Corn Chowder with Chipotle and Chorizo

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This thick and creamy corn chowder has a little extra kick thanks to the addition of chipotle and chorizo. It’s one of my favorite cold-weather meals.

That’s a lot of alliteration, I know. But this spicy corn chowder is all kinds of awesome, so just go with me on this.

A group of our friends has an annual tradition: The Soup Party.

The rules are simple. Everyone brings a big pot of their favorite soup recipe. We all try everyone else’s soup, and then we vote for the top pick. The winner is awarded with the prized Golden Ladle. It’s an intense competition with some serious bragging rights at stake.

One year, Kevin and I brought a spicy corn chowder with a recipe that came from our friend Troy. I know that bragging is a serious violation of my die-hard Minnesotan values system, but you need to know that when we brought it to The Soup Party, it won the Golden Ladle.

Boom.

Looks good, yeah? That’s because it is.

It’s spicy, so beware of serving it to kids (or adults) who don’t dig spicy stuff. But the sweetness of the corn balances it out a bit. Which equals deeeeelish. I promise!

A few notes on using a blender with this recipe: Using an immersion blender would be ideal. But if you don’t have one, a regular blender can do the trick.

If you use a regular blender, though, beware of some tricky rules when it comes to blending hot liquids. If you don’t leave a little vent open in the lid, pressure will build up in the blender. This is likely to cause the lid to pop off and blended soup will splatter all over your kitchen. (Don’t ask me how I know this. Just trust me.)

To avoid your very own nasty soup splatter nightmare:

• Only blend small portions of soup at a time. I only fill the blender about a quarter full and blend it in small batches.
• Leave the lid vented while you’re blending. Mine has a little piece you can remove that leaves a hole in the center of the lid.
• I keep my hand over the lid and the hole while blending, with a paper towel lightly covering the hole, just in case of soup splashes out.

Other than those little caveats, it’s easy peasy!

5 from 1 vote

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Corn Chowder with Chipotle and Chorizo

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

Spicy and sweet corn chowder made with chorizo and chipotle peppers. Classic fall or winter comfort food! 

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 662 kcal

Author: Jen

Ingredients

• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 24 oz frozen corn
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons chipotles adobo sauce (more if you like it spicier!)
• 12 ounces stewed tomatoes
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 pint heavy cream
• 1 lb chorizo

Instructions

1. Sauté the onion in butter until softened, for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about a minute.
3. Add 16 oz of frozen corn and sauté for 3 additional minutes
4. Add chicken broth, Chipotles, stewed tomatoes
5. Salt and pepper to taste, and add paprika and coriander
6. Bring this mixture to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes
7. As the mixture simmers, cook the chorizo. Then allow the chorizo to cool and slice it into smaller pieces if you're using link-style chorizo. Drain on paper towels to remove any excess grease. Set aside.
8. Add cream to soup mixture, heat for 5 additional minutes while stirring.
9. Remove heat from and use a large straining spoon to get about one cups of corn/onion mixture out and place it in a small bowl. If there are any large chunks of chipotle and tomato included in the corn/onions you set aside, pluck them out and put those large chunks back into the soup to be pureed with the rest of the soup. Set aside that little bowl of corn/onions.
10. Take remaining soup mixture and use either a hand held mixer, food processor or blender to chop down mixture to a puree. (warning! I learned the hard way that you need to allow an opening for the steam to escape when blending hot liquids if you're using a regular blender!)
11. Put the corn/onion mixture you set aside back into pureed soup, along with the remaining frozen corn, as well as the cooked chorizo.
12. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.