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Clam Chowder Recipe

Clam Chowder Recipe

This Clam Chowder Recipe features a creamy broth with clams, bacon, potatoes, and seasonings, perfect for a comforting meal.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 9 cups
Calories 281 kcal

Equipment

  • 4.5-quart soup pot

Ingredients
  

  • 6 strips thick-cut bacon can sub salt pork
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 2 ribs celery diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce or ½ teaspoon tabasco sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 3 cups Half and Half
  • 8 oz. clam juice
  • 1 cube chicken bouillon
  • 1 leaf bay
  • 1 ¼ lbs. potatoes see notes
  • 3 (6.5 oz. cans) chopped clams juices reserved
  • Fresh parsley for serving
  • Freshly cracked pepper for serving

Seasonings

  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Instructions
 

Prep Work

  • Cook the bacon in a 4.5-quart soup pot slowly over low heat. While cooking, measure out remaining ingredients. Set aside cooked bacon on a paper towel lined plate. Chop once cooled and reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings.
  • Wipe any dark spots from the pot but leave as much bacon remnants as you can.

Make the Soup

  • Add reserved bacon drippings and butter to the pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions and celery, toss to coat and soften for 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously until the raw flour smell is gone.
  • Add the chicken broth in small splashes, stirring continuously. Add the half and half in the same manner.
  • Stir in the chicken bouillon and add the bay leaf. Add the juice from the canned clams to the soup, but don’t add the clams yet. Stir in the additional clam juice.
  • Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer, allowing it to bubble gently. Simmer for 20 minutes, partially covered.
  • Peel and dice the potatoes and add them to the soup. Let the potatoes cook through for 20-25 minutes until fork tender. Reduce heat to low.
  • Stir in the clams and let them heat through for about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
  • Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with roughly chopped parsley, freshly cracked pepper, and chopped bacon.

Notes

Clams can be substituted for fresh chopped clams and need to be steamed prior to chopping. Yukon Gold potatoes offer creamy consistency.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 281kcal
Keyword chowder recipe, Clam Chowder, comfort food, Easy Recipes, New England clam chowder, seafood soup
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