This Loaded Hatch Chile Potato Clam Chowder is far from traditional Clam Chowder. Think loaded baked potato stew with the flavors of clam chowder and roasted Hatch Chiles, making it one of the most comforting chowders you could have on a cold winter night.
Loaded Clam Chowder Recipe
For this Loaded Clam Chowder Recipe, I wanted it to be easy to prepare and have the most hearty, warm, and comforting flavors possible. I trust you'll find all boxes to have been checked.
Ingredients
Bacon: Because this is a Loaded Clam Chowder, I felt the need to add cooked thick-cut bacon pieces. This certainly adds an extra layer of smokey flavor plus a little extra texture.
Clams: Nothing fancy here; just some canned diced clams will do. Be sure not to drain them; you'll need those juices.
Vegetables: Don't forget, this is a loaded chowder. I used Yellow Onion, Yukon potatoes, Celery, Garlic, and Roasted Hatch chile.
Liquids: This Clam Chowder Recipe uses a lot of fluids to create the overall flavor profile. You'll need the juice from the canned clams, more clam juice from a bottle, chicken stock, and heavy cream.
Seasonings: There's already so much flavor from the other ingredients that all you'll need is a little Kosher Salt and ground Black Pepper.
Potato Flakes: Again, I wanted a thick chowder, so instead of making a slurry from water and cornstarch for the thickening agent, I opted for instant potato flakes.
Directions
Begin by preparing the bacon in a cast iron skillet. Slice the bacon into bits and then add it to the hot skillet. Once the bacon has begun to cook through a bit, add the diced onions and celery.
Continue sautéing this mixture until the bacon becomes crispy and the vegetables are fragrant and softening.
Now add the minced garlic and sautée for about another minute or two until the garlic is also fragrant.
Next, add the bacon and vegetable mixture to the slow cooker, roasted hatch chiles, salt, pepper, chicken stock, clam juice, clams with their juice, and cubed potatoes.
Stir the clam chowder mixture to be sure everything is evenly combined. Place the lid on the slow cooker, and cook on high for 4 hours.
After the 4 hours of cooking, add the potato flakes, stir them in, and then heavy cream. Set the slow cooker to keep warm and allow the chowder to thicken, adding more potato flakes as needed to gain your desired thickness. Just be sure to let everything sit for about 5-10 minutes between adding in more flakes as you don't want to over-thicken.
In Conclusion
I love comfort food. I mean, who doesn't, right? That's exactly what this Loaded Hatch Chile Potato Clam Chowder is, comfort food at its finest. It's warm, cozy, smokey, thick, and hearty with the flavor of the clam chowder we've all grown to love.
AND...if you love this recipe, check these out too!
- Sarmale: Romanian Cabbage Rolls
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Crock Pot Chili Recipe
- Hatch Chile Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
Tell me how your Loaded Hatch Chile Potato Clam Chowder turned out in the comments!
Thank you so much for stopping in at Chicken Fried Kitchen, and as usual...
Happy Cooking!
-Jeremy
📖 Recipe
Loaded Hatch Chile Potato Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- ½ Lb Thick Cut Bacon - cooked and diced
- 4 6.5 Oz Cans of Clams - not drained
- 1 Yellow Onion - diced
- 6 Yukon Potatoes - peeled and cubed
- 2 Celery Sticks - sliced
- 1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
- 1 Cup Roasted Hatch Chiles - chopped
- 2 Cups Chicken Stock
- 1 Cup Clam Juice
- 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
- 3 Cups Heavy Cream
- ¼ - 1 Cup Instant Potato Flakes - for thickening
Instructions
- Slice the bacon into bits and then add it to a hot skillet. Once the bacon has begun to cook through a bit, add the diced onions and celery.
- Continue sautéing this mixture until the bacon becomes crispy and the vegetables are fragrant and softening.
- Add the minced garlic and sautée for about another minute or two until the garlic is also fragrant.
- Add the bacon and vegetable mixture, roasted hatch chiles, salt, pepper, chicken stock, clam juice, clams with their juice, and cubed potatoes to the slow cooker stirring to fully combine.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker, and cook on high for 4 hours.
- After the 4 hours of cooking, stir in the potato flakes followed by the heavy cream.
- Set the slow cooker to keep warm and allow the chowder to thicken, adding more potato flakes as needed to gain your desired thickness.
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