Corn & Poblano Chowder

It has finally dropped below 80F here in California, so that means it’s officially soup season! The weather still feels a bit transitional, so what better kind of soup to make than an end of summer Corn & Poblano Chowder?

This vegetarian chowder is made with a broth infused with corn cobs (so don’t throw yours away!), which give the soup a sweetness that you can’t get from vegetable broth alone. The onions & peppers round out the sweetness, & potatoes give the chowder body & texture. The result is an exceptional soup that you’ll want to make again & again!

It’s All in the Broth

When we set out to make this Corn & Poblano Chowder for the first time, we wanted to make sure that we created something that had a very corn-forward flavor. The best way to do that, we realized, was to steep the corn cobs in the broth. This allows the flavor of the corn to seep into the broth, creating a sweet, corny flavor. If you don’t have corn cobs, that’s okay, but you may get a less strong corn flavor in the end (it’ll still be great, though!).

A Little Spice is Nice

Many corn chowder recipes use carrots and celery, which are great ingredients in soups, but we wanted something different here. We love our Spicy Chipotle Corn Dip, so we decided to bring in some of those peppery, spicy flavors to this chowder as well.  The poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers, and chipotle pepper powder bring just the right amount of heat to the soup. 

The result is a rich corn chowder with a slightly spicy and smoky edge. If you don’t like as much spice, though, you can skip the jalapeno and stick with the milder poblano instead.

We also chose to add adobo seasoning, which is a spice blend usually featuring cumin, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and sometimes turmeric. This spice blend adds even more depth of flavor to the broth.

What You Need for the Corn & Poblano Chowder

Here’s everything you need to make this tasty soup:

• Onion – we used a sweet onion, but you can use whatever kind you like.
• Poblano peppers – poblanos are usually fairly mild, but sometimes you’ll run across a hotter one. Regardless, the milk/cream will balance the spice level nicely.
• Jalapeño – if you don’t like jalapeños, you can skip this or add another pepper of your choosing.
• Russet potatoes – russet potatoes add bulk, flavor, and starch to this recipe. 
• Corn – the corn is the star of this chowder, and using fresh corn on the cob is ideal because the recipe calls for steeping the cobs in the broth. You can use frozen corn, but you won’t get as much corn flavor in the soup.
• Adobo seasoning – this is usually easy to find in major grocery stores, but you can also use a pinch of cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and turmeric. Just don’t overdo each one since you only need 2 tsp total.
• Chipotle pepper powder – go easy on this one because it’s spicy, but it adds a really interesting and smoky flavor to everything.
• Vegetable broth or water – vegetable broth will bring more flavor to this, but you can use water, if you want. 
• Cream, half and half, or whole milk – cream will make this chowder nice and rich and mellow out the spice, but milk or half and half would be just as good.
• Neutral oil – use something that doesn’t have a ton of flavor.
• Salt to taste – make sure to always taste your food when you’re cooking. You can always add more salt to the chowder, but you can’t really take it away, so go slowly when you add it. 

Optional Toppings

• Green onions – we love green onions, but chives would be good too.
• Cilantro – this chowder is begging for cilantro, but if you don’t like it, leave it out.
• Shredded cheese – Oaxaca or Monterey jack cheese is great in this, but cheddar is great too.
• Soy chorizo – we love the Trader Joe’s soy chorizo and that’s what we used, but you can use whatever brand is your favorite.
• Sour cream – if you don’t like sour cream, you can use Greek yogurt instead.
• Lime – a squeeze of fresh lime juice really brightens up this chowder.
• Corn chips – you could also add tortilla chips, if you prefer.

How to Make the Corn & Poblano Chowder

This chowder does take some time to make, but it’s a fairly easy, and mostly hands off, process.

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven placed over medium heat. Drop the diced onions, poblano peppers, and jalapeño peppers (if using) into the pot and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the adobo seasoning, the chipotle powder, and a pinch of salt and cook until the veggies soften, about 5 minutes.

Place the corn cobs (kernels removed and placed in a separate bowl for now) in the pot on top of the veggies and cover them with vegetable broth (or water). Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for about 40 minutes or until broth has a slight sweetness from the corn cobs.

Remove the corn cobs from the pot and add in the corn kernels and diced potatoes. Mix in the cream (or milk or half and half, if you’re using one of those instead) and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. 

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup to desired chunkiness. We blended the biggest chunks & were left with a thick soup that was not completely a puree. If you like a thinner, chunkier soup, you can blend it less. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a food processor or a regular blender. Just be careful because the soup will be hot when you blend it.

Adjust the seasoning to taste, ladle the chowder into your favorite bowl, and add desired toppings.