Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder

5 from 50 votes

Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder is creamy corn chowder updated with roasted poblano peppers and bacon giving it the right amount of creamy heat.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 580kcal

Author: Ned Adams

Equipment

7 quart Dutch Oven or larger

Ingredients

8 ears corn on the cob divided 6:2
6 poblano peppers divided 4:2
⅔ lb thick cut bacon diced
2 tablespoon bacon renderings or olive oil
¼ cup yellow onion diced
2 celery ribs diced
3 carrots diced
3 garlic cloves minced/grated
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes cubed
32 oz low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream

Optional toppings

chopped bacon
queso fresco
green onions

US Standard - Metric

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Instructions

Roasting the Corn and Peppers

Preheat the grill to high (indoor or outdoor).
While heating, trim the silks sticking out from the top of the corn with kitchen sheers. Peel off the outer husk layers, exposing the lighter, tender looking husks. Cut the stalk off exposing the bottom part of the corn.
Reduce the heat to medium and place the corn and the poblanos on the grill.
Rotate the corn and peppers every couple of minutes.
As the husks darken, they will fall off. Remove them from the grill (take care to not let them fall through the grates of the grill or the fire will flare up.) The poblanos often makes a popping or crackling noise.
After all the corn husks have fallen off, using tongs, lift up the corn and pull off all remaining silks; return to the grill, charring all sides of the corn kernels. Once all sides of the corn have gotten color, remove from the grill, allow to rest long enough to handle; about 5 minutes.
Once the peppers are charred on all sides, remove from the grill and wrap individually in foil; set aside. 10-14 minutes allowing them to sweat.

Making the Chowder

Once the corn has rested, remove the corn kernels from the cob by inverting a small bowl in a larger one. Stand the cob on end and use a knife to slice off kernels. Put 6 cobs’ kernels in one bowl and reserving 2 cobs’ kernels worth in another bowl.
Peel the charred skin off the peppers, remove the stems and seeds; dice. Set aside 4 peppers with the 6 cobs’ kernels in one bowl and 2 peppers with the 2 cobs’ kernels in the other.
In a heavy bottom pan, dutch oven, or enameled french oven, fry the diced bacon over medium high heat.
Once cooked, drain the renderings, reserving 2 tablespoon (or if not using, add olive oil) and turn heat on to medium high.
Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic; cook for 3-4 minutes until they begin to color and soften.
Add the diced potatoes, chopped poblano peppers, and corn kernels, stirring it well to fully incorporate with the other items in the dutch oven. The corn kernels may be stuck together but as they cook and the chowder is stirred, they will separate. Cook for about a minute.
Add the broth, salt, and pepper; bring to a high simmer. Allow to cook for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to become tender.
While the chowder begins to simmer, puree the reserved corn and poblano peppers in a food processor, slowing incorporating the milk. Set aside. After the potatoes have soften, reduce heat to low.
Add the puree to the chowder, stir in completely. Cook on low for an additional 5 minutes, allowing the chowder to get to a low simmer the vegetables to finish cooking.
Once desired tenderness has been reached, and if you want a smoother chowder, use an immersion blender on pulse mode until desired consistency has been reached.
Slowly incorporate the cream into the chowder, stirring constantly until it has fully been added. After the cream has been warmed through, taste for salt and pepper, add more if needed then remove from heat.
If not immediately serving, cover or the chowder will develop a skin. Garnish with any or all of the optional ingredients then serve and enjoy.

Notes

Char hard, do not be shy. Real color on the corn and blistered, blackened poblano skin is where the flavor comes from. Pale corn makes a flat chowder.
Let the poblanos sweat. Ten minutes wrapped in foil makes the skins slip right off. The skin turns waxy and bitter if left on, so take the time to peel.
Reserve before you puree. Hold back about a quarter of the corn and a couple of peppers to blend with the milk. That puree is what thickens the pot without flour.
Add the cream off a hard boil. Stir it in over low heat so it warms through without breaking.
Cover if it is going to sit. Chowder forms a skin quickly, so keep a lid on between servings.
For a more Mexican flavor, add ½ teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander (and a pinch of Mexican oregano) with the broth.

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