Creamed Corn with Green Chile, Cream Cheese and Honey
This post has kindly been supported by The Hatch Chile Store. All thoughts and opinions are my own (and highly persuasive).
This crazy delicious creamed corn recipe made with cream cheese and canned corn is knock-your-socks-off tasty good.
As a kid, did you ever run to the trash right after you were served creamed corn straight from the can? That sad pittiful concoction deserves no shelf space at any grocery store. Ever.
And for the longest time I thought that I hated creamed corn.
Last year I went to a friends’ party and she served up an ah-maz-ing creamed corn. What did she put in that stuff?? After my second bite I thought, “green chile would be great in this”. I picked up her recipe, did some research on other creamed corn recipes, and decided to create my own must-try addicting creamed corn recipe.
Why does cream cheese make creamed corn taste so good?
Corn is high in sucrose, a naturally occuring sugar. Combined with creamy high-fat cream cheese (which is easily dissolved in liquids) your taste buds get to savor sugar and fat, which human bodies are programmed to crave.
It is our human nature to have cravings for rich fatty foods, and likewise our taste buds are programmed to also enjoy sweet sugary foods as well. Naturally, a paring of these elements will create a food that is more desirable than those flavors alone.
Why add Hatch green chile?
Creamed corn and roasted Hatch green chiles are a match made in heaven. The chiles lend the perfect smoky, earthy note to the corn and compliment it’s sweet flavor with a hint of heat. Their soft texture blends in perfectly with creamed corn. I absolutely love it!
What are Hatch Chile Peppers?
Hatch Chile peppers are world famous for their delicious flavors, produced by the unique climate and soil composition that exists only in the Hatch Valley of Southern New Mexico. These factors combine to grow exceptional-tasting chile peppers with smoky, sweet, and hot flavor notes. More people discover Hatch Chiles each year, and their popularity continues to grow.
Growing up in New Mexico where chile peppers are an integral part of the culture, I know that Hatch chiles have earned a reputation for being the best of the best. I personally only use authentic Hatch in all my cooking because it simply tastes amazing. You should be able to find canned Hatch chile in any supermarket these days, or you can order it directly like I do. Frozen chile is much, much better tasting than canned!
The Hatch Chile Store is the premiere website for ordering your Hatch chile– they are incredibly good at shipping fresh authentic chile right to your door, whatever variety and hotness lever you prefer. It’s where I get all my Hatch Chile, and I must say the flavor really does stand out above any other chile pepper variety.
Head on over now to The Hatch Chile Store to stock up on the most delicious Hatch chile you can buy anywhere- they’ve always got great deals on your favorite products!
Did you know I have a full-color cookbook with lots more easy and delicious New Mexican recipes? You can learn more about it here!
How do you thicken cream cheese in corn?
Uh oh, got watery creamed corn? Here’s the best way to fix it: Mix two tablespoons of cold milk with two teaspoons of corn starch until combined. Pour the mixture into your creamed corn and cook it, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil.
Creamed corn texture can range from very stiff to watery depending on the recipe. It really depends on the cooks personal preference as well. If you want to thicken it, follow the instructions in the above paragraph. If it is too thick, simply stir in a splash or two of milk.
How do you make canned creamed corn taste better?
I have yet to try canned cream corn that was worth a darn. But if that’s all you have to work with, it can be doctored up to something tasting much better! Try this remedy below:
Per 15 oz can: add 1/4 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons milk , 1 tablespoon of salted butter, 1 teaspoon honey or sugar, 1 ounce of softened cream cheese and additional seasonings of your choice like salt and pepper. Stir and cook until cream cheese and butter are melted and combined.
Is creamed corn just blended corn?
Creamed corn is NOT just blended corn. Many home cooks and chefs will stir some blended corn into whole kernels as a part of the recipe. Real creamed corn needs some kind of liquid or sauce added to make it creamy. Corn alone does not have enough moisture in it, even blended, to make corn ‘creamy’.
The creamed corn you buy in a can is one example- it is whole kernels combined with blened kernels, in a ‘sauce’ made from water and corn starch to thicken it.
Most home cooks will blend up a part of their whole kernes and then recombine them with the whole kernels, and a dairy cream based sauce. But some just prefer whole kernels in a cream sauce, no blending at all.
How to make Creamed Corn with Green Chile, Cream Cheese and Honey
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3! Only three steps to this recipe. Melt butter and honey in a frying pan. Add the corn and seasonings and cook for a few minute for the corn to absorb the flavors.
Next, blend some of the corn in a blender and stir the blended corn back into the whole kernels. Add in the cream cheese, milk and green chiles. Then you’re done!
Creamed Corn with Green Chile, Cream Cheese and Honey
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This is the best creamed corn of your life! It hits all the right notes; sweet, smoky, savory, and perfectly seasoned. You can kiss bland creamed corn goodbye forever.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cans sweet corn, drained
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon mild green chile powder
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1–4 tablespoons milk
- 1/3 cup chopped, roasted, peeled mild Hatch green chile
- 3 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks
- additional chopped green chile to garnish
Instructions
- In a 12 inch frying pan, melt the butter, over medium heat, then stir in the honey. Add the corn, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and green chile powder, stirring to coat. Cook for about 5 – 7 minutes to allow the corn to pick up the flavor of the honey butter. Remove from heat.
- Place about half the corn into a blender and add a tablespoon or two of water. Blend. Stir blended corn back into the whole corn.
- Place the corn over medium-low heat and stir in the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon milk, the green chile and cream cheese. Using a spatula, stir until all the cream cheese pieces are melted, adding more milk if necessary to achieve desired texture. Taste and add additional salt and freshly ground pepper if necessary. Serve with a garnish of chopped green chiles on top.
Notes
The green chile can easily be left out of this recipe if you prefer. Likewise, if you can’t find Hatch Green chile powder, simply add about 2-3 tablespoons of additional chopped chiles in step 2.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15
Nutrition
- Serving Size: approximately 1/4 cup
- Calories: 244
- Sugar: 9.3
- Sodium: 550
- Fat: 13.9
- Saturated Fat: 8.2
- Carbohydrates: 28.6
- Fiber: 3.4
- Protein: 4.7
- Cholesterol: 38
