• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop

Chili Pepper Madness logo

  • Recipe Index
  • RECIPES BY TYPE
    • BBQ/Grilled
    • Burgers
    • Chicken Wings
    • Chili
    • Curry
    • Dehydrator
    • Game Day
    • Hot Sauces
    • Jalapeno Poppers
    • Marinades
    • Pickling
    • Preserving
    • Quick and Easy
    • Salsas
    • Sauces
    • Seasonings
    • Stuffed Peppers
    • Tacos
  • COOKING TIPS
  • Pepper Info
    • Chili Pepper Types
    • The Scoville Scale
    • Hottest Peppers in the World
    • Growing Chili Peppers
    • Preserving
    • Health Benefits
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Buy Plants & Seeds
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes
  • Pepper Info
  • Chili Pepper Types
  • The Scoville Scale
  • Growing Chili Peppers
  • Preserving
  • Chili Pepper Health Benefits
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Cooking Tips
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop
  • About Us
×

Home » Recipes » Cajun Corn Maque Choux Recipe

Cajun Corn Maque Choux Recipe

by Mike Hultquist · Jan 13, 2023 · 131 Comments

Jump to Recipe Save Saved!

Maque Choux is a classic Cajun recipe of corn and peppers sautéed in bacon grease until softened and spiced with a blend of Cajun seasonings. It’s an outstanding Southern side dish.

Cajun Corn Maque Choux Recipe

Cajun Stewed Corn (Maque Choux)

If you're looking for a fantastic corn side dish recipe that will knock everyone's socks clean off, look no further than Maque Choux. This. Stuff. ROCKS.

It's a classic Cajun side dish that is jam packed with flavor and will easily compliment whatever you're grilling or cooking up. At it's core, it is a corn dish made fabulous with Cajun seasonings, bacon, onion, peppers and that last final touch - a bit of heavy cream.

Just be careful. If you serve this, it just might outshine whatever you're serving it with.

OH BABY!

Cajun Corn Maque Choux in a pan

Let's talk about how to make maque choux, shall we?

Maque Choux Ingredients

Get your ingredients together, including 4 slices bacon, 3 cups corn (about 4 ears worth + milk from the corn cobs), 1 medium yellow onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasonings + salt and pepper, 1/4 cup chicken stock, and ½ cup of heavy cream (or use extra chicken stock for a more traditional version).

Maque Choux Ingredients

How to Make Maque Choux - The Recipe Method

First, cook up your bacon in a hot pan about 8 minutes, until the fats render and the bacon is mostly cooked through and starts to crisp up.

Cooking bacon in a pan to make Corn Maque Choux

Next, stir in 3 cups of corn + corn milk, 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped bell pepper, and 1 chopped jalapeno pepper along with the Cajun seasonings. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

A simmering pan of Cajun Stewed Corn, aka Maque Choux

Cook them up, stirring a bit, until the vegetables cook through and start to caramelize, about 10 minutes or so.

Stir in the chicken stock and simmer 10-15 minutes. It will thicken up nicely with the corn milk and vegetables.

Finally, stir in a half cup of heavy cream and simmer the whole dish for 2 minutes. Remove it from the heat and serve it up.

Cajun Corn Maque Choux in a pan, ready to serve

About the Peppers

Traditional Maque Choux is made with bell peppers only, but I've included a jalapeno pepper in the mix to add a bit of a heat element. Cajun food is definitely "spicy", but it isn't typically "hot". You can easily incorporate other chili peppers to up the heat factor.

See our list of chili pepper types for some choices.

This is definitely a dish that will satisfy your inner chilihead.

Do I Need to Use Cream?

The heavy cream is delicious, but if you're looking for a lighter version, you can use crema instead, or a mixture of the two.

Also, you can use chicken stock for a much lighter version. It will still taste great.

Cajun Corn Maque Choux in a bowl

Changing Up the Recipe

You can include other peppers as mentioned, as well as swapping out the cream for stock or other lighter creams, and you can easily include others of your favorite vegetables, like garlic, tomato and celery.

Add chopped chicken to turn this into an easy one-pan dinner. Diced ham would be a nice addition as well.

I would totally eat this for dinner. Just don't forget the hot sauce! Go with a good Louisiana style hot sauce.

Enjoy!

A serving bowl filled with Cajun Corn Maque Choux

Check Out Some of Our Other Popular Cajun Dishes

  • Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
  • Cajun Pasta with Shrimp and Smoked Sausage
  • Shrimp Creole
  • Cajun Shrimp
  • Creole Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
  • Mike's Spicy Gumbo
  • Seriously Awesome Jambalaya
  • Hoppin' John
  • Dirty Rice
  • Boudin Balls
  • Black Eyed Peas Recipe
  • Baked Turkey Wings Recipe

Try Some of Our Other Popular Corn Side Dishes

  • Elotes (Mexican Street Corn)
  • Mexican Corn Dip
  • Grilled Corn and Sweet Pepper Salad
  • Charred Corn Salad with Hatch Green Chiles
  • Jerk Rubbed Grilled Corn on the Cob
  • Calabacitas
Mike taking a scoop of Cajun Corn Maque Choux from the pan

If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! -- Mike H.

Cajun Corn Maque Choux Recipe
Print

Maque Choux Recipe

Maque Choux is a classic Cajun recipe of corn and peppers sautéed in bacon grease until softened and spiced with a blend of Cajun seasonings. It’s an outstanding Southern side dish.
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cajun, corn, side dish
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Calories: 150kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 6
Tap or hover to scale
4.99 from 50 votes
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 4 ears corn (about 3 cups corn)
  • 4 slices bacon chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped (medium sized, about 1 cup)
  • 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Cajun seasonings
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • ½ cup heavy cream or use chicken stock for a more traditional version
  • Hot Sauce for serving

Instructions

  • Slice the corn kernels from the corn cobs and set them aside into the bowl. Use the dull edge of a knife to scrape the edges of the corn cobs to release their "milk" into the bowl. Set aside.
  • Heat a large pan to medium heat and add the bacon. Cook the bacon until it becomes nice and crispy, about 8 minutes.
  • Stir in the corn onion, peppers and Cajun seasonings + salt and pepper to taste. Cook until they soften up and start to caramelize, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the chicken stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes. The mixture will thicken nicely with the stock and corn milk.
  • Add the heavy cream (or extra chicken stock). Let it warm for about 2 minutes, stirring a bit, then remove from heat.
  • Serve!

Video

Notes

Serves 6
Heat Factor: Mild-Medium. This dish is traditionally made with bell peppers. I've added a jalapeno to give it a bit of heat, but the cream really offsets it. If you're looking for a hotter version, go heavy on the Cajun seasonings and introduce a hotter pepper or spicy chili flakes to finish the dish.
The corn milk from the cobs is an important factor in the creamy quality of this dish, but you can use frozen corn instead, and add heavy cream.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 150kcal   Carbohydrates: 5g   Protein: 3g   Fat: 13g   Saturated Fat: 7g   Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g   Monounsaturated Fat: 4g   Trans Fat: 0.02g   Cholesterol: 32mg   Sodium: 119mg   Potassium: 163mg   Fiber: 1g   Sugar: 3g   Vitamin A: 1517IU   Vitamin C: 30mg   Calcium: 23mg   Iron: 0.5mg
Cajun Corn Maque Choux Recipe
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 1/13/23 to include new information, photos, and video. It was originally published on 6/18/18.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Rose says

    November 18, 2024 at 11:22 am

    5 stars
    Thank you for this awesome recipe! I made it the first time to take to a pitch-in where our host was making jambalaya. It was a hit, and I've come back to it time and time again for a special side for so many dinners. Everyone always asks about it, and my teenager goes back for second, third, and fourth helpings. I love the flavors so much that I decided to tweak my favorite chicken dish (Chicken Lazone) to include this seasoning and onions and peppers. Just switch out the corn for some Rotel tomatoes. I'm doing that for dinner tonight!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      November 18, 2024 at 1:13 pm

      This is so great to hear, Rose! Glad everyone loves is that much! And I love that you've adapted the flavors to other recipes. Perfection! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  2. Ruth says

    November 10, 2024 at 10:45 pm

    5 stars
    This will be a perfect side with our smoked Thanksgiving turkey.
    What would you substitute the bacon for to make it vegetarian?

    I will post a review after Thanksgiving.
    Thank you, Ruth

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      November 11, 2024 at 5:59 am

      Hi, Ruth. You can substitute the bacon with ingredients that offer a similar smoky, savory taste and a bit of texture. For example, smoked paprika + oil, smoked tofu, to name a few.

      Reply
  3. Jennifer Scalise says

    October 28, 2024 at 2:34 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and authentic!! I did use heavy cream but only 1/2 jalapeño. I used all fresh vegetables except for corn. I had Green giant honey roasted corn in a steamable bag (2). There's a small amount of bellpeppers in the bag but not enough for this recipe. It all came out perfect for our taste
    buds. Super easy recipe and not time consuming in the least.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      October 28, 2024 at 2:54 pm

      Thanks so much, Jennifer! Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers!

      Reply
  4. Harald Wilke says

    June 25, 2024 at 5:55 pm

    5 stars
    This is a wonderful dish, that was immediately made a favorite!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      June 26, 2024 at 5:31 am

      Glad you enjoyed it, Harald!

      Reply
  5. Alan L says

    May 22, 2024 at 4:32 pm

    5 stars
    I love this stuff, make it all the time. I'm always looking for new ways to use it.
    Lately, I've been putting it, slightly warm, into a green salad with the rest of the fixins. Especially good with Latin flavored salad dressing.
    Also good as an addition to all flavor of tacos, like the Chipotle corn salsa.
    Love it in a roasted Poblano pepper with a little cheese and red salsa.
    Great addition to plain white rice. I even threw some in a mayonnaise based potato salad. Wife raised her eyebrows on that one but I thought it was great.
    Don't be shy, it goes so well kicking up all kinds of things.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      May 22, 2024 at 9:20 pm

      Thanks, Alan! Yes, I love that you're serving this up in different ways. Perfect way to enjoy it!

      Reply
  6. Suzi Hultquist says

    January 19, 2024 at 7:34 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely fabulous! I can’t hardly serve corn any other way now! Thanks possibly cousin!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      January 19, 2024 at 7:39 am

      Great, Suzi! One of my favorites for sure. Yeah, we may be related!

      Reply
  7. Jere says

    December 13, 2023 at 11:14 am

    5 stars
    I made this as a side last week with the heavy cream and without the jalapeno and it was an absolutely perfect side dish to compliment my shrimp and chicken etoufee. This particular recipe will be a staple in my kitchen. My wife believes it was better warmed up on day 2.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      December 13, 2023 at 12:41 pm

      Excellent! Glad to hear it, Jere. Thanks so much!

      Reply
  8. Lynn martin says

    November 15, 2023 at 7:22 pm

    Could I make this ahead of time for thanksgiving. Just wondering how to Reheat without splitting the cream TIA

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      November 16, 2023 at 6:51 am

      You sure can, Lynn. You can make it up to 3 days ahead without the heavy cream, then refrigerate. To serve, warm it on the stovetop in a pan, maybe with a splash of water or stock to loosen it up a touch, then swirl in the heavy cream. Warm and serve. Enjoy!

      Reply
  9. Janet says

    November 07, 2023 at 8:44 am

    5 stars
    Delicious side! Highly recommend

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      November 07, 2023 at 9:14 am

      Thanks, Janet!

      Reply
  10. Patricia Bontrager says

    September 05, 2023 at 6:18 am

    5 stars
    Made this as a side for jerk chicken and holy cow was it amazing! It's crazy to think how it has such simple ingredients, yet such great flavor. I also made coconut rice and my favorite part was to mix the maque choux in with the rice. Delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      September 05, 2023 at 6:19 am

      Excellent! Glad you enjoyed it, Patricia! Yes, we love this recipe. Thanks!

      Reply
  11. Louisiana Tom says

    July 29, 2023 at 11:12 am

    5 stars
    I love your recipe!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      July 29, 2023 at 11:13 am

      Thanks so much!

      Reply
      • Tracy Weaver says

        August 03, 2023 at 11:04 pm

        5 stars
        I’m a Louisiana girl and this recipe is SO good! Best I’ve ever tried ~ I’ve never left a recipe review in my life until this one! Can’t wait to make it my staple corn dish ~ it wows!

        Reply
        • Mike Hultquist says

          August 04, 2023 at 6:18 am

          Thanks so much, Tracy! Wow, I sincerely appreciate it! Very happy you enjoyed it. =)

          Reply
« Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

ALL. SPICY. RECIPES. Hi, I’m Mike and I LOVE Spicy Food! Say goodbye to bland and boring food with my easy-to-follow recipes. Let’s get cooking!

More about me →

Mexican Cajun Sauces Seasonings
Order The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND / BOOKS A MILLION

Order The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND

Footer

NEVER MISS A RECIPE

Receive my "5 Essentials for Spicy Cooking" email series & new recipes

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

↑ back to top

About | Contact | Travel-Food | Ingredients | Stories | Privacy | Disclaimer | © 2024 Chili Pepper Madness

EXCLUSIVE MEMBER OF MEDIAVINE FOOD