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🗝️ Key takeaways
- This is an easy recipe that takes just 15 minutes to make. It's easy on the budget, too.
- Creamy chile corn chowder is a hearty, filling meal on chilly fall evenings. It's perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends.
- Make this vegetarian or spice it up with a couple of easy swaps - be sure to check the Variations and FAQs sections.
As soup season approaches, this quick hatch chile corn chowder is one recipe you're likely to have on repeat.
The silky cumin broth has a robust, delicious flavor. Sweet corn perfectly balances the mild heat of the hatch green chiles.
These not-too-hot peppers add just enough spice that'll leave the whole family begging for more!
📖 Variations
- If you can't find fresh hatch chiles, poblano peppers will work, too!
- For more heat, feel free to add some chipotles in adobo sauce.
- Stir in leftover shredded chicken to make the creamy soup heartier.
- Finish the chowder off with some freshly-grated Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese, if you like.
- Have some leftover fresh corn from the summer's harvest? Go ahead and use it. Otherwise, canned or frozen corn kernels work just fine, too.
🥫 How to store leftovers
No one will complain about eating leftovers with this recipe. In fact, hatch chile corn chowder tastes even better the second time around!
Let the chowder cool a little before portioning it into an airtight container. Keep it in the fridge for up to five days.
Reheat the chowder in a large soup pot on the stove, or pop it in the microwave for quicker results.
From a food safety standpoint, you can freeze hatch chile corn chowder. However, the cream cheese tends to thaw with a very grainy texture, so I don't recommend storing leftovers in the freezer.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: For smooth corn chowder, don't add the cream cheese cold—and don't let it boil. Use just a little heat to keep the soup simmering.
- Have a few extra minutes? Roast (broil) the fresh chiles in your oven until the skin gets blackened and blistery. This will deepen their flavor and give the chowder an extra smoky taste.
- Use pre-diced onion to speed up prep! You can usually find it near the produce section in your local grocery store.
- Does everyone in your family prefer a different spice level? Use canned green chilies instead of hatch. Then, add cayenne or hot sauce when serving for those who want more heat.
- Don't use reduced-fat or low-fat dairy—it'll make your hatch chile corn chowder taste a little watery.
👩🍳 FAQs
Hatch chile peppers can range in heat level, but they're generally similar to or slightly milder than jalapeño peppers. Hatch chiles are unique because their flavor is earthy, and some say it tastes onion-y.
Sure thing. Vegetable stock will work for hatch chile corn chowder.
If you want to add potatoes to your green chile chowder, chop them into small pieces. Then, add them to the pot along with the broth, and let it simmer until they're tender. Finish the recipe as written and enjoy!
📚 Related recipes
- Simmered in the slow cooker all day long, Crockpot Chicken Corn Chowder is so creamy and tastes like homestyle comfort food.
- Spicy, tangy, and full of Tex-Mex flavor, Mexican Street Corn Soup takes a street-food favorite and transforms it into your new favorite dinner.
- This Stuffed Pepper Soup is the easiest way to enjoy the classic flavors you love—but in an easy, hearty, comforting soup!
🍽️ Serve with...
Hatch chile corn chowder pairs perfectly with buttery chicken cream cheese crescent rolls. We make the meal stretch by serving it with a fun side, like these easy homemade tater tots.
Finish things off with key lime pie margaritas or some key lime hatch chile gelato—it's a totally unique dessert that'll have you hooked from the very first bite!
📓 Meal plans in minutes
📞 The last word
Sometimes I add a can of creamed corn for even more corn flavor. You don't need to adjust anything else in the recipe.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Hatch Chile Corn Chowder
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups onion, chopped
- 2 Hatch chiles, may substitute any chile pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 16 ounces corn kernels, I use fire roasted corn, frozen
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup whole milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature, not reduced fat or low fat
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Instructions
- In a large saucepan sauté the onions and chiles in the butter.
- Stir in the flour and cumin.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly for a minute or two.
- Add the corn and chicken stock.
- Bring to a simmer.
- While the soup is simmering mix the milk and cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the cheese has softened.
- Whisk smooth and add slowly to the simmering soup, stirring constantly.
- Heat through, being careful not to boil.
- Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Be sure to let the cream cheese come to room temperature before adding to the soup. Once it's added don't let it boil or your soup may become grainy.
- Have a few extra minutes? Roast (broil) the fresh chiles in your oven until the skin gets blackened and blistery. This will deepen their flavor and give the chowder an extra smoky taste.
- Use pre-diced onion to speed up prep! You can usually find them near the produce section in your local grocery store.
- Does everyone in your family prefer a different spice level? Use canned green chilies instead of hatch. Then, add cayenne or hot sauce when serving for those who want more heat.
- Don't use reduced-fat or low-fat dairy—it'll make your hatch chile corn chowder taste a little watery.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published Sep 13, 2015. Last updated July 18, 2023 for more helpful tips and information and editorial improvements.
✍🏻 A note from Marye...
I know y'all don't always like the stories bloggers tell so when I have one I try to put it at the very bottom so you can read or skip as you like.
You might also like another of my favorites - Mexican Street Corn Soup!
Hatch Chile Corn Chowder is creamy, rich, and just a little spicy. It's perfect for the chilly, drizzly autumn days ahead. It's quick and easy to make and it honestly gets better the next day.
I love soup.
When I was little we had the canned kind and we had it often. My mom was a wonderful woman but cook she was not. When Dad was on one of his many business trips out of town dinner was soup and sandwiches more likely than not. She did make a homemade potato soup that was amazing - I still use the recipe - but anything else?
Campbells.
Oh, I am not complaining. I loved soup then and I love it now. It's just that I really had no idea that you could make soup without the use of a can opener until I was in my own home and in my own kitchen. It was an eye-opening experience.
Since that time I have made a lot of soup and experimented with a lot of recipes... even turning one of my favorite casseroles into stuffed pepper soup.
This easy Hatch Chile Corn Chowder recipe is one of my favorites. My oldest daughter's favorite soup is corn chowder but I think she likes this version even better than the original. Hatch chiles have a distinctive flavor but if they are unavailable poblanos work just fine. If you like a little extra heat you can even pop some canned chipotle in adobo in there but be careful!
I love serving this with chicken cream cheese crescent rolls!
Laura
I LOVE that you added cream cheese to this--gives it so much body and flavor. I am so ready for soup season! I am glad you mention the poblano sub--I know everyone loves hatch chiles, but I don't think I have ever even seen one!
Katie @ Recipe for Perfection
I LOVE corn chowder, and I'm very excited to try a variation with hatch chiles!