Cook the bacon in a 4.5-quart soup pot slowly over low heat. Cut bacon in half for even cooking. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate, chop once cooled, and reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings.

Wipe any dark spots from the pot but leave as much bacon remnants as possible for flavor.

Add reserved bacon drippings and butter to the pot over medium heat, cleaning the bottom and sides of the pot. Add diced onions and celery, tossing to coat and soften for 5-6 minutes.

Add garlic, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Cook for 1 minute.

Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously until the raw flour smell is gone.

Add chicken broth in small splashes, stirring continuously. Add half and half in the same manner.

Stir in the chicken bouillon and add the bay leaf. Add the juice from the canned clams to the soup, but don’t add the clams yet. Stir in the additional clam juice.

Bring soup to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, partially covered. Stir occasionally.

Peel and dice the potatoes and add them to the soup. Bring to a gentle bubble and let cook for 20-25 minutes until fork tender. Reduce heat to low.

Stir in the clams and heat through for about 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley, freshly cracked pepper, and chopped bacon.