Creamy Crockpot Corn Chowder

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 6 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups corn (fresh, frozen, or canned & drained)

24 oz honey gold baby potatoes (diced into 12 small pieces each)

1 small onion (diced)

1 tbsp minced garlic (or jarlic)

4 ½ cups unsalted chicken broth

1 stick salted butter (Land O’Lakes preferred)

6 –8 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled (reserve some for garnish)

1 tbsp bacon drippings (about 1–1 ½ tbsp adds smoky flavor)

1 tbsp Badia Complete Seasoning

1 tbsp Knorr’s Chicken Bouillon seasoning

Fresh cracked black pepper (to taste (generous)

8 oz cream cheese (softened)

2 tbsp cornstarch (mixed into a ladle of soup before adding back in)

Optional toppings: shredded cheddar (scallions, parsley, extra bacon)

Directions

Cook the bacon: In a skillet, cook until crisp. Drain on paper towels and crumble. Reserve 1–1 ½ tbsp bacon drippings.

Build the base: In your crockpot, add corn, diced potatoes, onion, garlic, chicken broth, Badia Complete, Knorr’s bouillon, plenty of cracked black pepper, and the bacon drippings.

Butter & bacon: Place the stick of salted butter right on top. Stir in most of the crumbled bacon (save some for garnish).

Cook: Cover and cook on LOW 6–7 hours or HIGH 3–4 hours, until potatoes are tender. At this point, you can serve as a lighter, broth-based chowder if you’d like—it’s already delicious!

Thicken: For creamy version—scoop out a ladle of hot soup into a small bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp cornstarch until smooth, then return to the crockpot and stir.

Make it creamy: Add softened cream cheese, stir until melted and incorporated. Switch crockpot to LOW and let it thicken, uncovered for a bit if you want it extra creamy.

Finish & serve: Ladle into bowls, garnish with extra bacon, cheddar, and scallions.