Slow Cooker Corn Chowder
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Like so many other home cooks I love using my slow cooker. This versatile kitchen accessory can cook just about anything - meat, soup, sauce, dessert - the possiblities are endless. I made a spiral ham for Easter dinner in mine and it turned out moist and delicious and freed up the oven for all the other things I was making.
For fast, easy clean-up, consider using a slow-cooker liner when making this recipe.
Getting it Ready
Sometimes ingredients need to be sautéed or browned before being added, as is the case with this Slow Cooker Corn Chowder.
Cut all of your vegetables ahead of time so you can just toss in ingredients as you go.
The 7" Santoku makes easy work of preparing the mirepoix, which is simply a fancy name for chopped carrots, onions and celery.
You can use the same knife for cubing the potatoes.
Cooking the Soup
A quick sauté and the veggies are ready to transfer to the cooker along with the potatoes, broth, bay leaf, salt, dried thyme and paprika. Cover and cook on low for about three hours until the potatoes are tender, or on high for about an hour and a half.
Next stir in the corn and milk. Cook another hour on low or until heated through.
This next step adds the creaminess to the soup. Stir in a mixture of cornstarch and wine, and allow to cook another ten minutes. Toss in the fresh thyme and then, using a Potato Masher, gently mash the potatoes until the soup is slightly thickened.
The sweetness of the corn paired with the herbs and salty bacon make this chowder one that is sure to be a hit. In addition to the great flavor, it also has great texture.
This soup would be also be great using fresh corn kernels in place of frozen.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup finely chopped carrots (2 medium)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery (1 stalk)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onion (1 small)
- 3 cups peeled and cubed russet potatoes (about 1 pound)
- 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 4 cups frozen whole kernel corn
- 2 cups milk
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme
- 6 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
- Cracked black pepper
Directions
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook about 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in potatoes, broth, bay leaf, salt, dried thyme, and paprika.
- Cover and cook on low-heat setting about 3 hours or on high-heat setting about 1-1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender. Stir in corn and milk. Cover and cook about 1 hour or until heated through.
- In a small bowl combine cornstarch and wine together with the Mix-Stir and stir it into the vegetable mixture in the cooker. Cover and cook for 10 minutes more. Stir in fresh thyme.
- Using the Potato Masher, gently mash potatoes until soup is slightly thickened. Ladle into bowls and top with crumbled bacon and cracked pepper.
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