A recipe for poblano corn chowder with shredded chicken or other white meat; I used grouse. Basically a Southwestern or Mexican corn chowder, this makes a great late summer or early autumn supper.

I’ve had poblano corn chowder in Arizona before, although to be honest I think the chiles were green, Hatch-style chiles (sold as Anaheims in supermarkets). Green chiles and corn are a natural match, and this chowder can be as easy or as fancy as you want to make it.

I was inspired to make this after a friend gave me a few ears of fresh sweet corn. I wanted to use the whole cob, not just the kernels.

At its core, you can make this recipe with boxed chicken broth, canned green chiles and frozen corn, and leftover shredded chicken. It’ll be fine. But there are a few extra steps you can take to make this chowder extra special.

Corn Chowder Broth

First is the broth. A truly great broth is homemade, and this one’s easy.

For the recipe testing, I used a whole grouse, some vegetables, herbs and the cobs of four ears of corn.

Yes, the cobs. Using fresh corn on the cob for a poblano corn chowder adds a ton of flavor because you slice off the kernels for the chowder later, but use the cobs to make the broth. They add body and a strong corn flavor to it.

Cooking a chicken, game hens, pheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit or other white meat in this broth boosts the flavor even more. You then shred that meat and use it in the chowder.

Beyond those two elements, just add standard mirepoix — chopped onion, carrot and celery — plus some bay leaves and maybe a handful of dried mushrooms if you have some.

Poblanos for Chowder

So I don’t mind roasting my own poblanos or other green chiles at home. I burn the skins all over on my gas range, then put the peppers in a bowl, cover it with a plate or something to let them steam for 20 minutes or so, then I use a butter knife to scrape off the charred skins.

Remove the tops, the seeds and chop and you’re good to go. If you do this, the chiles will be firmer, and more flavorful, than if you use canned ones. You’ll also get flecks of char, which adds yet another layer of flavor.

Frozen are a great option, and you can definitely use chiles pasados — roasted green chiles that are then dried — here, but you may need to simmer the chowder a little longer to soften them.

If you can’t find poblanos for the chowder, use Anaheims or better yet, actual Hatch chiles. In a pinch you can use green bell pepper, but it’s not the same.

Fun Add ons

I happened to have some fresh chanterelle mushrooms lying around, and my squash vines are in full flower. Both foods are yellow, like my corn, so I added them into the poblano corn chowder and it came out great.

You don’t need to do this — don’t go looking all over God’s creation for chanterelles if you don’t want to — but adding some additional yellow ingredients makes things more fun.

If you have yellow bell peppers, yellow tomatoes (halved Sungold tomatoes added at the last minute would be amazing), or yellow summer squash, use that.

Before I decided to make this a poblano corn chowder, I thought I’d use tarragon as the herb of choice. But once I went Southwest, I used Mexicna oregano. But any fresh herb you like will do; cilantro, parsley, yes tarragon, even rosemary and sage would work.

Chowder Thickness

OK, my family’s clam chowder is creamy but brothy, not thick. That influences how I think about chowders, so mine are all brothy-creamy.

To that end, I puree a little of the chowder and add it back to the pot, then I add heavy cream. But, if you want a thicker corn chowder, my advice would be to puree up to half of the batch — before you add the poblanos.

You need to do that because if you puree green chile with all those yellow ingredients, the result will be muddy looking. If you don’t care, no biggie. It won’t hurt anything taste-wise.

Serving and Storing

Poblano corn chowder is great on its own as a light meal, but it shines even more served alongside cornbread, and if you’re a chile head like I am, green chile cornbread is even better.

Alternatives would be crusty bread, or, if you want to bulk up the chowder itself, potatoes or cooked rice. I actually added cooked wild rice to mine after the initial night so I could eat it as a complete meal for leftover lunches.

The chowder will store for a week in the fridge, but it won’t freeze well unless you freeze it without the cream. You can do that, then add the cream when you thaw it out.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below; I’d love to hear how everything went. If you’re on Instagram, share a picture and tag me at huntgathercook.