Clam Chowder Recipe

A bowl of creamy clam chowder topped with crispy baconm

5 from 2 reviews

This hearty New England Clam Chowder recipe is absolutely delicious and loaded with clams, creamy potatoes and smoky bacon. This Clam Chowder recipe is much easier to make than you may think and guaranteed to be a new favorite!

Course Dinner, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword New England Clam Chowder, New England Clam Chowder Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 298kcal

Author Chef Kathy McDaniel

Ingredients

4 slices bacon cut into medium dice
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup white wine
3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
2 8-oz bottles clam juice
1 10-oz can baby clams, drained and liquid reserved
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups half-and-half
2 teaspoons salt or more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons parsley chopped
Oyster crackers for serving (optional)

Instructions

Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon of the fat rendered in the pot.
Melt the butter in the stockpot with the bacon fat. Add the garlic, onion and celery, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions become soft but not brown, about 5-6 minutes.
Whisk in the flour and stir for about a minute trying to get rid of any lumps. Gradually, stir in the white wine and reduce for about 1 minute.
Add the potatoes, the clam juice, the liquid from the canned clams and the broth. Add the thyme sprigs and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes become tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
When the potatoes are tender, stir in the half and half and the clams and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer (do not let the chowder come to a full boil) and simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove the thyme and bay leaf. If the chowder is too thick, add additional half and half until desired consistency is reached. Serve immediately garnished with chopped parsley and the reserved bacon.

Notes

Cooking time may need adjustment depending on the size of the potatoes.
If using fresh clams, put the clams in a large Dutch oven, add 3 cups of water and cook, covered over medium-high heat until the clams have opened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Discard any unopened clams. Reserve the clam meat and strain the clam broth through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth. Reserve 2 cups of the clam cooking water. Substitute the clam juice with the clam cooking water in the recipe above.

Nutrition