Today, I want to share a super quick and easy recipe for chili corn chowder. I love to make this recipe in the middle of winter when it is nice and cold out, or during the long rainy summer on a particularly bleak and dreary day. Something about the spices just brightens up the whole house. This is a fantastic recipe because of its simplicity and because everything gets tossed into one pot. I don’t know about you, but anything I can get cooked relatively quickly with very little mess or cleanup is a good thing in my hectic life.

Ingredients

¼ C canola oil
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
¼ C coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large red pepper, seeded and sliced
3 C frozen yellow corn
3 potatoes, unpeeled and sliced
8 oz canned green chilies mild, drained
4 C chicken broth (or more if needed)
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot over medium heat, start by adding your ¼ cup of canola oil. I love cooking with canola oil because it is a heart healthy oil with a high smoke point making it a super versatile baking, cooking, and frying oil.

Next, add the large onion and the 3 cloves of thinly sliced garlic. Give everything a quick stir before adding your large seeded red pepper slices, and 3 thinly sliced potatoes. Continue cooking and stirring the vegetables as needed for 3 to 5 minutes until the onion wilts and becomes soft.

Then pour the 4 cups of chicken broth and cumin over the cooked vegetables and stir well to help evenly distribute the spices throughout the soup. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Next add 3 cups of frozen corn, ¼ cup of coarsely chopped cilantro, and 8 oz of mild canned green chilies. Mix the soup well and season with 1 teaspoon salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. If it looks as though a substantial amount of your chicken broth has evaporated during cooking process you can add a little bit more, but don’t worry about it too much. If the soup has a little less water it will just become more of a thick and hearty stew.

Continue cooking the soup for another 10 to 15 minutes until everything is heated through and the vegetables are all tender. At this point taste everything and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Once the soup is ready and everything is hot and tender use a stick blender or food processor to blend the soup. If you are using the food processor to blend the soup, remember to remove the core on the lid before blending. This allows the soup to vent some of the steam and saves you a mess. You can make this as smooth or chunky as you like, but I prefer it a bit chunky. To me, it makes the soup feel hearty and more satisfying. If you decide to make the soup smooth, try adding a bit of extra corn to the top of each bowl to give it a bit more texture, this also doubles as a nice garnish. Before serving the soup, sprinkle a little bit of cilantro on top of each bowl as a garnish that adds a bit of color and an amazing aroma.

If unexpected company or dinner guests arrive, I can make this meal stretch a bit farther by serving it alongside of a nice tossed salad and hearty helping of cornbread. Adding a salad and cornbread can help to make the meal feel a bit fancier and substantial. If you or your guests are vegetarian, you can substitute a good quality vegetable stock for the chicken broth, and it won’t hurt things a bit.

That is it! This recipe really is super simple, but very practical and versatile. I can get everything for this recipe sliced and ready for the pot in ten minutes while my family gets unpacked and cleaned up from our day. Or if I had free time during the day, everything for this recipe can be prepared, chopped, and waiting in the fridge for a quick toss into the soup pot.

Today, I want to share a super quick and easy recipe for chili corn chowder. I love to make this recipe in the middle of winter when it is nice and cold out, or during the long rainy summer on a particularly bleak and dreary day. Something about the spices just brightens up the whole house. This is a fantastic recipe because of its simplicity and because everything gets tossed into one pot. I don’t know about you, but anything I can get cooked relatively quickly with very little mess or cleanup is a good thing in my hectic life.

Ingredients

¼ C canola oil
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
¼ C coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large red pepper, seeded and sliced
3 C frozen yellow corn
3 potatoes, unpeeled and sliced
8 oz canned green chilies mild, drained
4 C chicken broth (or more if needed)
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot over medium heat, start by adding your ¼ cup of canola oil. I love cooking with canola oil because it is a heart healthy oil with a high smoke point making it a super versatile baking, cooking, and frying oil.

Next, add the large onion and the 3 cloves of thinly sliced garlic. Give everything a quick stir before adding your large seeded red pepper slices, and 3 thinly sliced potatoes. Continue cooking and stirring the vegetables as needed for 3 to 5 minutes until the onion wilts and becomes soft.

Then pour the 4 cups of chicken broth and cumin over the cooked vegetables and stir well to help evenly distribute the spices throughout the soup. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Next add 3 cups of frozen corn, ¼ cup of coarsely chopped cilantro, and 8 oz of mild canned green chilies. Mix the soup well and season with 1 teaspoon salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. If it looks as though a substantial amount of your chicken broth has evaporated during cooking process you can add a little bit more, but don’t worry about it too much. If the soup has a little less water it will just become more of a thick and hearty stew.

Continue cooking the soup for another 10 to 15 minutes until everything is heated through and the vegetables are all tender. At this point taste everything and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Once the soup is ready and everything is hot and tender use a stick blender or food processor to blend the soup. If you are using the food processor to blend the soup, remember to remove the core on the lid before blending. This allows the soup to vent some of the steam and saves you a mess. You can make this as smooth or chunky as you like, but I prefer it a bit chunky. To me, it makes the soup feel hearty and more satisfying. If you decide to make the soup smooth, try adding a bit of extra corn to the top of each bowl to give it a bit more texture, this also doubles as a nice garnish. Before serving the soup, sprinkle a little bit of cilantro on top of each bowl as a garnish that adds a bit of color and an amazing aroma.

If unexpected company or dinner guests arrive, I can make this meal stretch a bit farther by serving it alongside of a nice tossed salad and hearty helping of cornbread. Adding a salad and cornbread can help to make the meal feel a bit fancier and substantial. If you or your guests are vegetarian, you can substitute a good quality vegetable stock for the chicken broth, and it won’t hurt things a bit.

That is it! This recipe really is super simple, but very practical and versatile. I can get everything for this recipe sliced and ready for the pot in ten minutes while my family gets unpacked and cleaned up from our day. Or if I had free time during the day, everything for this recipe can be prepared, chopped, and waiting in the fridge for a quick toss into the soup pot.