This Creamy Chicken Potato Soup Recipe is made with thick chunks of vegetables, lots of chicken, bacon, and potatoes. It's hearty and comforting, with tons of flavor. This easy soup is ready in under an hour and is perfect for lunch or dinner any time you're craving something healthy and flavorful.
Who doesn't love a hearty soup? This recipe is one of our favorite soups, with a deliciously cheesy and creamy broth, tender potatoes, juicy chicken, and bacon.
Perfect for a chilly day, it's an amazing comfort food recipe. Curl up with a bowl of soup and your coziest sweater. It's great any night of the week.
Looking for more cozy soup recipes? Try this decadent shrimp bisque, this Finnish salmon soup, or this vegetable soup.
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Perfect for cold weather - If you need something nice and warm on cold days, this recipe is perfect.
- Simple ingredients - Made with pantry and kitchen staples. Anything you don't already have can be found at any grocery store.
- Hearty and filling - This recipe is protein packed and very filling, making it perfect for dinner!
- Great for meal prep - Make a big batch! It's great to reheat the next day, and a few days following. Perfect for busy weeks when you don't have time to cook.
- Can be made dairy free and gluten-free - With a few simple swaps, this recipe can be made dairy-free, and gluten-free!
🍲Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Bacon - Optional, can be omitted. Cut into bite-sized pieces. If using, be sure to save 2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat.
- Olive oil & unsalted butter
- Chicken - We prefer to use skinless and boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, then season and cook them ourselves for the most flavor. However, pre-cooked chicken like rotisserie chicken works great as well.
- Onion & garlic
- Celery & carrots
- Jalapeños - Optional
- All purpose flour - For thickening the soup.
- Kosher salt & black pepper
- Seasoning blend - We use a mixture of oregano, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes. This blend is optional and to taste. It creates an herbaceous, smokey, slightly spicy, and flavorful soup. You can omit any of the seasonings that you don't prefer.
- Potatoes - We opted for red potatoes cut into bite-sized chunks.
- Chicken stock
- Lemon zest & juice
- Worcestershire sauce
- Bay leaves
- Half and half
- Cheddar cheese - Freshly shredded.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions & variations
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this soup.
- Gluten free - Swap the flour for up to ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum (added slowly). You can also make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the soup if desired.
- Low carb - Swap the all-purpose flour for xanthan gum (see above), and swap the potatoes for turnips or cauliflower.
- Lower calorie - Swap the half and half for milk, and omit the shredded cheese. You can also omit the bacon for a lower-calorie soup.
- Creamier - Use heavy cream instead of half and half for a more thick and rich soup. You can also add some cream cheese to make it thicker and creamier.
- Dairy free or vegan - Swap the half and half for coconut cream, and the butter for more olive oil. Omit the cheese.
- Without bacon. Don't eat pork or don't have bacon on hand? No worries, you can just omit it. You may need a tablespoon or two extra butter or olive oil to cook the vegetables and chicken in if you don't want to use bacon.
- Less spicy - Leave the jalapeño seeds out, or just omit the jalapeños, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes entirely. This soup isn't super spicy, but it has a bit of a kick.
- Add more veggies - Feel free to add more celery, carrots, jalapeños, or try adding more veggies, like cabbage, bell peppers, or spinach.
- Add more protein - Add more chicken, or even smoked sausage, or shrimp to this soup to make it super protein-packed.
- Blended - If desired, you can use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend some of the soup into a smooth mixture. We prefer a chunky soup so we don't blend it.
- Use different potatoes - Baby Yukon gold potatoes, russet potatoes, or small red potatoes make great additions to this soup.
- For a thinner broth, add 6 cups of chicken stock. For a thicker broth, use 4 cups of chicken stock.
🔪Prep work
- Dice onion, carrots, celery, and optional jalapeños.
- Mince the garlic cloves.
- Shred the cheese.
- Measure out all remaining ingredients.
📋Instructions
In a large dutch oven, add a bit of olive oil and the bacon pieces over medium heat. Cook until browned, then remove from the dutch oven and set aside on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease, and drain the rest. (Image 1)
Season chicken breast with 2 teaspoons of salt, and half of the black pepper, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and smoked paprika. Save the remaining seasonings for later.
Add the remaining olive oil to the dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts in a single layer, (Image 2) and cook for 5-6 minutes per side until completely cooked through, or until the thickest part of the chicken registers at least 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. (Image 3)
Remove from the pot. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into bite-sized pieces.
To the dutch oven, add butter to melt, followed by 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon grease, carrots, onion, jalapenos, and celery to the pot with a pinch of salt. Cook until the veggies are softened, and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. (Image 4)
Add garlic, lemon zest, flour, and the remaining spices, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, and the flour no longer smells "raw" or has a floury taste. (Image 5)
Pour in the chicken broth, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce, and scrap the bottom to get any extra bits that are stuck to the bottom. (Image 6) Add in the potato, the bay leaves, the chicken pieces, and salt. (Image 7)
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a lively simmer and partially cover for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Once cooked, remove the bay leaves. (Image 8)
Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the half and half, and the bacon bits. Once the mixture is warmed through, add in the shredded cheese in small batches to melt. (Image 9) Continue stirring until the cheese is completely melted. Adjust seasonings to taste. (Image 10)
Once the cheese has melted, garnish the bowls with chopped parsley, fresh thyme, bacon, more cheese, salt, and pepper. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Season to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings as you go. If making this soup for the first time, add a lesser amount of spices, and add more if desired.
- Don't allow the mixture to boil at all, or the dairy will curdle. Once the half and half and the cheese are added, make sure the heat is on low.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. We don't recommend freezing if the dairy has been added. If you'd like to freeze, simply omit the half and half and the cheese, and add it when reheating the soup.
Add all ingredients except for the cream and cheese to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours. When done, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred with forks, then return to the slow cooker.
Add in cream and cheese and stir to heat and melt the cheese. Enjoy!
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Chicken Potato Soup
Equipment
- dutch oven (or large stockpot)
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast (thighs can be used)
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional and to taste)
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional and to taste)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease reserved
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- 2 medium jalapeños, diced (optional, and with or without seeds)
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 whole lemon, juice and zest (divided)
- ¼ cup all purpose flour (30 grams)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4-6 cups chicken stock (to achieve the desired broth texture)
- 2 pounds potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups half and half
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, add a bit of olive oil and the bacon pieces over medium heat. Cook until browned, then remove from the dutch oven and set aside on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease, and drain the rest.
- Season chicken breast with 2 teaspoons of salt, and half of the black pepper, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and smoked paprika. Save the remaining seasonings for later.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts in a single layer, and cook for 5-6 minutes per side until completely cooked through, or until the thickest part of the chicken registers at least 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the pot. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into bite-sized pieces.
- To the dutch oven, add butter to melt, followed by 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon grease, carrots, onion, jalapenos, and celery to the pot with a pinch of salt. Cook until the veggies are softened, and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, lemon zest, flour, and the remaining spices, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, and the flour no longer smells "raw" or has a floury taste.
- Pour in the chicken broth, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce, and scrap the bottom to get any extra bits that are stuck to the bottom. Add in the potato, the bay leaves, the chicken pieces, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a lively simmer and partially cover for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Once cooked, remove the bay leaves.
- Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the half and half, and the bacon bits. Once the mixture is warmed through, add in the shredded cheese in small batches to melt. Continue stirring until the cheese is completely melted. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Once the cheese has melted, garnish the bowls with chopped parsley, fresh thyme, bacon, more cheese, salt, and pepper. Enjoy!
- Store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- If making this recipe for the first time, start by adding fewer spices, then add more to taste.
- Bacon is optional.
- Don't let the soup boil once half and half or cheese have been added, or the mixture will curdle.
- Use your preferred potato, but use one that will stand up well to boiling, like russet, red potatoes, or Yukon gold.
- For a less spicy soup, omit the cayenne, red pepper flakes, and jalapeños.
- Dairy free - Omit the cheese, swap the half and half for coconut cream, and use more olive oil instead of butter.
- Gluten-free - Swap the all purpose flour for up to ½ a teaspoon of xanthan gum to thicken the soup.
Nutrition
These nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and are only estimates. We cannot guarantee the accuracy.
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