Salty Ham, Peppered Bacon, Creamy Potatoes, Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, and a delicious blend of seasonings combine to create The Best Ham, Potato and Corn Chowder. Perfect for a cold winter evening, or a great way to use up leftover holiday Ham. The whole family will be asking for seconds!
This is thee best Ham, Potato and Corn Chowder. It is one of my Dad’s absolute favorite recipes. I’m lucky that he is gracious enough to be one of my tasting guinea pigs, and while he usually likes everything I offer, this is one he absolutely raves about.
It is quick, it is easy and you probably have most of the ingredients you need in your cabinets or pantry.
This is a wonderful recipe to use up some of that leftover Easter Ham. It comes together with minimal effort and makes the house smell delicious while it simmers on the stove. Pair it with a crusty bread and a salad and you have a wholesome, satisfying meal for dinner or Sunday lunch.
Ingredients for The Best Ham, Corn & Potato Chowder
I love using ingredients that are simple, every day items. Sure, there is a time and place for those special meals with spectacular ingredients that are rarely used, but what could be more comforting than a meal you can pull together with items you already have in your pantry? No fuss and no stress.
This is definitely one of those recipes. And if you don’t have a particular ingredient? You can probably substitute it with something you do have.
Ham – One of the stars of the show, this is a GREAT place to use up leftover Easter Ham. Ham steak can also be used.
Thick Cut Bacon – I tend to select thick cut peppered bacon from out butcher counter, but any favorite bacon could be used. I prefer a thick cut bacon that holds its own against the other ingredients in this chowder, but whatever you have on hand or prefer will work.
Butter – Use unsalted so you can control the salt content. The bacon and ham are naturally salty and you don’t want to end up with a chowder that is overwhelming.
Onion – Onion is such an important flavor builder when it comes to soups and stews. It is no less important here. Use whatever you have on hand; I use either white or yellow onion.
Garlic – The perfect partner to accompany onion in any flavor building profile.
Potatoes – Any thin skinned potato will work here. I always use red potatoes, but baby dutch potatoes, fingerling or yukon gold would work. Again, don’t stress – whatever you have will still be delicious.
Sweet Whole Kernel Corn
White Wine – I typically have a bottle of My Favorite Chardonnay on hand. A Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc would also work, as well as a cooking white wine. If you prefer not to use alcohol, substitute with chicken broth or more water.
Cream of Celery Soup – Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom can be substituted for Celery. Any of the three of these condensed soups add a wonderful creaminess and flavor to this chowder.
Cream Cheese
Herbs de Provence – I absolutely love this spice blend and I think it is often underrated. Traditionally, herbs de Provence is a mix of thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, marjoram, oregano, and bay leaf. You can find some mixes with lavender, but I opt for brands that do not include it.
Chicken Bouillon
Bay Leaves
Salt & Pepper
How To Make The Best Ham, Potato and Corn Chowder
I love the ease of this recipe. If you prep all of your ingredients beforehand, this comes together in just a few minutes before simmering on the stove for an hour. I love the combination of flavors – the saltiness from the ham, smokiness from the bacon, sweet kernels of corn, creamy potatoes and herbs de Provence. Yum.
Such an amazing dish with such little effort.
Please. Prep. All. Of Your. Ingredients – Especially if you are new to cooking, intimidated in the kitchen or feeling even slightly out of your comfort zone. Taking the extra few minutes to prepare and weigh/measure all of your ingredients before you begin cooking will make things so, so much more enjoyable and stress-free.
And, please, read through the recipe in its entirety before starting. I have made the mistake of not doing this on several occasions and it sends me in to a panic – either realizing I don’t have everything I need or I’ve missed out on important (and possibly time-consuming) steps.
Start By Rendering Your Bacon – Melt butter on medium-high heat in a large dutch oven and add the bacon to the pan. The bacon fat is important to help build layers of flavor.
Once The Bacon is Crispy – Add in white wine to deglaze the pan a bit, scraping up all the crispy bacon goodness from the bottom of the pan. Add in the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions start to become translucent and fragrant.
Add Ham & Corn – Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring often, to combine all ingredients.
Potatoes, Cream Cheese, Celery Soup – These get added to the pot and need a really thorough stir to combine everything and get it coated in the cream cheese and condensed soup. Reduce heat to low.
Add Seasonings – To the dutch oven, add herbs de provence, salt, pepper, bay leaves, chicken bouillon and 3.5-4 cups of water.
Cover & Let It Simmer – Letting the chowder simmer on low for 45 minutes to an hour will allow everything to meld together, cook properly and impart their wonderful flavors throughout. Stir occasionally and taste for seasonings about half-way through. The chowder might need to have a little bit more salt or pepper added to it, based on personal preference.
Once Finished – the chowder should be done within an hour. Let cool down for a 10 minutes before serving with crusty bread and a fresh salad. Enjoy!!
If allowed to sit overnight, this chowder will become thicker, more concentrated in flavors and become an explosion of deliciousness the next day.
This is the perfect meal to cook on a lazy Sunday afternoon for a Monday evening meal when you know you won’t have the time to devote to making a delicious dinner the day of.
This is definitely a recipe worth trying if you’re looking for a comforting, wrap-you-in-a-hug kind of meal for a wintry or blustery evening. All I want on those kinds of nights is good old comfort food that sticks to your ribs and sends you to bed full and content. This checks all those boxes.
This chowder is even more delicious the next day for a casual lunch at home, or leftovers to take to work or school. No one in the family will be disappointed!
Serve with a thick piece of crusty bread and a fresh, simple salad with delicious Maple Basil Vinaigrette.
Are you planning on making The Best Ham, Potato and Corn Chowder? Have you already? Let me know how you enjoy it!
The Best Ham, Potato and Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 6 Thick Cut Slices Bacon Diced
- 8-10 oz Ham Cut in Bite Size Pieces, Leftover Ham or Ham Steak
- 1 Onion Diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 6-7 Red Potatoes Cut in Bite Size Pieces
- 3 15.25 oz Can Whole Sweet Kernel Corn Drained
- 8 Oz Cream Cheese Softened, Room Temperature
- 1 Can Condensed Cream of Celery Soup Can Substitute Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken
- 3/4 C White Wine Scant (just slightly less than)
- 4 C Water
- 2.5 Tbsp Herbs de Provence
- 3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
- Salt To taste
Instructions
- In a large cast iron dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chopped bacon and allow to slowly render off the fat. Stir often until just crispy. You don't want to overcook the bacon.
- Add white wine to the pan. Scrape with a wooden spoon to deglaze and remove all the flavorful bacon bits on the bottom of the dutch oven.
- Add onions and garlic to the pot, cooking for 3-4 minutes. Stir often until onions start to become translucent and fragrant.
- Add the ham and corn to the onion/bacon mixture. Stir well to combine. Allow to cook together for another 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Next add the potatoes, cream cheese and cream of celery soup to the dutch oven. Stir together, ensuring everything is well combined and giving the cream cheese a chance to begin melting. Turn the burner setting down to low.
- Sprinkle in herbs de Provence, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Break up bouillon cubes and sprinkle over the top. Finish with four cups of water. Stir everything together to combine completely.
- Allow the chowder mixture to simmer on the stove, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes. Check throughout the cooking time, stirring on occasion and tasting periodically to adjust the seasonings.
- Allow to cool and serve, or cool completely and enjoy tomorrow. This soup will thicken and develop more robust flavors if given time to rest overnight.
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