This Creamy Chicken and Corn Chowder is hearty and comforting with generous helpings of chicken, corn, bacon, green onions, potatoes and a slight kick of jalapeño.
Cook bacon until crisp and save ¼ cup of the fat. Allow bacon to cool, the crumble or chop into small pieces.
Heat the bacon fat in a large stock pot (add butter if you don't have enough bacon fat, but you should have plenty). Add the cubed chicken breasts and cook until almost done. Add the peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook until vegetables are soft about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the flour to the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes.
Slowly stir in the chicken broth. Add the potatoes and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the corn and half & half. Simmer an additional 10 to 15 minutes until thick and creamy. If you want it slightly thicker, you can add a cornstarch slurry, if needed. Whisk 1 Tbsp of cornstarch with 1 Tbsp of COLD water, and then stir it into the boiling soup.
Add the crumbled bacon and sliced green onions. Check and fix seasonings, if needed. Serve hot. Enjoy!