Potato Corn Chowder

Hearty, creamy, and loaded with the perfect blend of flavors, this potato corn chowder recipe is a comfort food dish to enjoy when the temperature drops.

Bowl of potato corn chowder.

Oh, how I love this potato corn chowder recipe from my dear friend, Tina. This is my only chowder recipe. Tina is family and I wanted to thank her for sharing it with me years ago. I put my own spin on it and it is still as good as ever. In fact, it’s a long-time family favorite. I enjoy making my corn chowder when we have company or on cooler days. It’s the ideal comfort food to warm you up when it’s cold.

Chowder has never seemed a Southern dish to me, but I sure do enjoy this one. It’s the name that makes it seem non-Southern I guess. I picture folks coming in from lobster fishing (or catching… or whatever it is you do to get lobsters) wearing thick sweaters and speaking like the Kennedys. That’s what watching too many commercials will do to ya!

Anyway, don’t be overwhelmed by the slightly long list of ingredients to make this potato corn chowder recipe. Y’all know I wouldn’t have a recipe with THAT many ingredients if it wasn’t good! We just need lots of delicious vegetables to make it hearty and filling. In fact, the green onions and the sweet juicy corn are my favorite parts of this chowder. Just in case that question was burning in your mind: “Christy, what are your favorite ingredients in this chowder?”

Then there are shelf-stable ingredients that combine for just the right blend of flavors. Yep, I promise there is no weird stuff that you wouldn’t be able to use again in another recipe! Most importantly, it’s a super easy recipe to follow and you’ll be enjoying a delicious bowl of chowder in no time. By the way, this is vegetarian-friendly too. Simply substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth and you’re off to the races! 

Now, let’s make some potato corn chowder. Gosh, I just adore this recipe.

Recipe ingredients for potato corn chowder.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Onion
  • Red potatoes
  • Jalapeno peppers (optional but would recommend, adds a nice bit of flavor)
  • Paprika
  • Frozen sweet corn kernels
  • Milk
  • Green pepper
  • Chicken broth
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Butter
  • Crushed pepper flakes
  • Green onions
  • Dijon mustard

How To Make Potato Corn Chowder

Chop up vegetables for your potato corn chowder.

First, chop the bell pepper, onion, green onion, jalapeno, and potatoes.

You can also use a jalapeno from a jar if you like, or leave it out entirely. But the little bit of heat adds great body and flavor to this.

Saute onion and bell pepper until tender.

Melt your butter in a stockpot over medium heat so you can saute all of this goodness in it. Saute white onion and bell pepper on medium-high heat until tender.

For those of y’all just now joining the Southern Plate Family, I wanna say two things. First of all, WELCOME! We’re so glad you’re here. Secondly, yes, you can use either real butter or margarine if you like. I fully understand that budget is a necessary component in ingredient choice. No judgment here.

Add potatoes and broth to stockpot.

Add potatoes and chicken broth (or vegetable broth) to the stockpot.

Bring ingredients to a boil and cover.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, cooking for about 15 minutes.

Add seasonings and jalapeno to stockpot.

Add chopped jalapeno, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and paprika.

Add corn to stockpot.

Then add in the frozen corn.

Add milk and bring to a boil.

Add 1.5 cups of milk. Bring this just to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Add in chopped green onion.

Add in the chopped green onion. 

In separate bowl, mix together the flour and remaining milk.

Add flour and the remaining milk together and give this a good stir to blend until it’s smooth. 

Add flour/milk mixture to potato corn chowder after 15 minutes.

After gently boiling your potato corn chowder for 15 minutes, pour in the milk/flour mixture and stir again. Cook this for about two minutes, or until thick and bubbly.

Bowl of potato corn chowder.

And you’re done! Doesn’t this quick potato corn chowder look YUMMY?

Feel free to add crumbly bits of crispy bacon and cheese to the top as well and serve with some crusty bread.

Storage

  • Store leftover potato chowder in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
  • While you can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months, the consistency won’t be the same once thawed.

Recipe Notes

  • You can use canned corn or fresh corn if you like, I just prefer frozen. Speaking of, here is a little grocery tip. If you are ever out and about and need to pick up something cold but don’t have a cold bag with you for your car, just pick up a bag or two of frozen corn. This acts as a wonderful ice pack, usually costs about a dollar per bag, and is always handy to have in your freezer.
  • While potato and corn are the hero vegetables, you can really add whatever you like. For example, many corn chowder recipes include diced carrot and celery instead of bell pepper.
  • To make this vegan corn chowder, you can easily use vegetable stock, coconut milk or almond milk, and the oil of your choice instead of butter.
  • If you want to make this corn chowder heartier, add the protein of your choice when you add the potatoes:
    • cooked and crumbled sausage
    • leftover diced chicken pieces or rotisserie chicken
    • leftover ham
    • salmon or garlic shrimp

Recipe FAQs

How do you make potato corn chowder in a crockpot?

If you’d prefer to use a slow cooker, I’d still saute the bell pepper and onion initially and then add all other ingredients to your crockpot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. About 15 minutes before it’s done, add the flour/milk mixture to thicken the chowder.

What do you serve with corn chowder?

Serve your potato corn chowder with a grilled cheese sandwich, homemade dinner rolls, garlic bread, homemade cornbread, or a simple tangy salad like my tomato, onion, and cucumber salad. You can also add different toppings. I mentioned cooked bacon and shredded cheddar cheese above, but other options include chopped fresh parsley or chives, chopped jalapeno, or croutons.

You may also enjoy these hearty cold-weather recipes:

Tomato Basil Soup Recipe

Our Family’s Southern Chicken Stew Recipe

Italian Sausage Soup With Gluten-Free Sausage

Cauliflower Soup Recipe With Cheese

French Onion Soup

Bowl of potato corn chowder.

Potato Corn Chowder

Hearty, creamy, and loaded with the perfect blend of flavors, this potato corn chowder recipe is a comfort food dish to enjoy when the temperature drops.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chowder, corn, potatoes
Servings: 4
Calories: 364kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 can chicken broth 14.5 ounces
  • 2 large red potatoes, cubed
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 3 cups frozen corn
  • 3 cups milk divided
  • 4 green onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • In a medium-sized stockpot over medium-high heat, melt the butter and then saute the onion and bell pepper until tender. Then add the broth and cubed potatoes.
    2 tablespoons butter, 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped green bell pepper, 1 can chicken broth, 2 large red potatoes, cubed
  • Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Stir in the jalapeno, salt, paprika, and crushed red pepper flakes. Add the corn and 1.5 cups of milk. Bring just to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the green onion.
    1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 3 cups frozen corn, 3 cups milk, 4 green onion, chopped
  • Combine the flour and remaining milk and mix well. Gradually add this to the chowder. Boil while stirring constantly, for two minutes or until thick and bubbly. Serve hot. Top with bacon and cheese, if desired.
    3 cups milk, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

 

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106 Comments

  1. My hubby makes a great clam chowder and he grew up in Maine. If you use the Oscar Meyer bacon pieces then the chowder needs to sit over night for the flavor to incorporate into the chowder. By frying the bacon pieces from scratch the bacon grease is in the pan (yes you do remove most of the grease from the pan but the crackling bits and some grease remain. Same as frying diced ham piece for ham and potato chowder, although I do add a small of diced bacon when I do the ham. If you make a BLT dip then let the bacon pieces sit with the sour cream for over 24 hrs before making, it improves the flavor.

  2. Yum!
    You are sooo right about cold. I think I am freezing when it hits 55! We are having snow flurries in Charleston, SC today and this is just crazy cold!

  3. I think I’ll pass on the chowder, but I am thrilled because I got your cookbook for Christmas from my sweet husband. Can’t wait to dig into it!

  4. My mother made corn chowder every winter. She browned her onions and bell pepper in bacon grease instead of butter…..gives the chowder a completely different flavor. and from the pic of your ingredients, you used those little tabasco peppers, not jalapeno. If you used 4 whole jalapenos it might be too hot for adults……just a thought and just going by the pic of the jar of peppers. I may be wrong, but that is what it looks like to me. Love all of your posts and look forward to new ones every time I sign on.. Congratulations on your success…….you have really boomed since I first saw you on channel 31 early one morning a few months ago.

  5. I am actually planning on making this on New Year’s Eve to take to a get together at a friends. It is so funny to hear you talk about the cold. My husbands family is from Michigan’s UP, well I call it Canada and I swear they have 6 months of nothing but snow and ice. Really? We aren’t Polar Bears. And this is the same conversation I have with my mother in law starting in Oct. of every year.

  6. Soup looks great, may have to try it.

    But I’, really commenting about is: the root ends of the green onions, after cutting off, re-plant them in a small container with soil on your window sill and they will grow again, same with carrots and radishes. Happy gardening/recycle 🙂

  7. Well gals,
    It’s 18 degrees here in WV. the snow is really coming down hard, this makes the 7th/ snowfall we’ve had since Thanksgiving, I’ve heard there are no two snowflakes alike can you imagine that?
    I’ve never eaten any type of chowder and at my age I don’t think I want to try any this late in the game.
    I do have both your cookbooks and dearly love your newsletters.
    Let’s keep Christ in Christ—mas.

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