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Mexican Street Corn Chicken Soup

If you enjoy the iconic flavor of Mexican Street Corn, you’re going to LOVE this unique, healthy, DELICIOUS Mexican Street Corn Chicken Soup! If you've never tried Mexican Street Corn, welcome to a fabulous new flavor experience!
Course Soup
Cuisine Mexican, TexMex
Keyword Mexican Street Corn Chicken Soup
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 253 kcal
Author Scott Scheuer

Ingredients

For the corn:

  • 6 ears fresh corn husks on

For the soup:

  • 1 tablespoon butter I use salted
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large sweet onion peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 large yellow bell pepper
  • 1 medium shallot peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 medium jalapeno seeds and ribs removed, roughly chopped
  • 4 medium cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 5 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth maybe a bit more to thin
  • 1 medium potato 8-10 ounces (226-283g), peeled and roughly chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To finish:

  • 2½-3 cups leftover or rotisserie chicken cut into bite-size pieces
  • ½ cup sour cream or Mexican crema
  • ½ cup crumbled or grated Cotija cheese
  • freshly grated zest from 1 medium size lime
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice maybe a bit more

For optional garnishes

  • basil and/or cilantro leaves or chopped basil and/or cilantro
  • tortilla strips optional
  • Cotija cheese

For tortilla strips;

  • 6 6- inch corn tortillas
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the corn:

  1. Place 3 ears of corn in the microwave, unhusked. Microwave on high power for 5 minutes (if your microwave is less than 900 watts, cook for 6 minutes. Use a clean kitchen towel or pot holder to remove the corn from the microwave as it will be very hot.
  2. Allow the corn to sit for a few minutes to cool off a bit. Cut off 1½ inches from the bottom (stem end) of each ear. Using the towel or pot holder again to hold on to the silk end of the corn, slide the corn from the husk and silk. It should come out easily. Discard the silks and husks but reserve the bare cobs.
  3. Lay an ear of corn flat on a cutting board and cut the kernels from one side. Turn so the cut side is down and continue to slice the kernels off until all that is left is the bare cob. Transfer the kernels to a medium size bowl and set aside.
  4. Repeat with the other two ears of cooked corn. Then repeat microwaving, husking and cutting corn from the cobs the remaining 3 ears of corn. (Check out the video in the post to see a demonstration of this cooking technique as well as how to slice the kernels from the cobs.)

For the soup:

  1. Heat oil and butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter starts to sizzle just a bit, add the onion, shallot, bell pepper, and jalapeño. Cook for 5-6 minutes until veggies have softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  2. Add 5 cups of the chicken broth, the potato, chili powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper and the reserved stripped cobs to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat and, using a tongs or slotted spoon, remove the corn cobs from the mixture, shaking each one gently to remove any excess moisture. Stripped corn cobs can now be discarded.
  4. Add ½ of the corn and the ½ cup of the Cotija cheese, Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender) puree the soup until smooth. (If using a regular blender, be sure to vent the top to prevent a build-up of steam.)

To finish:

  1. Add the chicken, most of the remaining corn (save a little for garnish, if desired), the sour cream, lime zest and juice. Stir well and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes to rewarm. Taste and add more salt and/or lime juice, as desired. If the soup is too thick, thin with a little extra chicken broth.

  2. Garnish with crumbled cotija cheese, extra corn, basil and/or cilantro leaves or chopped basil and/or cilantro and tortilla strips. Serve and enjoy!

For the tortilla strips:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
  2. Stack tortilla strips on top of each other and cut in half. Stack halves on top of each other then cut cross-wise into thin strips (about ¼-inch thick)
  3. Transfer the tortilla strips to the prepared pan. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the salt. Toss with a tongs or with your hands to coat the strips with oil.
  4. Bake for 15-18 minutes, tossing to redistribute with a tongs every 5 minutes, until golden and crisp. Cool on the sheet pan then store in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.

If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.

Nutritional information does not include the optional garnishes

Nutrition Facts
Mexican Street Corn Chicken Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 253 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Trans Fat 0.1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 60mg20%
Sodium 622mg27%
Potassium 584mg17%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 392IU8%
Vitamin C 52mg63%
Calcium 90mg9%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.