Clam Chowder with Bacon and Green Chiles

Looking for a good clam chowder recipe? Last week I had company over and decided to make my typical clam chowder, but with an extra savory kick. I added bacon to my aromatic vegetables and diced green chiles to my broth base. Oh. My. Goodness. If you love clam chowder, you are going to love this!

Clam Chowder with Bacon and Green Chiles

Clam Chowder: The Players

• 8 slices of nitrate-free bacon from foraged hogs
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 medium potatoes, diced into bite sized pieces
• 2 quarts of chicken broth from pastured hens
• 8 oz of diced green chiles
• 1 tbsp. of homemade taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp. of ground cumin
• salt, to taste
• 3/4 cups of butter (find butter from grass-fed cows)
• 3/4 cups of sprouted flour (find sprouted flour)
• 1 quart of cream (find raw cream from grass-fed cows)
• 2 (6.5 oz) cans of minced clams
• 8 oz. of sour cream from grass-fed cows
• 6 oz. of grated raw cheddar cheese (optional)
• 1 bunch of chopped cilantro or diced green onions(optional)

Clam Chowder: The How-To

1. Begin by frying up your bacon in a medium cast-iron skillet. Rather than crumbling hot bacon after it’s cooked, I prefer to just cut my raw bacon with kitchen shears and allow it to fry into already-crumbled bits. To your fried bacon bits, add the onion and celery and allow to cook until the veggies turn translucent.

2. Meanwhile, bring chicken broth to boil in a 6 quart soup pot and add diced potatoes, green chiles, taco seasoning, cumin, and salt. Allow potatoes to cook in the boiling broth.

3. About 10 minutes before broth and aromatic veggies are ready, begin making your roux in a small sauce pan. Melt butter over medium heat; then add flour, stirring constantly to create a pasty roux. To the hot roux, add cold cream. (REMEMBER: HOT roux + COLD cream = NO LUMPS!) Continue stirring over medium heat until it thickens into a nice, creamy gravy.

4. Transfer bacon and aromatic veggies into your large soup pot. Add thickened gravy to the large soup pot. Stir until evenly mixed. Remove from heat. Add clams and sour cream and stir until evenly mixed.

5. Serve up your extra tasty clam chowder in bowls, topped with grated cheese and cilantro or diced green onions. ENJOY!

(photo by clemson)

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