Easy Homemade Corn Chowder with Bacon and Shrimp

Easy Homemade Corn Chowder with Bacon and Shrimp

Why You Should Give This Recipe a Try

Eating Easy Homemade Corn Chowder with Bacon and Shrimp reminds me of having a meal at a roadside restaurant in New England. With sweet corn, tiny red potatoes, crispy bacon, and tons of shrimp, it’s like summer in a bowl – but you can make it any time because the corn is canned and the shrimp is frozen. I love making this in chowder in winter, in fact, because it is a nice relief from the heavier meals we eat in winter, but it will still warm you up from the inside out. Add to a touch of white wine to your broth to kick it up a notch!

Some of the best features of this recipe:

A rich, creamy broth made of simple ingredients – milk, heavy cream, chicken broth and, if you wish, white wine.

Canned corn means you can make this flavorful soup any time of year.

Prepared frozen shrimp – cleaned and tails removed – cuts out so much prep time.

Crispy bits of bacon cooked in the same pan as the other ingredients. The bacon fat adds to the flavors!

As with all my recipes, Easy Homemade Corn Chowder with Bacon and Shrimp is super simple to make with no complex cooking techniques, no special equipment, and with ingredients you can find in any grocery store.

Recipe Ingredients

6 strips bacon

2 x 15.25 oz cans whole kernel corn

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup milk (low-fat is fine)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup white cooking wine (optional)

1 1/2 cups chopped red potatoes or mini red potatoes

1 lb frozen large shrimp, cleaned with tails removed

​1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

​Salt and pepper

Helpful Tools

• Large pot or Dutch oven
• ​Medium bowl
• ​Liquid measuring cup
• ​Measuring spoons
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Tongs
• Whisk
• Medium saucepan
• Paper towels
• ​Large wooden spoon

Ingredient Notes

This recipe uses 2 cans of whole kernel corn, NOT creamed corn.

​Pre-cooking the red potatoes ensures they will be cooked through in the soup. 

In spite of the fact that I live a fifteen minute drive from the ocean, I always seem to end up using frozen seafood. Because shrimp overcooks very easily, I use uncooked frozen shrimp that is cleaned and is without the tails. You are welcome to use fresh shrimp, but do not skip the steps of cleaning and removing the tails. 

You can substitute one cup of whole milk for the 1/2 cup of low-fat milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream.

I use regular grocery store white cooking wine, but if you have some pinot grigio or other dry or semi-sweet white wine you can use that as well.

Replacing the shrimp with lobster pieces (or imitation lobster) for a special meal would be absolutely wonderful.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare your ingredients before you begin, defrosting the shrimp according to package directions.

2. Pat the shrimp dry and cut them into 2-3 pieces each. Place in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. Chop the onion and set aside.

4. Drain the corn and set aside (you can leave it in the cans).

5. Clean and cut the red potatoes into cubes. When deciding on the size, keep in mind that it should be small enough to eat without cutting.

6. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and add the potatoes. Cook until fork tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside when done.

7. Cook the bacon in the Dutch oven over medium high heat, using tongs to turn it over from time to time. Reduce the heat to medium if the bacon is browning too quickly.

8. When the bacon is brown and crispy, remove it from the pot and place it on a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

9. Drain all but about 1 tbsp of bacon fat from the Dutch oven. 

10. Add the chopped onion to the pot and cook in the bacon fat over medium high heat until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

11. Pour the liquids into the pot starting with the chicken broth. Add the milk and then, while whisking gently, add in the heavy cream. Finally, if you are using it, add in the white wine.

12. Lightly salt and pepper.

13. Sprinkle the crushed red pepper flakes into the broth and stir. Use a smaller amount if you don’t like spicy food, but feel free to add more if spice is your thing.

14. Pour in the drained corn and stir.

15. Pour in the drained, cooked potatoes and stir.

16. Crumble or chop the bacon and sprinkle in into the soup.

17. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and let cook for 15 minutes.

18. Add the chopped shrimp and stir. Cook until the shrimp pieces are uniformly pink, about 3-4 minutes.

Check out the printable recipe card for Easy Homemade Corn Chowder with Bacon and Shrimp, below.

Storage

Store leftover Easy Homemade Corn Chowder with Bacon and Shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.​

Tips & Tricks

Make sure that you are cutting the potatoes and the shrimp into bite-size pieces. You won’t have the benefit of being able to cut things once the soup is served.

If you are making this in corn season, you can add fresh corn. Carefully cut the corn kernels off the cob, but also add the cob to the broth until you are ready to serve. It adds great flavor!

What to Serve with Easy Homemade Corn Chowder with Bacon and Shrimp

As wife of the Frenchman, my answer to what to serve is always going to be bread. Crusty bread works great here, as do some cheddar biscuits. If you are feeling ambitious, you can try making this very easy Crusty Country French Bread or Easy Focaccia with Homemade Italian Seasoning. One of my favorite homemade breads are these Soft and Chewy Pretzel Rolls that would also be a great addition.

​A fresh green salad or even grilled cheese would make a great pairing as well.

Looking for more soup to warm you up this winter?

​Easy Creamy Spicy Homemade Tomato Soup

Creamy Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Best One Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

One Pot Tortellini Soup with Chicken