2 tablespoons butter

12-ounce bag frozen chopped onions OR 2 medium yellow onions, diced

6-8 cups chicken broth

1 12-16-ounce bag frozen corn OR 5 ears corn, shucked (about 4 cups)

16 ounces frozen diced potato (or peel and dice your own potatoes if you must)

2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced

1 4-ounce can diced green chiles

½ cup chopped bacon (I buy it in a bag at Costco.) OR 2 slices bacon, diced

1-1/2 cup half and half or milk--whatever you have on hand--I usually use half and half, but not always the full 1.5 cups

Kosher salt to taste

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Optional: 3 tablespoons corn meal OR masa

1/4 cup water

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Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add diced onion and stir, cooking the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the broth, and then the corn and potatoes. Stir and cook for one minute to break up the frozen vegetables. Add the chipotle peppers and green chiles and stir. Cook until heated through.

 

Add bacon, cream, and salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. At this point, the soup is ready to eat. If you desire a thicker chowder, add the cornmeal and water as below.

 

Optional: Combine cornmeal with water. Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. If chowder needs more thickening, add another tablespoon of cornmeal mixed with water. Cook for another ten minutes.

 

Note: Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are available in cans in the Mexican Foods section of most grocery stores.  I usually add a teaspoon or two of the adobo sauce to the soup, but it definitely turns up the heat. The remaining peppers and sauce can be stored sealed in the refrigerator indefinitely. (If you use a plastic container as I do, it will become stained with the adobo sauce. I now have a dedicated chipotle pepper container.) These peppers add a touch of smoky heat to any dish.

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