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Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder
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4.72 from 7 votes

Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder

Savory clams, hearty potatoes, and crunchy celery all mixed with chicken broth and half and half make for a satisfying lightened-up New England clam chowder.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time23 minutes
Total Time43 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Clam Chowder Recipe, Instant Pot Clam Chowder, New England Clam Chowder
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Silvia Dunnirvine

Ingredients

  • 4 cans 6.5oz each chopped clams, juice reserved
  • 2 cups chicken broth (can be substituted for vegetable broth)
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 cup onions, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 2 large (about 4 cups) yukon potatoes, cubed
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, (dried works also)
  • 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 slices bacon

Instructions

  • Turn instant pot on sauté mode. When hot add the oil, onion and celery and sauté for 7-8 minutes stirring often. 
  • Meanwhile, open the cans of clams and pass them through a sifter to separate from the juice. The four cans should yield about 2 cups of clam juice (see note 1)
  • Add clam juice, chicken broth, potatoes, bay leaves, garlic, pepper and thyme. 
  • Close the instant pot and switch knob to sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. When done, allow for 10 minutes of natural pressure and then quick release remaining pressure. 
  • While the pot is on cook the bacon on the stove top. Alternatively, you can use ready bacon, just be sure to chop it into bitesized pieces or you can also use bacon bits.
  • Open the instant pot. Turn on sauté mode once again.  Take about 2 tbsp of the liquid into a small cup/ glass. Add in the cornstarch and whisk to dissolve. 
  • Also remove about two cups of liquid and potatoes, add it to a blender cup and pulse for a few seconds. This will help thicken the sauce (see note 2) 
  • Pour the blended potatoes back into the instant pot as well as the corn starch mix.
  • Discard bay leaves. Add in bacon, clams, and half and half. Stir to combine and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. 
  • Serve with oyster crackers. You may also want to add a pinch of fresh ground pepper and parsley. 

Notes

  1. If the canned clams you use don’t yield 2 cups of clam juice, adjust remaining amount with chicken broth. You should have a total of 4 cups of liquid
  2. You don’t need to liquify mixture completely, just e few pulses as you still want to see chunks of potatoes left. 

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 282mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 152IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg