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Chicken potato soup, topped with cheese and bacon
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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.
Course Chicken Dinner, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken recipes, Chicken Soup, Potato Soup, soup recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8 servings
Calories 469kcal
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
US Customary - Metric

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!

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the recipe | Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 345mg | Potassium: 923mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3241IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg