Slow-Cooker Chicken, Corn and Potato Chowder

This slow-cooker recipe has everything you want in a chowder: salty bacon, tender potatoes, sweet corn kernels and bright herbs, all in a creamy, savory broth. The addition of chicken adds to the heartiness, but you could easily omit it for a simpler soup, or you can replace it with firm white fish, added during the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 lb. (125 g) applewood-smoked bacon, diced
  • 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
  • 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
  • 2 lb. (1 kg) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
  • 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 1/2 lb. (750 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm) chunks
  • 2 cups (16 fl. oz./500 ml) chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) dry white wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups (12 oz./375 g) fresh or frozen corn kernels
  • 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) heavy cream
  • 1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for garnish
  • 1 Tbs. snipped fresh chives, plus more for garnish

Directions:

In a large, heavy fry pan over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring often, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate and set aside.

Pour off all but 1 Tbs. of the fat in the pan, add the butter and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 6 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a slow cooker.

Put the chicken in a bowl, sprinkle with the flour, 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper, and toss to coat the chicken evenly. Add the chicken to the slow cooker along with the potatoes, stock, wine and bay leaf and stir to combine. Cover and cook on the low setting for 5 hours. The chicken should be opaque throughout and the potatoes should be tender.

Add the reserved bacon, the corn and cream, stir to combine, re-cover and cook on the low setting until the corn is tender and the chowder is hot, about 1 hour. Stir in the tarragon and chives.

Spoon the chowder into shallow bowls, garnish with tarragon and chives, and serve. Serves 6 to 8.

Adapted from Williams Sonoma Everyday Slow Cooking (Weldon Owen 2018)