Description
Comfort meets convenience in this creamy crack chicken soup, blending zesty ranch seasoning with tender shredded chicken. Hearty ingredients simmer together, creating a soul-warming meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein Ingredients:
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 1 white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Seasonings and Liquids:
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh dill and scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Render bacon in a spacious pot over medium heat until crisp, approximately 5 minutes. Extract bacon pieces, reserving rendered fat for subsequent cooking.
- Melt butter in the same pot, incorporate diced onions, and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Introduce minced garlic and briefly toast for 20 seconds.
- Pour chicken broth into the pot, integrate selected seasonings, and allow mixture to gently simmer for 5 minutes, developing robust flavor foundations.
- Incorporate shredded chicken into the simmering liquid, continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes to ensure thorough heat distribution and flavor infusion.
- Gradually whisk cream cheese and cheddar into the soup, stirring continuously until completely melted and integrated. Fold in fresh spinach and heavy cream, reducing heat and simmering for 3 minutes.
- Extract bay leaves from the soup. Garnish with reserved crispy bacon fragments, delicate fresh dill sprigs, and thinly sliced scallion rings for vibrant presentation and textural contrast.
Notes
- Save excess bacon fat for future cooking or discard carefully to prevent plumbing issues.
- Substitute dairy cheeses with nutritional yeast or cashew cream for a lactose-free version.
- Use low-sodium broth and reduce added salt to control sodium intake without compromising flavor.
- Replace chicken and bacon with plant-based protein like tofu or white beans for a hearty meat-free soup.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 21 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg