Description
Comforting crack chicken soup delivers a creamy, flavor-packed experience that blends tender chicken, ranch seasoning, and rich cream cheese. Hearty ingredients create a soul-warming meal perfect for hungry families seeking delicious, quick comfort food you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein:
- 2 cups (280 g) cooked, shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken works great)
- 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
Dairy and Cheese:
- 2 cups (200 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 2 cups (480 ml) milk or heavy cream
Seasonings and Additional Ingredients:
- 4 cups (950 ml) chicken broth
- 1 packet (1 ounce) ranch seasoning mix
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups (150 g) frozen or fresh spinach (optional)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
Optional garnish:
- Chopped green onions or parsley
- Extra crumbled bacon
Instructions
- Initiate the flavor foundation by warming olive oil or butter in a robust pot over medium temperature, then delicately sauté diced onions until they transform into translucent, tender morsels.
- Introduce minced garlic to the aromatic mixture, allowing it to release its fragrant essence for approximately 30 seconds, creating a rich base for the soup.
- Cascade chicken broth into the pot, bringing the liquid to a gentle, rolling simmer that will embrace the incoming ingredients.
- Incorporate shredded chicken and ranch seasoning, stirring to distribute the savory components evenly throughout the developing broth.
- Gently fold cubed cream cheese into the simmering liquid, continuously stirring to encourage complete melting and create a velvety, smooth texture.
- Reduce heat to a low setting, then blend milk and shredded cheddar cheese into the soup, maintaining consistent motion until the cheese dissolves completely and the mixture achieves a luxurious, creamy consistency.
- If desired, enhance the soup’s complexity by introducing crumbled bacon and fresh spinach, allowing these ingredients to meld together during a brief 5-10 minute gentle simmer.
- Perform a final taste assessment, adjusting seasoning with black pepper and additional salt if necessary to elevate the flavor profile.
- Ladle the hot soup into serving bowls, garnishing with a sprinkle of chopped green onions or extra crispy bacon crumbles for a delightful finishing touch.
Notes
- Swap cream cheese for Greek yogurt to lighten the dish and reduce calories while maintaining creamy texture.
- Prepare chicken ahead of time by slow-cooking or using rotisserie meat for faster meal preparation.
- Use gluten-free ranch seasoning mix to make the recipe completely gluten-free and suitable for sensitive diets.
- Freeze leftovers in airtight containers for up to 3 months, ensuring soup is completely cooled before storing to prevent bacterial growth.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Appetizer
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 570
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 1100 mg
- Fat: 40 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 36 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg