Fry bacon in the bottom of a large stockpot over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pot and drain on paper towel; crumble and set aside. Don’t clean out pot.

Add the chicken, bell pepper, onion and garlic to the stockpot and cook in bacon fat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. Reduce heat, uncover and stir in corn.

Place milk in a medium mixing bowl and slowly sift the flour into the milk, whisking as you go. Slowly stir milk mixture into soup. Cook over medium heat until thick, around 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add cheese and stir until melted and incorporated into broth; add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into individual bowls and top with crumbled bacon. Serve optional additional toppings on the side.