Mexican Street-Corn Chowder
By Russell SelanderPublished on July 21, 2025
Time
35 minutes
Yield
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided2 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin4 garlic cloves, minced, divided1¼ teaspoons chili powder, divided2 ounces Mexican-style chorizo sausage, casings removed4 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs, or 3½ cups frozen⅛ teaspoon table salt 1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsleyLime wedges
Before You Begin
If you don’t have a blender, an immersion blender or a food processor would also work. For a creamy topping and even more brightness, dollop with crema or a mix of sour cream and lime juice.
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add 2 stemmed and seeded poblano chiles, sliced thin and cook until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1 minced garlic clove and ¼ teaspoon chili powder and cook until fragrant. Transfer to bowl, cover with aluminum foil, and set aside until ready to serve. In now-empty saucepan, heat remaining 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add 2 ounces Mexican-style chorizo sausage with casings removed and cook until browned, about 3 minutes, breaking up meat with wooden spoon. Using slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to bowl with poblanos, covering with foil to keep warm.
- Pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from pan. (If necessary, add oil to equal 1 teaspoon.) Add 3½ cups corn kernels and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 3 minced garlic cloves, ¾ teaspoon chili powder, and ⅛ teaspoon table salt and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in 1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth, scraping up browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until corn is tender, 2 minutes.
- Process 2 cups soup in blender until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir pureed soup into remaining soup in saucepan, adjusting consistency with hot water as needed, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Off heat, top with poblano-chorizo mixture, ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, and remaining ¼ teaspoon chili powder. Serve with lime wedges. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
Time
35 minutesYield
Serves 2Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
2 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1¼ teaspoons chili powder, divided
2 ounces Mexican-style chorizo sausage, casings removed
4 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs, or 3½ cups frozen
⅛ teaspoon table salt
1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Lime wedges
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
2 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1¼ teaspoons chili powder, divided
2 ounces Mexican-style chorizo sausage, casings removed
4 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs, or 3½ cups frozen
⅛ teaspoon table salt
1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Lime wedges
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
2 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1¼ teaspoons chili powder, divided
2 ounces Mexican-style chorizo sausage, casings removed
4 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs, or 3½ cups frozen
⅛ teaspoon table salt
1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Lime wedges
Why This Recipe Works
We love the salty, spicy, tangy, rich flavors of elote, the popular (and messy) Mexican street corn—so much so that we turned it into an easy-to-eat soup that feels like a treat. Because this snack is all about the toppings, we doubled down—first sautéing poblano chiles for vegetal depth, and then cooking up Mexican chorizo until it turned deliciously crispy and rendered some flavorful fat, which we used to toast our corn. After adding aromatics and broth to the corn, we pureed most of it until creamy, leaving some corn kernels whole for a pleasant chunky texture.
Before You Begin
If you don’t have a blender, an immersion blender or a food processor would also work. For a creamy topping and even more brightness, dollop with crema or a mix of sour cream and lime juice.
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add 2 stemmed and seeded poblano chiles, sliced thin and cook until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1 minced garlic clove and ¼ teaspoon chili powder and cook until fragrant. Transfer to bowl, cover with aluminum foil, and set aside until ready to serve. In now-empty saucepan, heat remaining 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add 2 ounces Mexican-style chorizo sausage with casings removed and cook until browned, about 3 minutes, breaking up meat with wooden spoon. Using slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to bowl with poblanos, covering with foil to keep warm.
- Pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from pan. (If necessary, add oil to equal 1 teaspoon.) Add 3½ cups corn kernels and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 3 minced garlic cloves, ¾ teaspoon chili powder, and ⅛ teaspoon table salt and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in 1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth, scraping up browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until corn is tender, 2 minutes.
- Process 2 cups soup in blender until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir pureed soup into remaining soup in saucepan, adjusting consistency with hot water as needed, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Off heat, top with poblano-chorizo mixture, ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, and remaining ¼ teaspoon chili powder. Serve with lime wedges. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
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