We are now in the depths of soup season and I don’t know about you, but I plan to be here for a while because I love soups. I love broth-y soups, tomato-y soups, creamy soups. I’ve even been known to get two soups from the Panera you-pick-two menu. Soup is easy, a good way to stretch a buck, makes the best leftovers and is just darn tasty. Right now, I’ve got at least two soups on the menu each week because everyone likes it and honestly, I don’t feel like cooking dinner every night. Soup feels like one step up from takeout and this particular recipe has been making the regular rotation because of how easy it is. My recipe for Smoky Chicken Corn Chowder is packed with roasted veggies, including corn, which gives a warm, smoky flavor. And you won’t believe how creamy it is, without a drop of cream in sight. Make it a full meal with some crusty bread and a salad. Bam! A weeknight wonder.
What is chowder?
If you are looking for a definitive answer on what chowder is, good luck finding one. There are more armchair experts out there ready to tell you exactly what makes a chowder a chowder than there are recipes for chowder. Most often, chowder has a thick and creamy base thanks to the addition of cream or milk, starchy vegetables like potatoes or corn, or even a roux made by cooking together fat and flour. The one thing that is pretty universally agreed on is that chowder has pieces of stuff in it. It’s close sister, bisque, is supposed to be free of pieces of food. So if you read this recipe for chicken corn chowder and decide it isn’t exactly a chowder or a bisque, no hard feelings. Just accept it for what it is.. a delicious, creamy, savory soup worth adding to your weekly dinner plan.
Making the creamy chowder base
Let’s get roasting! This is our secret to deep flavor in our chowder recipe. It is also what makes this so easy. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (232 degrees C). For easy clean up, you can like a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Although, this isn’t absolutely necessary. The rimmed baking sheet is absolutely necessary or else you will be cleaning corn out of your oven until kingdom come. Slice 2 bell peppers in half and remove the seeds. Place cut-side down on the baking sheet. Quarter a medium onion and add to the same baking sheet and 1 whole jalapeño. To the same baking sheet, at 24 oz of frozen corn kernels. No need to defrost. And finally 6 whole cloves of garlic. Be sure to peel them and remove the woody stump before adding to your sheet pan. Drizzle the onion and peppers with olive oil. Add the garlic cloves to the corn and toss with 2 TLB extra virgin olive oil, the smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder and onion powder until fully coated. Roast on the middle rack of your oven for 20 minutes, until the peppers are charred and the corn is beginning to change color.
Remove the peppers from the roasting pan immediately and add to a metal or glass bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside for 10 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and separate the flesh of the peppers from the skin. It should peel off easily. Discard the skin, any seeds or stems remaining.
Final steps
We are going to get the signature rich, creaminess of chowder from the starch in our corn and evaporated milk. This is my secret to almost all my creamy sauces and soups. You can find it featured in this recipe for creamy cajun chicken pasta, too. To a blender, add 1/2 of all the veggies including the corn, 1 can of evaporated milk and 1 cup of chicken broth. Pulse to get things going and then blend on high for 30 seconds or until smooth. Add to a large pot and heat to medium low. Repeat with the remaining veggies, evaporated milk and chicken broth. Work in smaller batches if needed, depending on the size of your blender. Bring the soup up to a simmer and add the remaining cup of chicken broth, 1 can of corn that has been drained and the shredded chicken. I like to use a rotisserie chicken if I’m really in a pinch, or I bake this chicken at the same time I roast my veggies. Let everything simmer together for 10 minutes and add more salt, if needed.
Serve and storage tips
If you ask me, soup is a full and complete meal all on it’s own and other than some kind of bread for dipping, it doesn’t need a single thing. But I am well aware than not everyone feels this way. Or maybe you are hosting and want some extra add-ons. Soup is also a fabulous meal to take to someone recovering from an illness, someone who has welcomed a new baby or someone you just want to show a little extra love to. For the perfect simple salad, toss together some mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots and sliced cucumbers. Top with this creamy balsamic dressing. Toast some french bread and mix up a batch of these chocolate chip cookies. Store any leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge or, freeze individual portions for up to 3 months. Perfect for a quick and easy lunch on a cold day!
To make this easy, creamy, comforting Smoky Corn Chowder, this is what you need…
Smoky Chicken Corn Chowder
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 2 medium green bell peppers
- 1 medium onion
- 1 jalapeño
- 24 oz frozen corn
- 5 garlic cloves
- 3 cup shredded chicken
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 12 oz cans evaporated milk
- 3 cup chicken broth
- 1 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (232 degrees C).
- Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the stem and seeds. Quarter the onion, removing the stem and outer peel. Remove the outer paper from the garlic cloves and trim the hard stem off. Place the bell peppers cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Add the onions and the whole jalapeno. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.
- To the same baking sheet, add the frozen corn and whole garlic cloves. Toss with the remaining olive oil and all the seasonings. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 20 minutes, until the skin of the peppers are blistered and the corn is golden on top.
- To a metal or glass bowl, add the roasted bell peppers and jalapeño and cover in plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and remove the blistered skin from the peppers. Discard any stems or seeds that remain. For a less spicy soup, discard the seeds from your jalapeño. For more spice, include the seeds.
- Working in batches, add the roasted veggies, evaporated milk, and chicken broth to a blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until smooth.
- Add all the blended soup to a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the shredded chicken and canned corn. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add any additional salt, if needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, allow the soup to defrost in the refrigerator and either heat on low on the stovetop or in the microwave. I like to freeze individual servings for easy lunches at home, to pack for school or for the office.
- Serve with cornbread or toasted baguette.