Ham and Corn Chowder

Ham and Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
6 strips of bacon
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
4 medium potatoes (2 cups), peeled and diced
2 cups Ham cubes (leftovers cut into bite-sized pieces)
10.5 oz. low sodium cream of chicken soup
14.5 oz. can creamed corn
8 oz. of frozen corn (or 1 can of corn, drained)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 Bay leaf
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups of chicken broth (or water)
1/2-1 cup half and half or 12oz. evaporated milk (see note)
2-3 Tbsp. cornstarch (optional)

Directions:
Sauté bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels but keep 2 Tbsp. of the grease in the skillet. Cool bacon off, crumble and put in a covered container to use later. In the same skillet add onions, celery, carrots, and cook until soft. Can cook the potatoes for a few minutes as well. In crockpot add potatoes, cooked veggies, ham cubes, cream of chicken soup, corn, seasonings, butter, and broth.  Cook on low 6 hours or until potatoes are done. Stir cornstarch and milk together in a bowl. Stir this mixture in the last 30 minutes of cooking to help thicken the soup. Remove Bay leaf. Sprinkle cooked bacon on top of chowder when serving.

Serve with a side salad and buttered crusty bread.
Serves 4-6

Note: You can sub any milk you prefer like regular, almond, or coconut milk.

For Instant Pot:
Press the saute button and add 2 Tbsp. of bacon grease or Olive oil. Add onions and celery. Cook till soft. Add in garlic cloves and cook another minute. Add carrots and potatoes. Saute a few more minutes. Add all other ingredients except cornstarch. Hit cancel. Cover and press the Soup button. Cook for 10 minutes (be sure the valve is in sealing position). NR for 10 minutes then carefully move the valve to release the rest of the pressure. Once you hear the pin drop open and stir. Remove Bay leaf. If you need to use the cornstarch to thicken just add it to a few Tbsp. of water and stir. Hit the saute function on Instant Pot and stir in cornstarch mixture. It should start to thicken once it begins bubbling. Hit cancel and it's ready to serve.


© My Life 0utside The Box 2016-2018. All Rights Reserved. All photos, text, personal videos, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the blog author.