Ham and Red Potato Corn Chowder

Jump to Recipe

A creamy chowder soup filled with baby red potatoes, corn and chunks of ham. The perfect post holiday soup to use up all the leftover ham from Christmas dinner or some stashed away in the freezer.

This recipe was first published on 12/31/2020.

This ham and potato corn chowder is so easy to make, it preps quickly and cooks in just 30 minutes. I think we can all agree that we have time for this.

It's creamy and rich but still light. Thanks to chicken broth being the biggest component to the soups broth, followed by some half and half. The ratio is 2:1, 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of half and half.

This really cuts down on how heavy it is. This soup is lighter than the loaded baked potato chowder.

The red potatoes are the star of the soup, they hold shape so well! Unlike russets that tend to break apart easier and disintegrate after cooking. You won't have issues with the red potatoes falling apart.

My favorite time to make this is after any big holiday where we cook a ham. I'll make sure to get a bigger ham just so I can freeze some to make this soup all year round. It pairs perfectly with cloverleaf buttery herb rolls.

And of course there is corn in the recipe. I always have frozen corn on hand but if you prefer to use fresh then that's fine too.

Jump to:

Ingredients
How To Make Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
FAQ
More Soup Recipes
Ham and Red Potato Corn Chowder

Ingredients

This is a mix between a soup and a chowder. It's not as thick as a full fledge chowder but it is a thicker than a regular soup, so I've settled on calling it a chowder. Here's what you'll need to prepare it.

olive oil and butter - used for sautéing
onion - a half of a yellow onion
garlic - a few garlic cloves, minced
flour - an all purpose flour, or corn starch if you want to make this gluten free
chicken broth - the base of the broth
half and half - to make it creamy and rich
baby red potatoes - you can use regular red potatoes but will need to cut them up more
frozen corn - fresh or frozen works
ham - cubed pieces of ham, you can use canadien bacon as a substitute if you don't have any ham, just get thick cut pieces
thyme - fresh or dry

How To Make Ham and Potato Corn Chowder

Start by sautéing the chopped onion and garlic in a soup pot with olive oil and butter until translucent. I like to always add a pinch of two of salt when I sauté onions, it gives them more color and flavor.

While this cooks for about 3-5 minutes, you can chop up your potatoes, ham and get your corn ready.

Next add in the flour, this will help your soup thicken. You need to cook this for 1 minute, no less. Pour in the chicken broth, half and half, add the potatoes, corn, ham and thyme.

Everything simmers together for 30 minutes. It may still seem a bit thin at this point. But as it starts to cool it will thicken more.

You don't need to add extra salt because the ham is already salty and as it simmers, that saltiness will come out in the chowder.

Top it with some green onions, optionally.

FAQ

Can this be made in the crockpot or instant pot?

I haven't tried it in either yet but if you do, let us know in the comments!

Can I sub milk for the half and half?

You can but know the soup won't be as creamy and rich.

Can I make this chowder gluten free?

Yes, substitute corn starch instead of the flour for thickening. Use a third the amount required, so only 2 tsp of corn starch.

What can I serve with this?

I love these fluffy cloverleaf dinner rolls. They are made with frozen bread dough, so easy!

Can I use russet potatoes instead of red potatoes?

I wouldn't. Russet potatoes do not hold up as well in this soup, they break apart and make the soup mushy.

If I don't have ham, what else can I use?

You can use canadien bacon, but you can also ask the deli counter to cut you some very thick pieces of ham too (or canadien bacon!).

More Soup Recipes