Chicken and Corn Chowder

Randal chose this chowder recipe from These Peas Are Hollow when he was looking at recipes on my Pinterest board. His only request was that I add chicken to it, no surprise there as I don't think my husband has eaten a vegetarian meal in his life!

The original recipe uses frech corn but I cheated and used frozen, but it still ended up being a great chowder that we both enjoyed.

1 16 oz bag frozen corn
1 large chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, diced
3 strips bacon, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons thyme
1 bay leaf
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook until slightly crisp.  remove from pan, reduce heat to low and add the onions and butter, cook until softened.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions, mix together and cook for a few minutes then slowly whisk in the chicken stock, bring to a simmer.

Add the potatoes, corn, bay leaf, thyme, whole milk, chicken and the bacon. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.  Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper.