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New England Clam Chowder

Rich New England clam chowder with bacon, potato, clam broth and half-and-half, thickened before the clams return.

Prep20 minCook45 minTotal65 minYield6 servingsLevelEasy

Source-reviewed. No original CookClue test is claimed unless it is actually recorded.

Creamy New England clam chowder with clams, potatoes, bacon and herbs

Before you start

What this method is trying to achieve

Build the flour-thickened broth around tender potatoes, warm the dairy gently and add chopped clams only at the end so they stay tender.

Success looks like

Know the target before you cook

The chowder should lightly coat a spoon while the potatoes remain tender and the clams stay delicate rather than rubbery.

Ingredients

What you need

Seafood

  • 1.4 kg littleneck clams, scrubbed

Base

  • 4 slices bacon, chopped
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 stalks celery, finely chopped

Thickening

  • 40 g all-purpose flour

Vegetables

  • 1 large russet potato, 1/2-inch cubes

Dairy

  • 360 ml half-and-half

Method

Cook by the cues, not just the clock

Steam clams

  1. Steam clams just until open, reserve and strain the broth.

Build base

  1. Cook bacon, onion and celery, then stir in flour.

Cook potatoes

  1. Whisk in clam broth and simmer with potatoes until tender and slightly thickened.

Add dairy gently

  1. Whisk in half-and-half over medium-low heat.

Finish clams

  1. Stir chopped clams in off strong heat and serve.

Critical checkpoints

Stop here and check

other

Base thick before dairy?

The broth lightly coats a spoon.

Keep simmering if still watery.

temperature

Dairy below boil?

The chowder is hot but not violently bubbling.

Lower heat.

other

Chowder too thin?

The soup runs like broth after the potatoes are tender.

Use clam-chowder-too-thin.

If yours looks different

Route the failure before changing the recipe

The chowder remains brothy with little creamy body.Clam chowder too thin? Diagnose liquid, roux and simmering.

Why Is My Clam Chowder Too Thin?

After cooking

Storage, reheating & substitutions

Storage

Refrigerate promptly.

Reheating

Reheat gently without a hard boil.

Substitutions

Use bottled clam juice plus canned clams if fresh littlenecks are unavailable.

Evidence

Sources & methodology

Technical claims and method decisions are tied to sources. Recipe-specific advice is not presented as a universal food-science law.

  1. New England Clam ChowderFood Network / Dave Lieberman

    Food Network uses flour, stock, clam juice, potatoes and cream for chowder body.

    publisherPassage verified
  2. New England Clam ChowderFood Network Kitchen

    Food Network thickens the clam broth with flour and potato before warming in half-and-half.

    publisherPassage verified