Crack Chicken Soup
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By Alyssa Rivers
on Dec 15, 2023, Updated Mar 18, 2024 |
All it takes is one bite to obsess over this crack chicken soup! It’s loaded with shredded chicken, bacon, ranch seasonings, and all of your favorite creamy crack-inspired flavors!
If there is the word “crack” in the title of any recipe, you have my full attention! It means it has the irresistible ingredients of cheese, ranch seasoning, cream cheese, and bacon. Sign me up! Try my other crack-inspired recipes like this chicken, casserole, or this tasty dip.
Crack Chicken Soup
Crack chicken soup is our new favorite soup because it is bursting with all the best flavors! It starts with softened vegetables and crumbled bacon…the perfect base for any soup. Then add in shredded chicken, cream cheese, ranch seasoning, and sour cream for all that creamy flavor. Finish it off with shredded cheddar cheese and spinach and just wait until you take that first bite! So creamy, so comforting, and so incredibly tasty! It’s going to have everyone wanting seconds.
I love a good, hearty soup. If it’s easy to make, that’s even better! After you try this amazing crack chicken soup, try this cheeseburger soup, 8-can chicken taco soup, or broccoli cheese soup!
Ingredients You Will Need
This crack chicken soup needs to be made this week, so make sure you have all the ingredients ready to go! It’s a great recipe for using up leftover shredded chicken if you have it. You can find exact measurements for each ingredient in the recipe card below.
- Bacon: Crumbled crispy bacon is the best part of this soup. Set some aside for garnish!
- Unsalted Butter: Butter to saute the veggies.
- Yellow Onion: Diced onion is a must in soup and adds great flavor.
- Celery: Diced celery adds great texture.
- Carrots: Peeled and diced carrots.
- Garlic: Minced garlic adds great flavor.
- Chicken Broth: Chicken broth is the base of this soup.
- Dry Ranch Dressing: The key ingredient in crack chicken is dry ranch flavoring.
- Black Pepper: Cracked black pepper to taste.
- Parsley: Fresh chopped parsley for garnish.
- Shredded Chicken: Cooked and shredded boneless skinless chicken. Leftover chicken is great for this recipe.
- Sour Cream: Adds a tangy creaminess to the soup.
- Cream Cheese: Softened and cubed cream cheese is delicious in the soup.
- Cheddar Cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish!
- Baby Spinach: Fresh spinach is a delicious touch at the end of this recipe.
- Green Onion: Chopped green onion for garnish and flavor.
The BEST Crack Chicken Soup Recipe
In just 30 minutes, you’ll have the tastiest crack chicken soup ready to be devoured! It’s such an easy recipe because it’s all made in the same pot! Follow my full instructions below to walk you through all the steps.
- Cook the Bacon: Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and cook the diced bacon. Remove the cooked bacon from the pot and set aside.
- Saute the Veggies and Add the Garlic: Add the butter, onion, celery, and carrots. Saute the vegetables until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pot and saute for just a minute.
- Add the Broth, Seasonings, Chicken, Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, and Bacon: Add the chicken broth, ranch packet, pepper, parsley, shredded chicken, sour cream, cream cheese, and cooked bacon. Cook and stir continually until the cream cheese melts into the soup evenly.
- Add the Shredded Cheese and Spinach: Add in the cheddar cheese and spinach, and cook until the spinach has wilted and the cheese is melted.
- Garnish and Enjoy: Serve soup with additional cheddar cheese and chopped green onions. Salt and pepper to taste.
Storing Leftovers
Have some leftover crack chicken soup? Don’t worry! You can keep it in the fridge or freezer and then enjoy it later. It’s so easy to reheat and retains its flavor and texture perfectly.
- In the Refrigerator: Once the soup has cooled, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- In the Freezer: After cooking and allowing the soup to cool down, transfer it to freezer-safe containers or resealable freezer bags. Be sure to leave some space at the top to account for expansion as the soup freezes. Then, label it with the date. The soup will last about 2-3 months.
- To Reheat: When you’re ready to use the frozen soup, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed, you can reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave until it’s heated throughout.
Can I Cook it in a Crockpot or Instant Pot?
Yes! This crack chicken soup is a fast and easy soup to make last minute because it uses pre-cooked shredded chicken. But if you have extra time this can be cooked in both a slow cooker and an Instant Pot! If using raw chicken, use 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts. You can also cut down on the cooking time if you decide to use pre-cooked chicken. It’s up to you!
- Crockpot Crack Chicken Soup: Before adding your ingredients to the slow cooker, go ahead and brown the bacon and sauté the veggies. Once cooked, add those to your slow cooker along with all of the other ingredients except for the sour cream, spinach, and cheddar cheese. Those ingredients you’ll add before serving. You can also use raw chicken breasts because they will fully cook in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. 20 minutes before serving, stir in the sour cream, spinach, and cheddar cheese. Shred the chicken and enjoy!
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken Soup: To cook this in the instant pot, sauté the bacon and veggies right in the instant pot on the “sauté” mode. Then, add in the rest of the ingredients except for the sour cream, spinach, and cheddar cheese. You can also use raw chicken breasts because they will fully cook in the instant pot. Cook on “manual” mode for 25 minutes. Then, do a slow release. Stir in the sour cream, spinach, and cheddar cheese. Shred the chicken and enjoy!
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Heat a large pot over medium high heat and cook the diced bacon. Remove the cooked bacon from the pot and set aside.
Add the butter, onion, celery, and carrots. Saute the vegetables until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pot and saute for just a minute.
Add the chicken broth, ranch packet, pepper, parsley, shredded chicken, sour cream, cream cheese, and cooked bacon. Cook and stir continually until the cream cheese melts into the soup evenly.
Add in the cheddar cheese and spinach, cook until the spinach has wilted and the cheese is melted.
Serve soup with additional cheddar cheese and chopped green onions. Salt and pepper to taste.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can keep leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
To cook in the slow cooker, Follow the instructions up to sauteing the vegetables. Once the vegetables have cooked add them along with all the cooked bacon, chicken broth, ranch packet, pepper, parsley, shredded chicken, sour cream, cream cheese into a large crockpot. Set the heat to low and cook for 3 hours, check the soup and stir it after about 2 hours. Add in the cheddar cheese and spinach, cook until the spinach has wilted and the cheese is melted.
Calories: 564kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 32gFat: 45gSaturated Fat: 21gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 157mgSodium: 1220mgPotassium: 490mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 4273IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 296mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.