Charred Poblano Corn Chowder

If there’s any one type of recipe that you guys really seem to love, it’s bowls of delicious comfort food!  And you know what, I’m right there with you.

We’re smack-dab in the middle of Fall, in all it’s comfort food glory, and this chowder is the epitome of cozy!

I love a great corn chowder, and this fun spin on one adds plenty of perfectly charred poblano peppers which add a subtle smokiness.

We love this chowder alongside a piece of crusty bread and a green salad, but it’s also great for game day or tailgating!

What do I need to make this recipe?

• Poblano peppers – poblanos are smoky, but not very spicy.
• Bacon – you can use any type of bacon you’d like. I typically use Smithfield Hometown Original.
• Butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter, but you can use salted if you have that on hand.
• Onion – this recipe was tested using yellow onion, but a white or sweet onion would also work well.
• Celery – adds a little crunch and mild grassy flavor.
• Bell pepper – you can use any color bell pepper, we just like red for the color, as well as it being slightly sweeter and less bitter.
• Garlic – if you don’t want to mince fresh garlic, you can use about a Tbsp of garlic paste or pre-minced garlic.
• Flour – nothing fancy needed, just all purpose flour.
• Potatoes – I like to use Yukon gold potatoes, which in my area, are usually baby potatoes.
• Broth – I prefer to use reduced sodium chicken broth.
• Spices – in this recipe, these are salt, cumin, coriander, black pepper, Mexican oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.
• Heavy cream – this may be also called heavy whipping cream.
• Corn – make sure you drain the canned corn well.
• Cheese – I like to use shredded Mexican-blend cheese.
• Garnishes – always optional, but delicious! That’s the cilantro, green onions, cooked bacon and black pepper.

How to make charred poblano corn chowder:

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Char peppers. This is easily done with your oven broiler.
2. Dice. Once you’ve peeled off the blackened skin, go ahead and dice up the peppers.
3. Cook bacon. Just until crisp and golden brown. Leave the drippings in the pot.
4. Cook veggies. Cooking the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic in the bacon drippings adds a ton of flavor.
5. Add flour. Adding the flour here allows for the chowder to gently thicken as it cooks.
6. Simmer. Add the potatoes, bay leaf and chicken broth and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender.
7. Add seasonings.
8. Add dairy and peppers. Stir in the heavy cream, corn, diced peppers, and cheese.
9. Simmer and finish. Simmer for a few minutes to heat the dairy through, then stir in half of the cooked bacon and serve with garnishes.

Variations of this recipe

• Peppers – please feel free to adjust the amount of poblano peppers to your taste.
• Bacon – just as with the peppers, you can adjust the amount of bacon. I love using a good amount, so half of it goes in the soup, and half goes on top as a garnish.
• Potatoes – Yukon golds are fantastic in this recipe, but if you can’t find them, you can use an equal amount of russet potatoes or red skin potatoes.
• Broth – to keep this recipe from being too salty, I highly recommend using reduced sodium broth. Chicken broth is my go-to, but you could use vegetable broth as well.
• Dairy – I love to use heavy cream because of it’s richness and ultra creamy mouthfeel, but half and half or even whole milk would also work well.
• Cheese – normally I’m a huge advocate for shredding your own cheese, and if you want to, you absolutely can for this recipe! But if you’d like to a take a little shortcut, you can use the pre-shredded cheese.
• Oregano – if you don’t have Mexican oregano, or can’t find it, regular oregano will work as well.
• Other cooking methods – if you’d prefer not to make this recipe on the stovetop, you can also make it in the slow cooker. Those directions are down in the “chef tips” section right below the recipe directions in the recipe card. I haven’t tested this recipe in an Instant Pot, so while I’m sure it can be cooked in one, I can’t speak to the specifics. If you experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!

Making corn chowder ahead of time

Not only can you make the whole chowder/chicken chili ahead of time (in fact, the flavors get even better!), you can also prep a lot of the ingredients ahead of time to really cut down on the prep time.

• Peppers – the poblanos can be charred, peeled, and diced then kept refrigerated.
• Bacon – the bacon slices can be chopped and kept refrigerated.
• Veggies – the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic can be chopped and kept refrigerated. I do recommend keeping the garlic separate, since it’s added at a different point in the recipe.
• Spices – all of the spices can be measured out and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Corn – the canned corn can be drained and kept refrigerated.

Just note that the longer the chowder sits, the more liquid could be absorbed by the potatoes.

Freezing

Due to the potatoes and dairy, I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. Frozen potatoes tend to have an odd texture, and dairy can separate during the freezing/thawing process.

Storage

Leftover chowder should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 3-4 days.

The longer it sits, the more the potatoes might absorb the liquid.

Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of chicken broth or your preferred dairy to thin it out if needed.