This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. Â All opinions are entirely my own. Â #sponsored #ad
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. Â 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. Â Super-cozy is an understatement! It’s a perfect starter course or meal any time of the year. Â 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!
PrintBacon, 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
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We liked the flavor of this but I made a small tweak by chopping the shrimp into smaller pieces before cooking so they would be spoon size. I used my Dutch oven and the soup level was a little low at the end for my immersion blender so it was a bit splattery. When we make this again, I will either scoop out half the soup into a smaller bowl to puree fully, or add to a blender. The texture doing it in the pot with my immersion blender was kinda ragged (best description I could think of). I think I would like the finished soup more if the background was smoother/creamier with whole pieces of the corn and chopped shrimp instead of bits and pieces.
★★★★
Excellent…always have shrimp in the freezer…this is going on the rotation for sure ! Perfect blend…not too spicy or rich ! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Surprisingly good for as quick and easy as it was to make. Really hearty and satisfying with a slice of fresh bread to soak up the broth. Quality ingredients a must. I used an extra pinch of crushed red pepper.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Sandi – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Do you have a vegetarian version? Not sure how it would be with vegetable broth. I can just put the bacon on the side. I have two vegetarians coming for Thanksgiving
Hi Mary, I don’t have a vegetarian version of this recipe. I haven’t used vegetable broth in this recipe so I can’t say with 100% certainty how it would turn out. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it!
I was wondering if this can be made in the Instant Pot?
Hi Kendall, I haven’t tested this recipe in the Instant Pot so I’m sorry I can’t give any advice.
Really delicious but prep and cook times are way low. Easily add 30 more minutes.
Sliced mushrooms are a nice add.
Have calories per serving been calculated?
★★★★★
Loved the soup. Skipped the immersion blender part, just added some flour mixed with a little broth to thicken the soup. Worked perfectly. We like the ingredients chunkier. I also added dry thyme to the actual soup. Gave it great flavor. I will add more bacon next time, and possibly some cubed red potatoes to make it more like a shrimp chowder. Delicious!
I forgot in my original comment to ask where is the nutrition label? I couldn’t find it on your site and I even clicked on the one you adapted it from. I always like recipes to have a nutrition label. I guess I will create my own for it.
★★★★★
Cooked this chowder tonight ,and it was a spectacular success. My husband loved it and said I could make this every night. Thanks for posting.
★★★★★
Great recipe! However for us bacon lovers, five slices wasn’t near enough. I doubled it with bacon from our butcher & it was perfect.
I’m about to finish making this- and I’m so excited. I made some homemade croutons with some red onion carmelized butter compound and I add some roasted poblano peppers. Can’t wait!
So yummy! Even my picky kids ate it. I used heavy whipping cream with a little bit of milk in place of half & half, herbs de Provence instead of only thyme (I always sub this for thyme (; ), and Cajun seasoning instead of cayenne because I didn’t have cayenne. We served rolls on the side.
★★★★★
I made this exactly how your recipe was except I had to use heavy whipping cream instead of half n half. Also there wasn’t enough grease in my pan left to fry up everything so I had to use a little butter. But this is a wonderful recipe! Thank you for posting this!
★★★★★
Thank you Amanda – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I need nondairy. Could I replace the half and half with an equal amount of coconut cream?
Hi Deb, I haven’t tried that in this recipe, so I can’t say with 100% certainty… but would love to know how it turns out if you try it. I hope you enjoy it!
Made this with coconut milk. It’s a new favourite for my family.
They make non dairy heavy whipping cream. Maybe that could suffice.
I loved this recipe! I added a little extra seasoning to the shrimp and it was perfect.
I followed this recipe to the letter for the most part adjusting based on what I had on hand. I did add some potatoes, crabmeat and a tsp of Old Bay Seasoning. I was surprised at how good this turned out and disappointed that I didn’t double the batch.
★★★★★
I made this soup ahead to freeze keeping the shrimp & bacon in the soup but left out using the 1/2 & 1/2 until I was ready to use it. I also added a cooked potato cut up in small pieces when ready to serve. Absolutely a delicious recipe!
Can you use fresh corn?