Potato Bacon Chowder in a Pressure Cooker
Try this Potato Bacon Chowder in a Pressure Cooker recipe.
Try this Potato Bacon Chowder in a Pressure Cooker recipe.
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 5 lbs. russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 3 stalks celery sliced thin
- 1 large onion small diced
- 1 tablespoon seasoning salt (i used country bob's)
- 1 lb. bacon fried crisp and rough chopped
- sour cream shredded cheddar cheese and diced green
- Carbohydrate 61.0272707945711 g
- Cholesterol 43.0209375514864 mg
- Fat 14.4634224517788 g
- Fiber 4.00812537404917 g
- Protein 12.7134073293281 g
- Saturated Fat 7.9420068684097 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (620g)
- Sodium 416.87151191189 mg
- Sugar 57.0191454205219 g
- Trans Fat 0.964468904232779 g
- Calories 418 calories
Step-by-step
- Place potato chunks into inner pot of pressure cooker.
- Add celery, onion, garlic, seasoning salt, pepper and butter. Stir to combine.
- Add bacon and chicken stock to pot and then stir to combine. (I debated on whether to add the bacon, now, or when the soup was done. Now, meant sinking that smoky flavor deep into the potatoes. Later, meant having that crispier texture element to enjoy in my finished soup. Tonight, I opted for the deep flavor (Totally delish, by the way!), but you could go either way and it would be tasty and perfectly acceptable.) If you decide to wait, you will add the bacon when you stir in the milk and cream.)
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot slow cooker and lock it into place.
- It will start, off to the side, so it drops into the slots in the rim and then you will grip the handle to spin the lid into the locked position. See how the arrows line up when it's locked?
- Push the Manual mode button and set the timer for 5 minutes. (I started with 10 and then checked half way through. At five minutes, the potatoes were fork tender and perfect. Amazing!)
- Quick-release the steam from the pressure cooker.
- When steam is fully gone, remove the lid of the slow cooker. There should still be liquid in the pot with your veggies.
- Use a potato masher to crush vegetables, resulting in a thick, semi-smooth mash. I left a few bigger chunks of potato, in mine, for texture. That's totally a preference thing, so adjust for what your family likes.)
- Add cream and whole milk, stirring to incorporate.
- Serve hot and steaming, topped with sour cream, shredded cheddar and sliced green onion.
High-starch russet potatoes behave predictably under pressure, softening uniformly within five minutes of high-pressure cooking while releasing enough surface starches to naturally thicken the surrounding stock without requiring flour or cornstarch.
- Scaling this recipe up or down requires maintaining a strict liquid-to-solid ratio. Pressure cookers demand at least one cup of thin liquid to build sufficient steam, but exceeding the maximum fill line of six quarts risks blocking the pressure release valve. Halving the batch works safely, provided the chicken stock remains at two cups to protect the heating element from scorching.
- Russet potatoes absorb salt and fat rapidly during the initial five-minute pressure cycle. Leaving the skins on alters the final texture by introducing a fibrous element that interferes with the smooth mash required for chowder consistency.
- Fresh aromatics like garlic and onions soften completely under pressure, whereas dried garlic powder or dehydrated onion flakes can become bitter when subjected to prolonged moist heat. Cured bacon introduces sodium chloride directly into the cooking liquid, meaning seasoning salt must be measured carefully to prevent over-seasoning.
- Refrigerating leftover chowder for up to three days causes the starch molecules to continue retrograding, which thickens the soup significantly. Reheating requires adding a splash of whole milk or chicken stock to restore the fluid consistency.
Proper mashing technique determines the final mouthfeel of the soup. Retaining visible potato chunks provides structural contrast against the velvety heavy cream.
