ type of kielbasa that’s made with pork, beef, and turkey (called polska kielbasa).
Technically, you can use one, or the other, and not both. However, the bacon grease the renders as you cook it is amazing for searing the kielbasa. And if you were to skip the kielbasa and just use bacon, the soup would feel ‘skimpy’ since it’s almost a pound of kielbasa (protein + flavor) that you’re missing. My recommendation is to make the recipe as written and use them both.
The way to get maximum creamy factor in this creamy corn chowder is to use heavy cream. Half-and-half (heavy cream + whole milk is what half-and-half is) will still work, but the finished chowder won’t have the same richness and thickness. I haven’t tried using whole milk so I know it will be less luxurious tasting. I would just use the heavy cream – it’s only 3/4 cup spread between 8 servings of chowder.
Yes you certainly can. I’ll never say no to cheese. About 1 cup shredded cheddar or white cheddar is what I’d start with. It will make the chowder thicker, so you may want to add either a bit more chicken broth or extra heavy cream. Or just make my Cheesy Bacon Potato Corn Chowder recipe!
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Creamy Corn Chowder
Equipment
- 1 large 6-quart Dutch oven (I used a 6-quart round, similar size is recommended)
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon, diced small
- 14 ounces kielbasa, cut into thin rounds
- 1 small sweet Vidalia onion, diced small (yellow onion or white onion may be substituted)
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 32 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth
- 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 4 cups fresh corn, shaved from the the ears, frozen corn may be substituted as well as canned corn that’s been drained; read FAQ section in blog post for relevant corn info
- ¾ cup heavy cream, half-and-half may be substituted
Instructions
- To a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add the bacon, and cook over medium high heat until crispy, about 8-10 minutes, or as necessary. Stir and flip occasionally to ensure even browning. When bacon is done, remove it with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Do not drain the grease.
- To the bacon grease, add the sliced kielbasa, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until lightly seared and browned on the edges and sides. Flip and toss to ensure even browning. Remove it with a slotted spoon and place it on the paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Drain all but 4 tablespoons of the grease.
- Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes, or until they're becoming tender and translucent. Stir frequently.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Stir nearly constantly.
- Evenly sprinkle the flour over the top so that it absorbs the grease, and cook for 1 minute. Stir nearly constantly. Tip – Adding flour now will help the chowder thicken later but it's important to make sure to cook the flour for a minute so that later on, the chowder doesn't have any raw flour flavor; so don't shortchange this step.
- While whisking or stirring constantly, slowly drizzle in the chicken broth. Tip – Make sure to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan; this is where all the flavor is.
- Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are done and fork-tender. Potato Tips – Make sure NOT to cut your potatoes larger than 1/2-inch cubes because this is the only ingredient that will hold up the cooking time. You can't move on until the potatoes are done, and bigger potatoes = longer cooking time. Make sure to also read the FAQs about why I suggest Russet potatoes and not red or Yukon Gold potatoes.
- Once the potatoes are fork tender, add the corn, kielbasa, and stir to combine, and taste the soup. As desired, add salt, pepper, and stir to combine. Flavor/Salt Tips – While bacon does have a lot of salt, and so does kielbasa, potatoes and corn don't and if the chowder tastes at all flat or boring, it would likely benefit for a bit more salt. However, remember you haven't sprinkled on the bacon yet and once you do, the chowder will read a bit saltier then than it does now. So don't get too carried away, you can always add more later.
- Add the heavy cream, bring the chowder to a simmer over medium to warm everything through, and either sprinkle the bacon over the top now or do it once you've ladeled it into bowls and each bowl can get a little pinch of bacon crumbles. Serve and enjoy.
- Storage – Extra soup will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Normally I don't recommend freezing soups or chowders with cream/dairy in them, but this one does freeze fine for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. When reheating the chowder from the fridge, I do it in 30-second bursts in my microwave but you can reheat it on your stove, if desired. Reheating Tips – It does thicken up as it cools and so when reheating it, you may want to add a splash more chicken broth to loosen it up. Water will work in a pinch if you don't want to open another package of broth. Half-and-half is also a good option if you have it on hand if your leftovers have gotten thicker.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Delicious! She was right about the salt. A great blend of salty and sweet with the right amount of creaminess. Perfect for a Fall day. I would make this again.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Louise, and I’m glad this was perfect and that you’ll make it again!