Description
A creamy and cheesy chicken soup enriched with ranch seasoning and crispy bacon, perfect for comforting chilly days.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2–3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (cooked and shredded)
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheese (softened)
- 1 oz ranch seasoning mix (1 packet)
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 oz beef bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 finely diced yellow onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- Optional: frozen corn or diced potato (for added texture)
Instructions
- Start by dicing your beef bacon into small pieces. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the beef bacon over medium heat until it’s beautifully crispy. Once done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the crispy bacon bits to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Reserve about 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pot.
- Add the finely diced onion to the pot with the reserved bacon fat. Sauté over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened and turned translucent. Then, add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth, making sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat.
- Once the broth is simmering, whisk in the entire packet of ranch seasoning mix until it’s fully dissolved. Let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the softened cream cheese to the pot, whisking continuously until it has completely melted and the soup base is smooth and creamy.
- Add the cooked, shredded chicken to the pot and stir gently to combine. Gradually add the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, stirring constantly until they are fully melted and incorporated into the soup.
- Taste the soup and season with salt and black pepper as needed. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with the crispy crumbled beef bacon and a sprinkle of fresh chopped green onions.
Notes
Serve hot with crusty bread or crackers for dipping. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 100mg