New England Clam Chowder

4.87 from 101 votes

New England Clam Chowder

This New England Clam Chowder is the absolute best! This easy clam chowder recipe makes perfect comfort food for a cold night. Made with bacon, plenty of potatoes, and just the right amount of cream, you will be a chowder master with my instructions for how to make clam chowder.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Servings: servings

Calories: 359kcal

Author: Lisa Longley

Ingredients

4 slices of thick cut bacon diced into small pieces, read above for how to make this without bacon
3 cups clam juice or chicken broth, see note (709.8 ml)
4 6.5 oz cans of chopped clams, liquid reserved (see step 2) (736 grams)
1 small onion diced
3 stalks celery diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1/3 cup all purpose flour (40 grams)
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes about five medium diced into 1/2 inch pieces (680.4 grams)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
8 ounces heavy cream (227 grams)
2 tablespoons parsley well minced
salt and pepper

Instructions

In a large stew pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring often.
4 slices of thick cut bacon
While the bacon is cooking, drain the clam juice from the canned clams into a measuring cup. You will need approximately 3 cups more of clam juice or chicken broth to get a total of 4 1/2 cups of liquid.
3 cups clam juice, 4 6.5 oz cans of chopped clams, liquid reserved (see step 2)
Add the diced celery and onions, cooking until they are translucent and very soft.
1 small onion, 3 stalks celery
Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, being careful that the garlic doesn't burn.
2 garlic cloves
Stir in the flour, coating all of the veggies and the bacon. Continue cooking for about a minute until the flour begins to brown.
1/3 cup all purpose flour
Extremely gradually, pour in the clam juice (or clam juice/chicken stock mixture). Pour about two tablespoons at a time (no need to measure, this is just an estimate), whisking it into the flour veggie mixture. There should be no visible liquid between each pour. The veggies should look like a gummy mess. Continue this way until you use all the liquid, pouring more quickly at the end. While this should be a slow process, it will take you no longer than a minute or two.
Add the potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil (you are looking for big bubbles at the surface). Then reduce to a simmer (the lowest you can go heat-wise and still see bubbles) and continue cooking for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 2 bay leaves
Stir in the cream and chopped clams and let heat through for a minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8 ounces heavy cream, 2 tablespoons parsley, salt and pepper

Video

Notes

As mentioned in the post, if you are looking for a budget-friendly version of this recipe you can use the clam juice from the clams and get the rest of your liquid from chicken stock.

Nutrition