Creamy Chicken Potato Soup

Chicken potato soup is a crazy delicious soup with tender potatoes, succulent chicken, and wholesome veggies swimming in a savory creamy broth.

Making this soup is an easy way to warm the soul on a cold winter day. It’s one of those chicken and potato soup recipes that call to people and check all the tasty boxes. Hearty?… Check! Meaty?…. Check! Creamy?…. Check! Crave-worthy and totally awesome?…. Check!

This is one of the most irresistible chicken soup recipes in my arsenal. It’s just plain love in a bowl! Savory salty bacon, succulent chicken, and dreamy potatoes swim in a thyme-tempered cream sauce just waiting to be gobbled up. Everyone needs a great chicken potato soup recipe, and this is it.

Looking for more yummy soups to take off the chill: Try these family favorites next!

•  Chicken Noodle Soup – Just like Grandma’s! ♥
• Chicken and Rice Soup – The most comforting ever and ideal for tummy troubles!
• Mexican Chicken Soup – This is one of my kids’ favorite meals. It’s super chunky, loaded with Mexican flavor, and tender chicken!
• Chicken Corn Chowder –This is oh sooo comforting with sweet nuances of corn and savory seasoned chicken.

Let’s make some soup!

What Kind Of Potatoes Work Best?

I like to use russet potatoes for this recipe. Russets have a creamy, starchy consistency that is perfect in this soup. Yukon gold potatoes work very well, too.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Bacon: Lower the fat content by using turkey bacon in place of regular. You might need to add a little vegetable oil to the dutch oven (or soup pot) before cooking it.
• Chicken Breasts: You’ll need three cooked chicken breasts cut into small cubes. If you’d prefer, sub the chicken breasts with cooked chicken thighs. Leftovers will work just fine, or grab a rotisserie chicken!
• Seasoning: A fragrant combination of bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper help bring this zesty soup to life. Small concentrations of salt help enhance all the liberal layers of flavor, so don’t skimp.
• Broth: I like to use low-sodium chicken broth since we’re adding salt. That way the salt can perform without overwhelming the yummy flavor of the soup.
• Better Than Bouillon: This is a concentrated paste that I use often to fortify the flavor of the chicken broth. It’s not as salty as regular bouillon cubes. If you haven’t used this yet, you’ve gotta try it! It makes such a huge difference, so don’t skip it!
• Sauce: Blending heavy cream and chicken broth with your blond roux creates a creamy decadent soup base that makes a really tasty stage for the chicken and potatoes.
• Veggies: Onions, carrots, celery, and garlic make a tasty roux and add crave-worthy flavor to your soup.
• Roux: You’ll need all-purpose flour and unsalted butter for this. Using unsalted butter allows you to add just the right amount of salt for your specific taste.

Optional Toppings

• Cheddar Cheese
• Green Onions
• Bacon
• Parsley
• Sour Cream

Tips + Tricks

• Roux: You’ll want to take the time to toast your flour. It only takes a minute, but it helps get rid of that ‘floury’ flavor. This chicken potato soup recipe calls for a blond roux with a subtle flavor, it comes together rather quickly.
• How do I thicken chicken and potato soup? The roux, described above, will take care of thickening the soup. The cream is added as well but not in a significant enough amount to be a thickener. It’s mostly added to create a rich mouthfeel.
• Heating: Also, don’t over boil your soup. Bring it just to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer. If you over boil it, your potatoes will get mushy and compromise the integrity of your soup.
• Why is my potato soup not thickening? When making a roux, the ratio of butter, flour, and liquid has to be correct. If you mismeasure the roux will not properly thicken the soup.
• Why is my soup broth lumpy? Adding the chicken broth to the roux all at once or adding cold (refrigerated) broth can create lumps. Add room-temperature broth slowly to the roux and whisk constantly while doing so to incorporate it well

Can I Use Mashed Potatoes To Thicken Soup?

Yes! They work marvelously. If you have any leftovers, feel free to mix them in.

Variations, Substitutes, + Additions

Variations: 

1. Italian chicken potato soup: After you’ve sauteed the onion (step 2 below), add 2 cloves of minced garlic and  2 teaspoons of dried Italian seasoning. Cook for another minute or until the garlic becomes fragrant. When you return the cooked chicken to the pot (step 4 below), stir in 1 cup of grated parmesan. Top the cooked soup with julienned fresh basil and serve.
2. Chicken potato soup without milk: Removing heavy cream will do 2 things to the soup. It will be a bit less thick and you will lose the rich mouthfeel the cream brings.
3. Ground chicken potato soup: If you happen to have ground chicken on hand, feel free to use it in place of the chicken breasts.
   1. Brown the ground chicken in 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, in the soup pot until it’s cooked through (before you start with the rest of the recipe directions below).
   2. Remove cooked chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and with more paper towels, remove and discard any oil in the pan.
   3. Leave all brown bits on the bottom of the pot. They will add even more flavor to your soup!
4. Sausage potato soup:  replace the chicken with cooked chicken sausage, Polska kielbasa, or Italian sausage. All 3 variations are reeeeally delish!
5. Spicy chicken potato soup: Want to spice things up a bit and add some heat? Add diced fresh jalapeños or serranos (to taste) when you saute the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic (step #2 below). You can also add your favorite hot sauce along with the chicken broth (step #3 below).

Substitutions:

1. Heavy Cream: lower the fat content to make a healthy chicken potato soup by substituting the heavy cream with milk. You can also add some thawed frozen broccoli to add more nutrition.

Additions:

1. Optional Toppings: Anything that you’d top a baked potato with will work perfectly in this soup. I like shredded cheddar cheese (who wouldn’t love cheesy chicken potato soup!!), green onions, extra crumbled bacon, parsley, and a dollop of sour cream.

Storing + Freezing Tips

• Storing Tips: You’ll want to keep your potato soup in an airtight container in the fridge. Sometimes I’ll divvy up leftovers into small mason jars or single-serve containers that I can grab for lunch. You’ll want to avoid saran wrap with this soup to prevent condensation from watering it down.
• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? You can keep your chicken potato soup recipe in the fridge for up to 4 days if it lasts that long. Once the fam knows it’s in there, it’ll get gobbled up quickly. Just be sure to let your soup cool completely before preparing it for storage.
• Can You Freeze This?  Unfortunately, this recipe just does not freeze well. Potatoes are never the same after thawing and the cream doesn’t hold up well in the freezer either. Oh well, guess you’ll just have to eat it…
• Make-Ahead Tips: Prepping ahead can save you time in the kitchen. I get it, really. Here are some things you can do ahead of chicken potato soup day to make your life easier.
  • The veggies and garlic (for the roux) can be chopped ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Store them together in an airtight container. You can also cook and chop the chicken ahead of time.
  • The bacon really needs to be cooked when you make the soup so you can use the drippings for your roux.
• Food Safety: Here’s an article about refrigeration food safety.

Step-By-Step How to Make Chicken Potato Soup

1. Cook the bacon in a large pot, stirring often, until crispy. Set aside.
2. Add the butter to the pot. Saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until soft.
3. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and continue to cook
4. Whisk constantly until flour is lightly toasted and fragrant.
5. Remove pot from heat and slowly whisk in broth until smooth.
6. Return pot to heat, and add Better Than Bouillon, thyme, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and potatoes. Bring to a boil.
7. Stir in chicken cubes.
8. Stir in heavy cream and simmer until chicken is heated through about 10 minutes.
9. Adjust seasoning, ladle into individual bowls, and top as desired with cheddar cheese, green onions, and reserved bacon. Serve!

See full instructions below.

What To Serve With Creamy Potato Soup

This soup calls for a bready side for dunking! I like to serve Bisquick biscuit, lion house rolls, or Olive Garden breadsticks. Round out the meal with a fresh green salad tossed with my sweet and tangy balsamic vinaigrette.

More Yummy Soup Recipes

• Lemon Chicken Soup
• Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
• Crockpot Potato Soup
• Italian Chicken Soup
• Crack Chicken Noodle Soup

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Chicken Potato Soup

Chicken potato soup is a crazy delicious soup with tender potatoes, succulent chicken, and wholesome veggies swimming in a savory cream sauce.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• 8 slices bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth, at room temperature
• 1 heaping tablespoon chicken flavored Better Than Bouillon
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream

Optional Toppings:

• shredded cheddar cheese
• green onions, sliced
• crumbled bacon
• parsley, chopped
• sour cream

Instructions

• Cook the bacon (8 slices) in a large pot or Dutch oven, stirring often, until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Remove and discard (or save for another recipe) all but 1/4 cup of pan drippings.
• Add the butter (1/4 cup) to the pot and melt over medium-low heat. Saute onion (1), carrots (2), celery (2 stalks), and garlic (4 cloves) until soft, about 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle flour (1/2 cup) over vegetables and continue to cook, whisking constantly for about 2-3 minutes or until flour is lightly toasted and fragrant.
• Remove pot from heat and slowly whisk in broth (4 cups) until smooth.
• Return pot to heat, and add Better Than Bouillon (1 heaping tablespoon), thyme (1/4 teaspoon), bay leaf (1), salt, black pepper (1/2 teaspoon), and potatoes (3 medium). Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat and simmer, uncovered until potatoes are fork-tender about 20 minutes. Stir in chicken cubes (3 cooked chicken breasts), and heavy cream (1 cup) and simmer until chicken is heated through about 10 minutes.
• Adjust seasoning, ladle into individual bowls and top as desired with cheddar cheese, green onions, and reserved bacon. Serve!

Fans Also Made:

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  Chicken Vegetable Soup
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  Crack Potato Soup
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  Cream Of Chicken Soup
• 
  Potato Soup

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Notes

1. Bacon: Lower the fat content by using turkey bacon in place of regular. You might need to add a little vegetable oil to the dutch oven (or soup pot) before cooking it.
2. Chicken: You’ll need three cooked chicken breasts cut into small cubes. If you'd prefer, sub the chicken breasts with cooked chicken thighs. Leftovers will work just fine, or grab a rotisserie chicken!
3. Broth: I like to use low sodium chicken broth since we’re adding salt. That way the salt can perform without overwhelming the yummy flavor of the soup.
4. Sauce; Blending heavy cream and chicken broth with your blond roux creates a creamy decadent soup base that makes a really tasty stage for the chicken and potatoes.
5. Roux: You’ll need all-purpose flour and unsalted butter for this. Using unsalted butter allows you to add just the right amount of salt for your specific taste.
   • You’ll want to take the time to toast your flour. It only takes a minute, but it helps get rid of that ‘floury’ flavor. This chicken potato soup recipe calls for a blond roux with a subtle flavor, comes together rather quickly.
6. How do I thicken chicken and potato soup? The roux, described above, will take care of thickening the soup. The cream is added as well but not in a significant enough amount to be a thickener. It's mostly added to create a rich mouthfeel.
7. Heating: Also, don’t overboil your soup. Bring it to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer. If you overboil it, your potatoes will get mushy and compromise the integrity of your soup.
8. Why is my potato soup not thickening? When making a roux, the ratio of butter, flour, and liquid has to be correct. If you mismeasure the roux will not properly thicken the soup.
9. Why is my soup broth lumpy? Adding the chicken broth to the roux all at once or adding cold (refrigerated) broth can create lumps. Add room-temperature broth slowly to the roux and whisk constantly while doing so to incorporate it well
10. What kind of potatoes work best? I like to use russet potatoes for this recipe. Russets have a creamy, starchy consistency that is perfect in this soup. Yukon gold potatoes work very well, too.
11. Can I use mashed potatoes to thicken soup? Yes! They work marvelously. If you have any leftovers, feel free to mix them in.

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