Clam Chowder with Crispy Bacon and Creamy Potatoes

About This Recipe

If there is one soup I never tire of, it is clam chowder. This is the creamy New England style, loaded with tender clams and soft potatoes in a rich, smooth base, and finished with a shower of crispy bacon.

It tastes like the kind of dinner that took all afternoon, but the whole thing is ready in 30 minutes, which makes it a weeknight hero in my kitchen.

The original recipe landed just before the winter solstice, right when soup season is nearly halfway through and the promise of longer, warmer days still lies ahead. That timing felt exactly right, because this is peak cozy soup weather food.

The story behind it charmed me too. The cook behind this recipe grew up on an island where the seaside restaurants served clam chowder constantly, and those bowls set the bar. The first homemade attempt followed a random online recipe.

It was not terrible, but it was nowhere near as delicious as the restaurant versions from childhood. Sound familiar? We have all been there.

That failed first bowl taught one big lesson, and honestly it is the whole point of this recipe. A great clam chowder starts with a flavorful roux, and the secret is using bacon fat as the base.

All you do is fry the bacon for six to seven minutes until the fat renders out. That leaves you with two gifts. One, crispy bacon you can sprinkle right over the finished chowder.

Two, a pot of deeply flavorful fat that becomes the base of the roux. It is the difference between a chowder that tastes fine and a chowder that tastes like you knew exactly what you were doing.

I have adapted it from the original recipe so you can pull it off on a busy weeknight without breaking a sweat.

This is a true one pot dinner that serves eight hungry people, so it works just as well for a family weeknight as it does for feeding a small crowd.

And because the whole method is stovetop and straightforward, even newer cooks can pull it off. I have made this more times than I can count, and the trick is always the same. Start with the bacon fat and do not rush the roux.

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Key Ingredients

Here is what goes into the pot, and more importantly, why each one earns its spot. Nothing fancy, nothing fussy, just a short list that punches above its weight. The lineup is bacon, butter, onion and garlic, celery, potatoes, flour, chicken broth, clams, heavy cream, and simple seasonings.

• Bacon: Use low sodium bacon so you can control the salt yourself. Chop it into pieces before it hits the pot, because smaller pieces cook faster and render their fat more evenly.
• Butter: Unsalted butter, for the same reason as the low sodium bacon. A couple of tablespoons go in alongside the bacon fat to make sure the roux has plenty of fat to work with.
• Onion and garlic: One large chopped onion and three minced garlic cloves bring the savory depth that makes the chowder taste like it simmered for hours.
• Celery: Two chopped ribs, and do not skip it. Celery is essential to real clam chowder flavor, adding a fresh, savory backbone.
• Potatoes: Go with starchy Yukon Gold or russet potatoes. Their starch melts into the broth and helps thicken the chowder naturally as it simmers.
• Flour: Just a third of a cup, stirred into the vegetables to build the roux that gives the soup its body.
• Chicken broth: Three cups of savory liquid. The recipe uses a roasted chicken base mixed with water, which gives the broth a deep, roasted flavor.
• Clams: Three cans of chopped clams with their juices reserved, or frozen clam meat. If you go frozen, buy a separate bottle of clam juice, because frozen clam meat contains no juices and those juices supply much of the briny flavor.
• Heavy cream: One cup, stirred in at the end for that rich, creamy texture.
• Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning, plus two bay leaves that simmer in the pot and get fished out before serving.

That is the whole lineup. (That short list is also why this chowder lands on busy weeknights instead of special occasion cooking.) Chop and measure everything before you start, because once the bacon fat is hot, the recipe moves quickly.

Instructions

Grab your biggest soup pot and set it over medium heat. Cook the chopped bacon for five to six minutes until it turns golden and crispy, then scoop it onto a plate. Leave every drop of that fat in the pot.

Do not drain it, do not wipe the pot. That fat is liquid gold and the whole foundation of your chowder.

Add two tablespoons of butter right into the bacon fat, then toss in the chopped onion, minced garlic, and chopped celery. Cook for four to five minutes until everything softens and smells incredible. This is where the savory base builds, so give the vegetables a stir now and then.

Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it coats the vegetables completely. That is your roux forming, and it is what thickens the chowder into that luscious, spoon coating texture. Keep it moving for a minute so the flour cooks through.

The secret is the bacon fat roux. Give the flour a full minute in the fat and your chowder will never taste thin or flat.

Pour in the chicken broth and the reserved clam juices, then add the diced potatoes, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves. Bring everything to a boil, then drop the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for ten to fifteen minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.

Stir in the heavy cream and the chopped clams, then season with salt and black pepper to taste. Fish out the bay leaves, ladle the chowder into bowls, and top each one with that reserved crispy bacon. Creamy, briny, and ready in about half an hour.

More Main Dishes

Craving more cozy main dishes after this one? The Lobster Stuffed Garlic Bread Boats turn any chowder night into a full seafood feast, and they are made for dunking, which is exactly what a creamy chowder deserves.

If you want something cool and fresh on the side, this Creamy Dill Potato Salad brings a tangy contrast that keeps a rich, hearty soup from feeling too heavy.

Ingredients

Here is everything you will need. The list is short, the amounts are simple, and most of it is probably in your kitchen already. Measure everything before you start, because once that bacon fat hits the pot, things move fast.

• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams, drained with juices reserved
• 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Follow these five simple steps and dinner practically makes itself. The whole method is stovetop and hands on for just a few minutes at a time.

1. Cook the bacon. Heat a large pot over medium heat and cook the chopped bacon for five to six minutes until golden and crispy. Move it to a plate, leaving all the fat behind in the pot.
2. Soften the vegetables. Add the butter to the bacon fat, then cook the onion, garlic, and celery for four to five minutes until softened. Stir occasionally so nothing sticks.
3. Build the roux. Stir in the flour until it is mixed throughout the vegetables. Keep stirring for about a minute so the flour loses its raw taste and coats everything evenly.
4. Simmer the soup. Stir in the chicken broth, reserved clam juices, potatoes, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook ten to fifteen minutes until the potatoes are tender. The starch from the potatoes thickens the broth as they cook.
5. Finish it off. Stir in the heavy cream and chopped clams, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves, ladle into bowls, and sprinkle with the reserved crispy bacon.

Notes

Clam swap: If canned clams are not your thing, you can use 1 pound of frozen clam meat instead. Just remember to buy an 8 ounce bottle of clam juice to go with it, because frozen clam meat contains no juices of its own and those juices supply much of the briny flavor that makes chowder taste like chowder.

Salt control: The recipe uses low sodium bacon and unsalted butter on purpose, so you can season the finished chowder with salt and black pepper to your own taste instead of guessing early.

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Clam Chowder

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About This Recipe If there is one soup I never tire of, it is clam chowder. This is the creamy New England style, loaded with tender clams and soft potatoes in a rich, smooth base, and finished with a shower of crispy bacon.

• Total Time: 30 min
• Yield: 8 people 1x

Ingredients

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6 slices bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped
⅓ cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
3 (6.5-ounce) cans chopped clams, drained and reserved
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
1 cup heavy cream
salt and black pepper

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Instructions

1-Heat a large pot over medium heat: Heat a large pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon for 5-6 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate, leaving the fat behind.
2-Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the: Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the bacon fat. Cook the onion, garlic, and celery for 4-5 minutes until softened.
3-Stir in the flour until mixed throughout: Stir in the flour until mixed throughout the veggies.
4-Stir in the chicken broth, clam juices,: Stir in the chicken broth, clam juices, potatoes, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
5-Stir in the heavy cream and chopped: Stir in the heavy cream and chopped clams. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Method: stovetop