Clam Chowder
Enjoy a big bowl of award-winning clam chowder, a traditional favorite from the New England coast. It's creamy and chock-full of clams, potatoes, bacon and more.
Ingredients
- 4center-cut bacon strips
- 2celery ribs, chopped
- 1 largeonion, chopped
- 1garlic clove, minced
- 3 smallpotatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 cupwater
- 1bottle (8 ounces) clam juice
- 3 teaspoonsreduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules
- ¼ teaspoonwhite pepper
- ¼ teaspoondried thyme
- ⅓ cupall-purpose flour
- 2 cupsfat-free half-and-half, divided
- 2 canschopped clams, undrained
Directions
- 1
In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon strips over medium heat until they're crisp. Remove them from the pot and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Saute the chopped onions and celery in the drippings, stirring occasionally, until they're tender. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- 2
Stir in the cubed potatoes, water, clam juice, chicken bouillon, white pepper and thyme. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- 3
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir it into the soup. Bring the soup to a boil. Cook and stir until the soup has thickened, about one to two minutes. Stir in the chopped clams (and their liquid) and the remaining 1 cup half-and-half. Stir until the clams are heated through, but do not boil the soup.
- 4
Ladle the chowder into bowls. Crumble the cooked bacon and sprinkle it over each bowl. Editor's Tip: Serve the chowder hot with oyster crackers on the side. Homemade bread bowls are another delicious way to enjoy this chowder.