Skippers Clam Chowder Copycat Recipe

I've searched the interwebs far and wide and no one has a a decent Skippers knock off recipe for their amazing clam chowder. Several "claim" to have something similar yet include bacon or hot sauce which are definitely NOT in Skippers' version. So, I did what I always do, test, test and test and came up with my own version!

Give it a try and let me know what you think. I love reviews! Good and bad. Suggestions are welcome. 

Skippers Clam Chowder Copycat Recipe
1 small yellow onion, chopped or 1 Tbsp. dried minced onion or 1 tsp. onion powder

3 Celery stalks finely chopped

1 Tbsp butter

2 (5 ounce) cans minced baby clams, strained, with juice reserved

1 8oz. jar clam juice OR 1 c water + 3 tsp. clam base

5 medium potatoes, peeled and finely cubed

3 (10 1/2 ounce) cans cream of celery soup

2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon dried parsley

¼ t pepper

Pinch dried dill weed

Add onion, celery and butter to large pot and cook until translucent

Add clam juice from both minced clams and the jar of clam juice.

Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to until potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally so potatoes don't stick.

Add clams, soup, cream, parsley, pepper and dill weed. Stir together.

Cook for about 30 minutes on low until heated through. Don’t let it come to a boil or cream separates. Mix occasionally to prevent burning. 

Some of the ingredients are more difficult to find. Here are the brands I use, most can be found at Walmart. The clam base is difficult to find in any store, but of course Amazon carries it all and you can have it delivered to your doorstep too.

Clam juice

Minced clams


Clam base


My favorite cooking pot!

Rebecca's Chicken Pot Pie & Butter Flake Crust

Makes 1 pie with either single or double crust

*Pie crust needs to chill 4 hours before baking. Pre-bake bottom crust and let cool before starting pie filling. *

Pie Filling

3T butter

½ c celery, chopped

½ bag frozen carrots and peas

1-2 medium potatoes, chopped

2-3 t minced garlic

2 c cooked chicken, chopped

1-2 T dried minced onion or 1 small onion, chopped

½ t dried parsley

¼ t dried thyme

¼ t celery seed

¼ t poultry seasoning

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1-2 c water

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Salt and pepper to taste

*if sauce is too runny, add premixed 3T cold water & 3T cornstarch to thicken

In a medium-large pot, saute celery until softened. Add peas and carrots and potatoes and cook 5 min. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Add chicken, onion, parsley, thyme, celery seed, poultry seasoning, bouillon cubes, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 5 min. Add cream of chicken soup and salt and pepper. Adjust sauce consistency if needed with cornstarch mixture. 

Butter Flake Crust

Makes 1 crust, make 2 batches separately for a top and bottom crust

1 ¼ c flour

¼ t salt

½ c chilled butter, cubed

¼ c ice water

In a food processor or large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add butter and use two forks or a pastry blender (if not using processor) to mix until coarse crumbs form. Add water a tablespoon at a time until mixture comes together slightly. Don’t over mix, and don’t use all the water if possible. You want little bits of butter not mixed well to make dough flaky. Dump mix onto floured counter top and knead a couple times. Form into a round disc and wrap in wax paper. Fridge 4 hours or overnight.

Dough can be made and baked right away and still turn out fine, it will just be harder to work with. Keep dough in freezer to help it chill faster if baking right away.

Roll out dough into a circle. The edges will be crumbly. Fold edges to center and roll out again. Fold circle in half, then fold in half again. Transfer to deep dish pie plate. Have dough come all the way to pie plate edge and even a slight overhang. The dough shrinks about one inch while cooking. Poke holes with fork all over crust. Cover with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, or rice or beans to weight down. Bake 400 ° for 6-8 minutes until no longer dough looking. Let cool completely while cooking pie filling. Fill pie crust with pie filling. Roll out second disc of dough and transfer to pie. Seal edges well to avoid overflow while cooking. Brush dough with beaten egg. Make several slits to allow steam to escape. Bake Pie at 375° 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown. Line oven rack with foil or a cookie sheet for any overflow. Let pie rest for 10-15 minutes to let sauce thicken up before serving.