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Pat’s Family Chowder

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 16
Best Season: Fall, Winter
Description

This deeply personal family recipe brings my mom's signature coastal soup directly into a sprawling, butter-infused pot[cite: 1]. Loaded with tender clams, diced potatoes, crisp bacon, barley, and sautéed aromatics like celery and mushrooms, every bowl delivers a rich, multi-layered texture. Keep in mind that this heirloom recipe makes a very large batch, so feel free to use the interactive serving tool below to scale it down for a smaller gathering

Ingredients
  • 0.5 lb pearled or hulled barley
  • 4 cups chicken stock (for cooking barley)
  • 3.5 lb red potatoes - ½" dice
  • 1 EA package onion soup mix
  • 1 stick butter
  • 5 EA green onions - ½" dice
  • 2 EA cloves garlic - minced
  • 0.5 lb fresh mushrooms - sliced
  • 3 EA stalks celery - ½" dice
  • 1 EA can water chestnuts - ¼" chop
  • 0.5 lb bacon - cooked crisp and crumbled w/ drippings
  • 5 EA cans chopped clams - NOT drained
  • 0.5 pint sour cream
  • 0.5 pint whipping cream
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
  • 2 pinches black pepper
  • 3 Tbsp chicken base
Instructions
  1. 1
    Rinse barley in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water.
  2. 2
    Bring 4 cups chicken stock and barley to a boil in a saucepan over high heat, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until tender (25–30 minutes for pearled, 40–45 minutes for hulled).
  3. 3
    Strain barley over a bowl, reserving both the cooked barley and the starchy stock separately (top off with more chicken stock if reserved stock is less than 1 cup).
  4. 4
    Place diced red potatoes and onion soup mix into a large stockpot and add just enough water to cover the potatoes by about an inch.
  5. 5
    Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce heat to low and simmer gently until potatoes are slightly tender but still firm.
  6. 6
    While the potatoes are simmering, melt 1 stick of butter in a separate skillet over medium heat.
  7. 7
    Add green onions, garlic, mushrooms, celery, and water chestnuts to the skillet and sauté until soft.
  8. 8
    Add sautéed vegetables, cooked barley, crumbled bacon with drippings, 5 cans undrained clams, and 1 cup of the reserved starchy chicken stock directly into the stockpot with the potatoes and cooking liquid.
  9. 9
    Stir in sour cream, whipping cream, lemon juice, parsley, and black pepper.
  10. 10
    Add chicken base 1 tsp at a time, tasting after each addition to monitor saltiness.
  11. 11
    Simmer lightly on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Read it online: https://brinnerbites.com/recipe/pats-family-chowder/