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Crispy bacon, shrimp and corn are the ultimate comfort foods in this creamy Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder!
Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder
Grab a big spoon because you’re going to need it with this hearty chowder. I don’t play around when it comes to shrimp recipes and want them to be perfect.
I used Wright® Brand Bacon because the quality of bacon can make or break this recipe. I look for cuts bacon that are thick-sliced and meaty that aren’t going to shrivel up when fried. Wright Brand Bacon is hand-selected, hand-trimmed and naturally smoked with wood chips.
Bacon the Wright Way™!
Topping this chowder with crispy thick-cut bacon takes it to a whole new level! I used Natural Hickory Smoked flavor, but any of the Wright Brand’s Bacon’s flavors will work in this chowder: Applewood Smoked, Smoked Brown Sugar, Bourbon Barrel Smoked and Oak Barrel Smoked.
My mom and I were recently talking about how nice it is to be home making a big pot of homemade soup from scratch… there’s just nothing quite like the aromas of a big pot of chowder, soup or stew simmering in the kitchen.
This chowder is perfectly seasoned with smoked paprika, garlic and thyme. Super-cozy is an understatement! It’s a perfect starter course or meal any time of the year. Seriously… how can you go wrong with BACON, shrimp and corn?!
I hope you and your family love this chowder as much as I do. ENJOY!
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Bacon, Shrimp and Corn Chowder
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Crispy bacon, perfectly cooked shrimp and corn are the ultimate comfort foods in this creamy chowder!
Ingredients
- 5 slices Hickory Smoked Wright Brand Bacon, cut into small pieces
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 2 ½ cups frozen corn kernels
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup half and half
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish, if desired (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, fry the bacon pieces until crispy (about 8 to 10 minutes), stirring frequently. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain off fat from pot, leaving 1 tablespoon.
- Add shrimp to the pot and cook until pink (about 3 to 4 minutes), stirring frequently. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and add to the plate with the bacon. Leave juices in pot.
- Add onions and garlic. Sauté for about 3 minutes, or until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add paprika, crushed red pepper, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes.
- Add corn, chicken stock and half and half. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, blend about half of the soup until creamy. If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend 2 cups of soup in a blender and pulse until creamy (exercise caution while blending hot liquids – blend small amounts at a time and hold down the top of blender pitcher while blending because there is a risk of the top blowing off and hot liquids to blow out!) and return to pot and stir well.
- Serve with shrimp and sprinkle with bacon pieces.
- Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Soup
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: bacon shrimp corn chowder
Adapted from Bev Cooks
Can I use chicken broth instead of chicken stock? The store didn’t have any 33% less sodium and I don’t want the recipe to be too salty!
Thanks!
I mean I have 33% less salt chicken broth at my house and only have regular (not 33% less salt) chicken stock in my pantry..
Hi Mel, I don’t think that would be a problem, although I’ve always used chicken stock. I hope you enjoy it!
Made this tonight. I added two diced jalapenos that I had and needed to use instead of the red pepper, and sauteed them with the onions. A little roux to thicken. No additional salt (shrimp, bacon and stock gave it plenty for us) and definitely fresh cracked black pepper. Delicious soup for chilly night! Served with a toasted slice of thick rustic Italian bread with melted cheddar. Thank you for sharing. Will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
That sounds so delicious, Elizabeth! Thank you for your comment and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this, added some shredded carrots and cubed potatoes. This soup is amazing. We loved it. Added a little S&P too
★★★★★
Do I put the shrimp in the soup? Or serve them on top of it?
Hi Holly, I normally serve the shrimp on top of the chowder as shown in the photos. You can also stir them in if you’d like, it’s totally up to you. I hope you enjoy it!
I made this today and it was fabulous! I will definitely make it again!
★★★★★
Great soup. Made it today and added half a bag of seasoned cubed hash browns and 1 cup chopped carrots . We like spice so I added a little more thyme & crushed red peppers. Excellent! My husband said to add it to my list of favs.
★★★★★
Can you replace half and half with milk?
Hi Marcy, you should be able to but it won’t be as creamy. I hope you enjoy the chowder!
This was really good, my husband loved it! Very simple but a lot of flavor. This recipe is a keeper!
★★★★★
Very tasty but potatoes needed for a thickening agent. Tried corn starch but will use some potatoes next time.
★★★
I am very excited to make this but I’m new to cooking with shrimp. Do I buy raw or cooked shrimp for this recipe?
Hi Amber, raw shrimp that are peeled and deveined. You should be able to find them already peeled and deveined (they’re more expensive but worth it, especially if you’re short on time!). I hope you enjoy the chowder! 🙂
I did not put this in the blender either. I like a chunky soup. I also added 3 small cans of cream of potato soup which helped to thicken it up and made it taste much better. I will make this again.
★★★★★
Me again Jennifer, I for got to say that I added an entire bag (8 ears of corn) to the soup. I grilled the corn last summer, cut it off the cob and froze it. The corn was the kicker with a smoky grill tast.
Great recipe. I made it for dinner tonight.
Great recipe, I made it according to the directions. My family loved it and even asked for the recipe. Merry Christmas!
★★★★★
I can absolutely see that this soup is amazing, but I made a mistake. I salted the shrimp (not too much) and probably put too much red pepper, so it was too salty and too spicy! BUT, next time (and there will be a next time) I will remember not to add ANY salt until the end if it needs it. Definitely will make again, because the other flavors were great, but they were overshadowed by the salt. SO BUMMED.
★★★★★
I’m thinking it could have been the salt content in the chicken stock that overwhelmed your dish. Next time try it with the “33% less sodium” option and see if that makes the difference.
This soup is out of this world. There is so much flavor and texture to make it a most interesting soup. I did not purée it as directed for I like my soup to be chunky.
★★★★★
Thank you, Betty – So glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing and so easy to make! If you cook the potatoes in the microwave first and then add them to the broth, it takes less time but has the same thickness! Ate this out by the fire on a fall night. My husband and son LOVED it! Thank you so much for sharing this great, tasty recipe!
★★★★★
Where is potatoes in the recipe? I plan on making this on Sunday. How did you add them, diced? Mashed?
I wondered the same thing. However, I had this type of soup with potatoes at a restaurant in Urbanna, VA and it was fabulous. I am going to add them to mine. I will add a can of diced potatoes drained.
It was absolutely, delicious! I took everyone’s advice and added a little flour to to the onions and seasoning to create a rue. Also, instead of half and half I used heavy cream! This is definitely on the go to list for fast and comforting meals!!
Thank you!!!
★★★★★
I did add 2 tablespoons of gf flour with the paprika and mixed it with the onions and garlic and let it cook for 3 minutes. This helped thicken it and didn’t change the flavor. Delicious recipe!
★★★★★