Potato Corn Chowder with Ham (Stovetop or Slow Cooker!)
Potato Corn Chowder is creamy and comforting, loaded with sweet corn, hearty potatoes, and flavorful ham. It’s quick and easy to make on the stove or you can let your slow cooker do the work for you!
In a large pot set over medium heat, saute minced garlic in olive oil for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add diced potatoes, corn, thyme, pepper, and broth to the pot. Stir well, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer, cooking for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Remove 2 to 3 drained ladlesful of potatoes to a plate, mash, and stir back into the soup along with the diced ham and the half-and-half. Additional broth may also be added, if too much was lost to evaporation. Adjust the seasonings by adding salt and pepper, to taste, if necessary.
OPTIONAL: If you would like the broth of your Potato Corn Chowder to have a thicker/silkier consistency at this point, stir cornstarch into water until smooth (or you could use additional half-and-half instead of water) and slowly pour the slurry into the soup while stirring.
Bring soup to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook for 5 more minutes or until heated through.
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Notes
SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS: Omit the extra-virgin olive oil. Place diced potatoes, frozen corn, ham, garlic, and thyme in a large slow cooker. Pour chicken broth over the ingredients, season with freshly ground black pepper, and stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours (or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours) until potatoes are tender. About 20 minutes before serving, scoop out 2 to 3 drained ladlesful of potatoes onto a plate (it's okay if you scoop out a bit of corn and ham, too). Thoroughly mash the potatoes with a fork and return to the crock pot, stirring them in to thicken the broth. Stir in the half-and-half and, if desired for a thicker broth, the optional cornstarch slurry. Cover and cook chowder for 15 more minutes or until heated through. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste if necessary, and serve hot.
Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your liking! My family loves garlic, so I actually end up using more garlic when I make this. You may use more or less ham depending on your preference, or leave it out altogether. You may use milk instead of half-and-half for a lighter soup or heavy cream for a richer final result. (And if you don't have half-and-half on hand, it's the same thing as using half milk and half cream.)