November 2022 · Jess in the Kitchen

Last Updated on November 12, 2022 by Jess

If you’ve been around for any length of time, you know that I live for comfort food. Can it be cooked low and slow or as a bake? Then I am here for it. Specifically, soup season is my absolute favorite. I love all the things that come with creating a soup: chopping the veg, stirring periodically with love, and then smells that take over the house. It pairs so well with some homemade bread (I bake sourdough!) and a salad. All my favorites. So when I suddenly got to thinking about corn chowder, I looked in my fridge and pantry and this delicious corn and pancetta chowder was the result.

Now you may be asking, “Why pancetta?” Friends, until a couple months ago, I had never cooked with it. A recipe I was trying out for a collab I do on Instagram called for it, and I gave it a try. And my goodness. It has quickly become a staple for cooking in my house. It’s just that good. If you want to skip the pancetta, you can totally do bacon instead. But I dare you to cook up some crispy pancetta and NOT want to eat the entire container.

The rest of the ingredients are completely pantry items. You don’t even need heavy cream or half and half (which I have on hand maybe 30% of the time). The half blending of the simmered vegetables creates a creamy and thick chowder that’s divine.

Ready to get cooking? Let’s go!

Your Ingredients for Corn and Pancetta Chowder

4 ounces pancetta (or thick cut bacon, cut into small pieces)
1 yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 celery ribs, diced (about ¾ cup)
3 cups diced potatoes (I left the skin on)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon pepper
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
2 ½ -3 cups milk, divided
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
Salt and dried thyme, to taste
Olive oil

Your Steps

Add a small amount of olive oil (2 teaspoons or so) to a soup kettle (I love my cast iron Dutch ovens). Once hot, add pancetta and cook over medium heat until crispy. Remove cooked pancetta and allow it to drain on a paper towel. Reserve ⅔ of the fat from the pancetta to cook the vegetables.

Meanwhile, dice onions, celery, and potatoes. Over medium heat, cook the onions, celery, and garlic in the pancetta fat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add potatoes and allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and pepper. Heat to a low boil and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, spray a small frying pan with non-stick cooking spray and heat to a medium, high temperature. Add corn and cook until just charred (this is optional, but will enhance that flavor!).

Once the potatoes are soft, add 1 cup of corn to the kettle. Then use an immersion blender to break down the vegetables about 50% of the way. I leave it in the kettle and just go by feel but you can remove 50-60% of the veg and do it in another container. Stir in the corn and pancetta to the kettle (reserving some if you care to garnish the top of your soup).

Finally, slowly stir in milk, ½ cup at a time, reserving 1 ½ tablespoons of it. Combine the reserved milk with the cornstarch and whisk together. Bring the soup just to a boil and stir in cornstarch slurry and cook until the soup thickens, about 3 minutes.

Serve it up with some crusty bread, a salad, and garnish with reserved pancetta and corn (if you care to).

Tools of The Trade

When I am making a soup or a stew you can bet I’ll be cooking in my cast iron Dutch oven. There’s just something special about it. I adore my flexible cutting boards and Orrington Broth Base is the best for quick chicken stock.

Corn and Pancetta Chowder

Thick and creamy, this corn and pancetta chowder is all you can ask for in a comforting bowl of soup.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Equipment

Ingredients

4 ounces pancetta or thick cut bacon, cut into small pieces
1 yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
2 celery ribs diced (about ¾ cup)
3 cups diced potatoes I left the skin on
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon pepper
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups corn fresh or frozen
2 ½ -3 cups milk divided
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
Salt and dried thyme to taste
Olive oil

Instructions

Add a small amount of olive oil to a soup kettle. Once hot, add pancetta and cook over medium heat until crispy. Remove cooked pancetta and allow it to drain on a paper towel. Reserve ⅔ of the fat from the pancetta to cook the vegetables.
Meanwhile, dice onions, celery, and potatoes.
Over medium heat, cook the onions, celery, and garlic in the pancetta fat until softened, about 8 minutes.
Add potatoes and allow to cook for another 5 minutes.
Add chicken stock and pepper. Heat to a low boil and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, spray a small frying pan with non-stick cooking spray and heat to a medium, high temperature. Add corn and cook until just charred (this is optional, but will enhance that flavor!).
Once the potatoes are soft, add 1 cup of the corn to the mix.
Use an immersion blender to break down the vegetables about 50% of the way.
Stir in the corn and pancetta to the kettle (reserving some if you care to garnish the top of your soup).
Finally, slowly stir in milk, ½ cup at a time, reserving 1 ½ tablespoons of it.
Combine the reserved milk with the cornstarch and whisk together.
Bring the soup just to a boil and stir in cornstarch slurry and cook until the soup thickens, about 3 minutes.