Hi friends! I don’t know about where you live, but in Indiana [note: I live in Austin now!], it’s not often that you get a Hurricane Alert on your phone! Late last week I saw an alert pop up for Tropical Storm Gordon and the weather soon changed to gloomy with loads of rain and the chill of Fall was in the air for the weekend. Since it was chilly AND it was the opening day of football, I decided we needed some comfort food. In the spirit of keeping summer around as long as possible, I wanted to use fresh sweet corn and dinner quickly turned into chowder!
Do You Enjoy Spice in Your Chowder?
We really like spicy food in our house. Even Mya, who is 9, has started asking for more spice in her dinners. She had hot sauce instead of mild last Taco Tuesday and had a jalapeno sausage pig-in-a-blanket over the weekend. (yum!) This excites me as I no longer have to separate hers from the other three of us in the house who like spicy food! This corn chowder with potatoes and jalapeno is very versatile and if you like heat, you can add as much japaleno as you’d like. I used 1/2 jalapeno in the chowder and garnished with more when serving to those who wanted even more heat. If you don’t enjoy spicy food, this chowder is EXCELLENT without any jalapeno at all.
One Creamy Corn Chowder with Potatoes and Jalapeno
This chowder is both easy and super flavorful and as a bonus…it’s made in one pot! Let’s get going and you will have a delicious meal on the table in under an hour!
Start your prep work by measuring your half and half. You can then let it come to room temperature on the counter (important!) while you get the remaining ingredients ready. Next, cut your fresh corn off the ears, dice your potatoes (I leave the skin on, but peel if you prefer), and dice the jalapeno. Get the remaining ingredients out and ready to throw in the pot as you go.
Once all of your ingredients are ready, heat your pot or dutch oven to medium-low heat and melt the butter. Once melted,
I used water with Better Than Bouillon (get it here) to boost the flavor and I highly suggest you use this or vegetable or chicken stock. Water will work, but you’ll probably need more seasoning in the end as it will lose flavor from the base. Slowly whisk in your water and base or stock and then the half and half.
Enjoy!
Next, you’ll add the seasonings and spice and let it all hang out on a low simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the doneness of the potatoes and your seasoning and adjust as needed. I love the full flavor in this dish. You’ll get fresh sweetness from the corn, creaminess from the potatoes and earthiness from the Old Bay seasoning with just a touch of heat from the jalapeno. It’s really a perfect balance of flavors, if you ask me!
I hope you love this corn chowder with potatoes and jalapeno as much as my entire family did! Some of us had it with fresh bread and some with crackers and it was great with both, but most importantly, it is terrific on its own.
Since I’m always thinking about my next dish, I think the way to elevate this chowder is with lump crab. Drool.
Thank you!
I really appreciate you checking out Mindful in the Kitchen! It means a lot that you’re here and I hope you subscribe (up on the left) so you’ll never miss a recipe! If you make this or any of my recipes, please tag me on Instagram and I’ll share your posts!
Thanks again – I’ll see you soon with another yummy creation 🙂 – Tiffany xo
Corn Chowder with Potatoes and Jalapeno
- 3 ears fresh corn cut off the cob, approx 2 cups (or 16 oz frozen)
- 2 cups diced potatoes (I used baby dutch yellow)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 5 tbsp flour
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 3 cups water (or veg/chicken stock)
- 1 1/2 tsp Better than Bouillon, Vegetable or Chicken (omit if using stock)
- 1 cup half & half (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 tsp dry)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 jalapeno, finely diced (lessen amount, remove seeds, or omit if heat sensitivity)
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Dice the potatoes and set aside.
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Cut corn off the ears or remove frozen corn from the freezer and set aside.
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Finely dice the jalapeno and set aside.
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In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter and then slowly whisk in the 5 tbsp plus 1 tsp of flour until completely combined.
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Slowly whisk in the Better than Bouillon to melt and then add the water.
Note: You can substitute stock of any kind for the water/bouillon combo.
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Slowly whisk in the room temperature half and half.
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Add the Old Bay, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaves and stir to combine.
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Add diced potatoes, fresh or frozen corn, and finely diced jalapeno to the pot. If you’re not sure about the heat level, start with 1/4-1/2 jalapeno and adjust later or skip altogether and let each person add to their liking once complete.
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Simmer on med-low for 45 minutes.
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TASTE! Check potato doneness. Thin with additional stock or water, if needed. Adjust seasonings if needed.
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Serve and enjoy immediately!!
This looks so delicious Tiffany! You always have creative recipes. I love spicy and can’t wait to try this one.