Southwestern Potato Corn Chowder

Potato Corn Chowder full of all the goodness of the classic chowder, loaded with tons of southwestern flavor-- peppers, chiles, black beans, cumin, and chili powder! It's seriously good.

This Southwest Corn and Potato Chowder is hearty and has tons of flavor.  On the night that I was working on this recipe (many years ago, I'm finally updating the pictures for this recipe!), I was craving tacos, but I had already prepped that morning to make a regular corn and potato chowder. So like any reasonable person, I spent 3 hours developing a soup recipe that should have taken 30 minutes to make.

Thankfully, it won't take YOU that long to make this. 🙂

Why This Recipe Works

This potato corn chowder recipe is delightful for a few reasons! It combines zesty southwest flavors like green chilies, cumin, and chipotle chilies, with a creamy soup base of potatoes and corn. This creamy soup base is made possible by making a basic Monterrey Jack cheese sauce and stirring it into the soup at the end. This brings the creamy and cheesy factor into the soup BIG TIME and ties the whole thing together.

How to Make Southwestern Potato Corn Chowder

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium heat until it starts to shimmer. Place onions and garlic in oil and let cook until the onion begins to soften-- about 6 minutes.
2. Add in the cumin and chili powder and stir until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and diced potatoes to the pot, bring to a low boil, cover and cook until the potatoes pierce easily with a fork.-- about 20 minutes.
3. Once the potatoes are cooked, stir the corn, beans, and green chilies into the broth and potatoes.
4. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Once butter is melted, stir in the flour and cook, continually stirring for a minute.
5. Gradually stir in milk and continue to stir, making sure to clean the bottom of the pan with each stir, so it doesn't burn. As it comes to a boil, the mixture will start to thicken. Continue to stir and cook for 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Add the cheese sauce into the broth mixture and stir until well combined.
6.  Season with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, adding more depending on the salt content of the broth you used. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro and a spoonful of pico de gallo if desired.

Tips for Making the BEST Corn and Potato Chowder

• Cut your potatoes into even pieces-- If your potatoes are cut into pieces that are about the same size, they will cook evenly. This prevents some of the pieces to be mushy and others overdone.
• Bloom your spices! In step #2 you'll add the spices to the hot pan and cook until fragrant. This step will allow the spices to release their flavor oils and create a more flavorful soup!
• Season, season, season! The key to delicious corn and potato chowder is building layers of flavor. You're doing this by browning your onions, blooming your spices, and making a separate cheese sauce to stir in. Make sure to season each step with a little bit of salt and make sure to taste it at the end and season to taste before serving.

Can You Freeze Potato Corn Chowder?

Milk-based soups don't typically freeze very well because they often separate and curdle upon reheating. I've had some success with warming frozen milk-based soups very slowly, constantly stirring while heating, and adding a little bit of cream while stirring.

What Do You Serve Corn Chowder With?

This Southwest Corn Chowder is best served with cornbread or corn chips, some fresh pico de gallo, and some diced avocado.

What Is The Difference Between Soup and Chowder

Soups are typically thinner with more broth, while chowders are thicker with ingredients cut into larger pieces.

How Do I Thicken Potato Corn Chowder?

Chowder is traditionally thickened by a roux (flour + butter) and is added to the recipe before the broth is introduced into the pan. If your chowder needs to be thickened after it's cooked, combine a couple of tablespoons of flour or cornstarch with some cold broth or water and whisk into the chowder. Bring the soup to a boil, and cook, stirring for one minute.

What Type of Potatoes Should I Use For Potato Corn Chowder?

It depends on the results you're looking for. Starchy potatoes, like russets, break down more quickly and create a thicker chowder base. Choose a waxy potato like Yukon gold if you'd like your potatoes to stay in-tact after cooking.

How to Make Potato Corn Chowder In The Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Slow Cooker Directions

1. Combine onion, garlic, chicken broth, potatoes, corn, black beans, chiles, cumin, chili powder, and salt in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or 6 hours on low, or until the potatoes are tender.
2. Cook cheese sauce, as stated in the recipe, and stir into the slow cooker.
3. If chowder is too thin, combine two tablespoons of corn starch with ¼ cup cold water and whisk into the chowder. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until thickened.

Instant Pot Directions

1. In the Instant Pot, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in cumin and chili powder and cook, stirring for one minute more or until fragrant. Stir in chicken broth, potatoes, corn, black beans, and chiles. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes.
2. Cook cheese sauce, as stated in the recipe, and stir into the Instant Pot.
3. Season to taste with salt and serve.

Southwest Potato and Corn Chowder

This Southwest Potato and Corn Chowder is full of all the goodness of classic corn and potato chowder and loaded with tons of southwestern flavor-- peppers, chiles, black beans, cumin, and chili powder!

By Heather Cheney

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 cups russet potatoes peeled and diced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ ½ whole medium onion diced
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• ▢ 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• ▢ 14.5 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
• ▢ 15 ounces canned corn or frozen
• ▢ 4 ounces canned diced green chiles
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 2 tablespoons flour
• ▢ 12 ounces evaporated milk
• ▢ 1 cup Monterrey Jack Cheese grated
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

• In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium heat until it starts to shimmer. Place onions and garlic in oil and let cook until the onion starts to soften-- about 6 minutes.
• Add in the cumin and chili powder and stir until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and diced potatoes to the pot, bring to a low boil, cover and cook until the potatoes pierce easily with a fork.-- about 20 minutes. 
• Once the potatoes are cooked, stir the corn, beans, and green chilies into the broth and potatoes.
• Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Once melted stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for a minute. 
• Gradually stir in the milk and continue to stir, making sure to clean the bottom of the pan with each stir so it doesn't burn. As it comes to a boil, the mixture will start to thicken. 
• Continue to stir and cook for 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.
• Add the cheese sauce into the broth mixture and stir until well combined. Season with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, adding more depending on the salt content of the broth you used. Stir in cilantro and serve topped with fresh pico de gallo.

Chef's Notes:

• Cut your potatoes into even pieces-- If your potatoes are cut into pieces that are about the same size they will cook evenly. This prevents some of the pieces to be mushy and others overdone.
• Bloom your spices! In step #2 you'll add the spices to the hot pan and cook until fragrant. This step will allow the spices to release their flavor oils and create a more flavorful soup!
• Season, season, season! The key to delicious corn and potato chowder is building layers of flavor. You're doing this by browning your onions, blooming your spices, and making a separate cheese sauce to stir in. Make sure to season each step with a little bit of salt and make sure to taste it at the end and season to taste before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 429 kcal

Useful Tools For This Recipe

Heavy Bottomed Pot

Chef Knife

Whisk

Cheese Grater

Saucepan

Nutrition and Food Safety Disclosure

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