Add all ingredients except the bacon to a 6 quart or larger slow cooker and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours, stirring every hour or so to prevent the soup from scorching.
Cook the diced bacon in a large skillet on the stove-top until crispy. Drain off any excess bacon fat and stir in the cooked bacon (reserving a little bit of the bacon if you wish to garnish bowls with additional bacon) to the slow cooker.
Recover slow cooker and continue cooking for an additional 1 hour.
Ladle hot chowder into bowls and garnish with reserved bacon and chives if desired.
Notes
Most brands of canned creamed corn are thickened with cornstarch and are gluten-free. However it is always wise to read labels to make sure the brands you buy are indeed gluten-free.