Creamy Mexican Corn Chowder

Creamy Mexican Corn Chowder is the feel good chowder of Fall. This hearty chowder is packed with charred corn, red peppers, spicy pepper jack cheese, and Cotija cheese for the perfect finish.

It’s filling enough to be a stand alone dinner, but the light and fresh ingredients all make this a great meal to bring to work for lunch.

Reheat this at the office and I guarantee your coworkers will be asking for the recipe!

Now, I will say my admission is I’m not a fan of soups.

I’ve just neve been a fan of brothy soups, even the comfort food favorite chicken noodle soup. I have a good reason…I think.

To me, soups just remind me of being sick as a kid. Sitting at home and my mom opening up that can of chicken and stars soup. I could’t stand that stuff!

So now, when I think soup I think sick. But thankfully, chowders are a different story. Chowders are a very different story. A chowder to me is comfort. It’s hearty, and warm, and basically a meal in a bowl. Like this Creamy Mexican Corn Chowder.

This chowder truly is a meal in a bowl. It has corn, onions, cheeses, cream, red peppers, cilantro and lime juice. A lovely blend of creamy and spice from the pepper jack cheese and a little chili powder, then finished off with the salty Cotija cheese and fresh lime juice.

Ingredients

So here’s what you need! Oh, and I totally forgot to include the chicken broth int he photo below. Whoops! You definitely need chicken broth.

• 2 10oz bags of frozen corn, cooked
• White onion
• Garlic
• Red pepper
• Black pepper, salt, chili powder, garlic powder
• Pepper jack cheese
• Cotija cheese
• Half & half
• Limes
• Cilantro

When you first cook the corn, you do want some of the kernels to get browned. This is going to give it SO much flavor.

When you add the chicken broth you’ll notice that the broth is now quite brown from the bits from the bottom of the pot. Don’t worry! When you add the cheeses and cream at the end it will help lighten the color of the chowder.

I will say, this isn’t a bright vibrant yellow chowder. The finished dish has a color more like a spicy mustard. A darker yellow.

Cooking tips and Answered Questions

What is Mexican Corn? Well, if we’re making a Mexican Corn chowder you might be wondering what exactly is Mexican Corn! Mexican corn, or Elote, is a savory grilled corn on the cob snack. Covered in spices, lime juice, and Mexican cheeses. It’s amazing basically.

What is Cotija cheese? Cotija is a Mexican salty and crumbly cheese. Although it’s salty, it’s flavor is mild. It’s a great cheese to top on heavy or creamy dishes since the salty will cut through a heavy dish while not adding competing flavors.

Can I substitute another cheese for Cotija? So, my recommendation would be to really try and find the Cotija. To me, it’s unique flavor is really needed to make this a Mexican corn chowder. If you can’t find it, Feta cheese can be used instead. But I say that with the disclaimer that Feta has similar saltiness to Cotija, but Feta has a much more robust and strong flavor.

Is this vegetarian? No, it has chicken broth. Substitute vegetable broth if you want to make this a vegetarian chowder.

Is this spicy? No! There’s a little kick of heat from the Pepper Jack cheese and chili powder, but this isn’t a spicy dish. If you want to give this a real kick of heat just increase the chili powder to your liking.

What should I serve on the side? This is so hearty it’s a meal in itself! I just serve mine with some tortilla chips, I love the added crunch.

If you like recipes inspired by Mexican flavors, check out some of these!

Enchilada Tacos
Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Fajita Pasta Bake
Hot Taco Dip

Print