New England Clam Chowder
This New England Clam Chowder recipe has a creamy broth that's loaded with delicious clams, savory bacon, simple seasonings, and perfectly cooked potatoes
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon can sub salt pork
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp hot sauce or 1/2 tsp tobasco sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 c flour
- 1 c chicken broth
- 3 c half and half
- 8 oz clam juice
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1¼ lbs potatoes see notes
- 3-4 lbs clams steamed and chopped
- 1½ c steamed water reserved from steaming clams
- fresh parsley and cracked pepper for serving
- ½ tsp dried oreganom dried parsley each
- ¼ tsp dried thyme, salt each
- ⅛ tsp smoked paprike, pepper each
Instructions
Prep Work
- Cook the bacon in 4.5-qt soup post slowly over low heat.
- While bacon cooks, measure out remaining ingredients.
- Once the bacon is cooked, set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Chop once cooked and reserve 2 tbsp of bacon drippings.
- Leave bacon remnants in pan to add flavor to the soup
Making the Soup
- Add reserved bacon drippings and butter to the pot over medium heat and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the pot. 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, and wiping the pan “clean” again as you do so. Add the half and half in the same manner.
- Stir in the chicken bouillon and add the bay leaf. Add the reserved water from the steamed clams to the soup, but don’t add the clams yet. Stir in the additional ( 8 oz.) clam juice.
- Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer, so that its just gently bubbling. Simmer for 20 minutes, partially covered. Stir occasionally as it cooks.
- Peel and dice the potatoes and add them to the soup. Bring back to a very gentle bubble and 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, about 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
- Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with roughly chopped parsley, freshly cracked pepper, and chopped bacon.