Smoky and Creamy Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder with Bacon

Easy and Delicious Corn Chowder with Poblano Peppers and Bacon! A fun spin on classic corn chowder, with smoky roasted peppers and lime!

JUMP TO RECIPE

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Easy and Delicious Corn Chowder with Poblano Peppers and Bacon!

This Creamy Corn Chowder is a delicious spin on classic corn chowder, with tasty roasted poblano peppers, cream, lime, and a crispy bacon topping!

This Poblano Corn Chowder recipe is perfect for using up late summer produce from the garden, or for any time your craving a hearty bowl of chowder!

Serve this tasty soup with fresh lime wedges, crisp bacon, and fresh cilantro or thinly sliced scallions for a fun Tex-Mex inspired take on classic chowder!

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this creamy and delicious Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder:

• 4-5 large fresh poblano green chiles (to yield 1 cup roasted, peeled, and chopped roasted poblano peppers). The number of poblanos will depend on the size of your peppers.
• Thick-cut Bacon. I use peppered bacon, and it's delicious! I get mine from Aldi.
• 2 tablespoons butter.
• 1 large white or yellow onion, diced.
• Diced celery.
• Fresh garlic cloves, minced.
• kosher salt (coarse), ground cumin, dried oregano (or Mexican oregano), smoked paprika, and freshly ground black pepper.
• Red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 5 cups).
• Low sodium chicken stock or chicken broth.
• Bay leaves.
• Limes.
• A couple cans of corn, drained.
• Heavy cream.

How to make Corn Chowder with Poblano Peppers and Bacon

Here's how to make this tasty, bacon-y corn chowder!

1. Roast peppers and peel, remove seeds, and chop (see recipe card below for full instructions). 
2. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until rendered, stirring occasionally until crisp (about 6 minutes), then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Remove all but 2 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pot. 
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, add butter and melt, then add celery and onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. 
4. Add garlic and cook util just fragrant, 30 seconds.
5. Add salt, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, and pepper and stir. 
6. Add potatoes, stock, and bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat. 
7. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 7-10 minutes until potatoes are cooked through. 
8. Add corn and chopped peppers and simmer 5 minutes more. 
9. Remove bay leaves. 
10. Add cream and lime juice and simmer for 5 minutes. (Recommended: For thicker soup, blend some of the soup with an immersion blender being careful not to blend all, or remove a portion and blend with a traditional blender or food processor, and add back to the pot). 
11. Serve hot with lime wedges and reserved crispy bacon. (see recipe card below for full instructions and ingredients list)

Roasting the Poblano Peppers

On a gas stove

To roast the poblano peppers, turn the flame on a gas stovetop on high heat, and place the poblano peppers directly onto the grates (open flame) of your stove.

Using heat-proof tongs, turn the poblanos frequently to ensure charring on all sides of the peppers. After the peppers are charred on all sides, place them into a small bowl, and cover with plastic wrap to help them steam, and make the charred skin easier to remove.

Let the poblanos sit for about 20 minutes in the covered bowl until they are cool enough to handle with your hands, and peel the skin off the outside using a paper towel for easy skin removal.

Discard charred skin, and remove seeds and stem from the peppers. If needed, run the insides of the peppers under cool water to remove all the seeds.

Oven Roasting

Place the peppers on a lightly greased (with oil or cooking spray) foil lined baking sheet, and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees, flipping halfway to ensure good charring. Place them into a bowl as you would with the above method and follow steps for skin and seed removal.

What to serve with the chowder

This hearty Corn Chowder with Poblano Peppers and Bacon goes great with some fresh baked cornbread, crusty bread, or warmed tortillas (or crushed tortilla chips)!

Storing and Reheating

Store cooled leftover chowder in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days! To freeze omit the cream, and add when thawed and reheated for best results.

Substitutions and Additions

This Smoky Corn Chowder with Poblano Peppers and Bacon is easily adapted to work with your personal preferences, as well as with what you have on hand in your refrigerator and pantry. Here are some great swaps and additions you can use to make this hearty soup your own.

• Use veggie broth in place of the chicken broth.
• Top with fresh cilantro for a fresh herby flavor!
• Dollop on some sour cream for extra flavor and creaminess!
• Try Yukon gold potatoes in place of the red potatoes.
• Use fresh ears of corn in place of the canned corn! You'll need about 6 corn cobs to equal the cans of corn, which amount to 3 cups of corn kernels.
• Add a dash of chili powder or cayenne for some extra heat!
• Use canned green chiles in place of the fresh roasted peppers (adjust amount accordingly to spice level of peppers).
• Try a red onion instead of a yellow onion.
• Add some diced red pepper!
• Use an immersion blender, food processor, or regular blender to blend part of the soup and add it back to the pot for a thicker consistency.
• Swap the bacon for Mexican chorizo! Follow the same steps, and remove before adding the other ingredients, then stir back in at the end of the cooking time!
• Top with thinly sliced green onion for a fresh topping!
• Try swapping the heavy cream for coconut milk.

More delicious soup recipes!

If you love this Easy and Delicious Corn Chowder with Poblano Peppers and Bacon, you'll love these tasty soup recipes, too!

• Creamy Chicken and Roasted Poblano Soup
• Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup with Pancetta and Chard
• Chorizo Chicken Taco Soup
• Loaded Potato Soup

© Jawns I Cooked. All images & content are the sole property of Jawns I Cooked. Please ask permission prior to using my photos. If you would like to share one of my recipes, please link back to this post and re-write the instructions in your own words.