Why you’ll like this one

Late September is an excellent moment for this soup. Ontario corn is winding down, evenings are cooling off, and a bowl of chowder suddenly sounds much more appealing than it did during August.

The trick here is charring the corn and poblanos first. That little bit of blackening brings out the corn’s sweetness and gives the broth a subtle smoky flavour before any spices enter the picture.

Instead of thickening the chowder with flour and lots of cream, we’ll purée some of the potatoes, corn and broth. The starch from the potato does most of the thickening naturally, while a modest amount of milk added at the end gives it a creamy finish.

🏅 Big-Batch Winner • Best season: late summer through autumn • Difficulty: easy • Freezer rating: excellent with one adjustment

Ingredients—6 servings

  • 1½ lb / 680 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil, divided
  • 4 cups fresh corn kernels, from about 5–6 ears, or frozen corn, thawed
  • 2 poblano peppers
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ¾ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional
  • 1½ lb / 680 g Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp kosher salt initially, plus more as needed
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Big-batch ingredients—12 servings

Use an 8-quart or larger stockpot. Char the corn in batches so it browns rather than steams.

  • 3 lb / 1.36 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 tbsp olive or avocado oil, divided
  • 8 cups fresh corn kernels, from about 10–12 ears, or frozen corn, thawed
  • 4 poblano peppers
  • 2 medium yellow onions, diced
  • 4 celery stalks, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional
  • 3 lb / 1.36 kg Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 12 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt initially, plus more after tasting
  • 2 cups milk
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice initially, plus more to taste
  • 6 green onions, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Method

  1. Heat your oven broiler to high and position a rack about 6 inches below the heat.
  2. Place the whole poblano peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil for 8–12 minutes, turning occasionally, until the skins are blistered and blackened in several places.
  3. Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with a plate for about 10 minutes. The trapped steam will loosen their skins.
  4. Peel away most of the blackened skin, remove the stems and seeds, then roughly chop the peppers. Don’t worry about removing every black fleck. A few are welcome.
  5. While the peppers steam, heat a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat.
  6. Add approximately half the oil and half the corn in a reasonably open layer.
  7. Leave it alone for 2–3 minutes. Corn won’t char if it’s being constantly chased around the pot with a spoon.
  8. Stir and continue cooking until several kernels develop dark golden or lightly blackened spots, about 5 minutes total.
  9. Transfer the corn to a bowl and repeat with the remaining corn. For the 12-serving batch, work in several batches.
  10. Add the remaining oil to the pot.
  11. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season lightly with some of the salt and black pepper.
  12. Add the chicken and cook for 3–4 minutes per side until nicely browned. It does not need to cook through.
  13. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
  14. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and celery.
  15. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes translucent and begins picking up some of the browned flavour left by the chicken and corn.
  16. Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano and optional red pepper flakes.
  17. Cook for approximately 30–45 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
  18. Pour in about 1 cup of the chicken stock and scrape the bottom thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
  19. Add the potatoes, remaining stock, chopped poblanos and approximately three-quarters of the charred corn. Reserve the rest.
  20. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot.
  21. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer partially covered for approximately 18–20 minutes.
  22. Remove the chicken to a clean cutting board.
  23. Check the potatoes. They should be completely tender when pierced with a knife.
  24. Transfer approximately 3 cups of soup, making sure you get plenty of potatoes and corn, to a blender and carefully purée until smooth. Alternatively, briefly use an immersion blender directly in the pot while deliberately leaving most of the soup chunky.
  25. Return the purée to the pot and stir well. The broth should immediately become thicker and creamier.
  26. Shred or chop the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and return it to the soup.
  27. Add the reserved charred corn.
  28. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the milk.
  29. Warm gently for 3–4 minutes. Do not bring the chowder to a hard boil after adding the milk.
  30. Remove the pot from the heat.
  31. Stir in the lime juice, most of the green onions and most of the cilantro or parsley.
  32. Taste before adding more salt. The chowder should taste sweet from the corn, gently smoky from the poblanos and paprika, and noticeably brighter after the lime.
  33. Ladle into bowls and finish with the remaining green onions and herbs.

The flavour finish

Fresh lime is what keeps this chowder from becoming too sweet or heavy. Corn becomes noticeably sweeter when charred, while potatoes and milk soften the overall flavour of the broth. Lime supplies the contrast.

Add it only after the chowder comes off the heat. Taste the soup before and after adding it and you’ll notice that the poblano, cumin and smoked paprika suddenly become much easier to distinguish.

If the soup seems flat but already salty enough, add another squeeze of lime rather than automatically reaching for the salt shaker.

Make it your own

  • Shrimp version: Omit the chicken. Prepare the soup as directed, then add 1½ lb / 680 g peeled shrimp during the final 3–4 minutes of cooking, just until opaque.
  • Vegetarian: Omit the chicken and use vegetable stock. Add one drained 540 mL / 19 oz can of white beans when you add the potatoes. Purée some of the beans along with the vegetables for extra body and protein.
  • Spicier version: Leave some poblano seeds behind or add one minced jalapeño with the onion. Hot sauce can also be served at the table.
  • Extra vegetables: Add one diced red bell pepper with the onion and celery, or stir in 2 cups chopped spinach immediately before adding the milk.
  • Gluten-free: The soup is naturally gluten-free when your stock, spices and other packaged ingredients are certified gluten-free where necessary.

Freeze, store and reheat

For the best freezer results, freeze the chowder before adding the milk, lime juice and fresh herbs. Prepare the soup through returning the shredded chicken and reserved corn to the pot, then cool it promptly.

Divide into approximately 3-cup containers for convenient two-person meals. Leave about ½ inch of headspace in rigid containers and freeze for up to 3 months for best quality.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator whenever possible. Reheat gently in a saucepan until steaming throughout. For each 3-cup portion, stir in approximately ⅓ cup milk after the soup is hot. Keep the heat low and don’t boil. Finish with fresh lime, green onion and herbs.

If you’ve already added the milk before deciding to freeze the leftovers, the soup can still be frozen. Reheat it slowly while stirring rather than boiling it vigorously. The texture may be slightly less smooth but will still taste very good.

Health Canada lists soup at 2–3 days in a refrigerator at 4°C / 40°F or colder and up to 4 months in a freezer at −18°C / 0°F. This recipe’s 3-month recommendation prioritizes best quality.

Batch-cooking tip

If you’re making the 12-serving batch while fresh corn is inexpensive, don’t stand at the counter cutting kernels from a dozen cobs and then throw the cobs away.

After removing the kernels, put the stripped cobs into a large pot with your chicken stock and gently simmer them for about 20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. Remove the cobs before adding the stock to the soup.

They release a surprising amount of sweet corn flavour into the broth, effectively giving you a free ingredient from something that was headed for the compost bin.

You can also freeze raw corn kernels flat in bags while they’re in season. They’ll be ready for another batch when February makes September corn seem like a distant memory.

What to serve with it

  • Tomato and avocado salad with lime
  • Warm cornbread
  • Cabbage slaw with a light cider dressing
  • Toasted whole-grain bread with garlic

Nutrition snapshot

Estimated per serving. These figures will vary depending on the chicken, milk, corn, stock and exact ingredients used.

  • Calories: approximately 455
  • Protein: approximately 34 g
  • Carbohydrates: approximately 55 g
  • Fibre: approximately 7 g
  • Fat: approximately 13 g
For a lower-sodium version, use unsalted or very low-sodium chicken stock and season primarily at the end. Charred corn, roasted poblano, cumin, smoked paprika and lime create enough flavour that the chowder doesn’t need to depend heavily on salt.

Cook’s note

Fresh corn has two useful personalities. Cook it gently and it stays juicy, delicate and sweet. Put it against a properly hot pan and leave it alone long enough to brown, and those same sugars begin to caramelize, producing a much deeper, almost toasted flavour. Using some corn blended into the broth and some charred kernels left whole gives this chowder both personalities in the same bowl.