This creamy crack chicken soup combines crisp bacon, onions, carrots, tender chicken, ranch seasoning, and a super creamy, cheesy broth with spinach and sour cream. For ease in preparation, use ready-cooked rotisserie chicken.
This delicious soup is a great pick-me-up for the chilly fall and winter months. Serve with French baguettes with sweet cream butter, homemade biscuits, or garlic knots fresh from the oven. Whatever you serve it with, you will love every spoonful.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Bacon: Uncooked, preferably smoked. I like nitrate-free bacon, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find.
- Carrots: I like to peel the carrots so that the beautiful orange color comes through.
- Chicken broth: Preferably low-sodium
- Dry ranch seasoning: You usually find this in the bottled dressing aisle, but you want the dry seasoning packet.
- Chicken: I use ready-cooked rotisserie chicken, but any cooked chicken will work.
- Cream cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese so it blends properly.
- Cheddar cheese: Any sharp, mild, or smoked cheddar cheese.
- Spinach: Use fresh baby spinach, which has fewer stems and is more tender.
How to Make Crack Chicken Soup
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
- Cook the bacon.
- Sauté the vegetables and garlic.
- Add the chicken broth and ranch seasoning. Simmer until the carrots are tender. Stir in the cooked chicken.
- Add the softened cream cheese and shredded cheese in increments.
- Temper the sour cream and add it.
- Stir in the spinach and cooked bacon.
Preparation Tips
- You don’t have to add the bacon to the soup, but it adds flavor and texture.
- Remember to temper the cream cheese and sour cream. This step ensures they do not curdle in the hot soup.
- If you desire, sprinkle with a bit of Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Serving Suggestions for Crack Chicken Soup
Serve this tasty soup with angel biscuits, cheddar bay biscuits, or homemade dinner rolls. For something a little healthier, serve with a chickpea salad, three-bean salad, or pear salad.
More Creamy Soups
Crack Chicken Soup
Creamy crack chicken soup with onions, carrots, garlic, and spinach in a cheesy chicken broth sprinkled with crisp bacon.
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Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 365kcal
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ounce packet dry ranch seasoning
- 2 cups cooked diced chicken
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into small cubes
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ⅔ cup sour cream, room temperature
- 3 cups baby spinach
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the diced bacon over medium-low heat in a large Dutch oven until brown and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon and put it on paper towels using a slotted spoon or spider strainer. Remove all but 1-1½ tablespoons of bacon fat from the pot.
- Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the hot bacon fat over medium heat and cook until the onions and celery are soft. Remove any excess grease. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook for a minute while stirring.
- Stir in the chicken broth and ranch seasoning packed. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the carrots are tender. Then, stir in the cooked chicken.
- Reduce the heat as low as possible. Stir several ladles full of the hot broth into the cream cheese and stir until smooth. Stir the blended cream cheese mixture into the soup. Add the shredded cheese in several increments. stirring to combine.
- Add several tablespoons of the hot soup mixture to the sour cream and stir to combine and warm. Stir the warmed sour cream into the soup and stir to combine.
- Stir in the baby spinach and cooked bacon. Cook over low heat until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat over low heat on the stovetop or microwave at reduced power.
- To freeze, first cool thoroughly, store in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag, and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat over low heat on the stovetop, stirring very frequently. Because the soup contains cream cheese and sour cream, the consistency may not be the same, but it will still be delicious.
Nutrition
Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 628mg | Potassium: 695mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4820IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 233mg | Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Mention @smalltownwomanfoodnut or tag #smalltownwomanfoodnut!
Kira
Oh I do love this chicken soup. It was so yummy and perfect for this chilly weather. Thanks for the recipe, Beth!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Kira!
Rebekah W
This crack chicken soup was delicious, and I appreciated your simple instructions. It was perfect for an easy dinner.
Claire C
This sounds delicious! I love that you use rotisserie Chicken – That’s so much more appealing to me, rather than cooking a full chicken too! I love spinach too so this sounds right up my street! Perfect for this time of year.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Claire! Enjoy!
Hailey
This recipe was so creamy and delicious! I love a good soup this time of year, it’s so warming.
Melissa
This soup looks insanely delicious and I pinned it right away as I am for sure making this this upcoming week. MY entire family will enjoy this one and it is the perfect way to warm up on a chilly day!
Karen
This looks sooooo sooo good. I will get the ingredients tomorrow and will do it on Sunday for lunch. I am sooo excited about it…Thank you for the delicious recipe.
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Karen!
Tammy
Another great soup recipe! I love creamy soups with chicken. Thanks for sharing!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Tammy!
Jen
Great recipe. When I cooked some chicken breast to use in the soup, I diced it up and sprinkled with S & P and a little bit of Ranch Dressing seasoning from Trader Joes before cooking. I cooked it in the bacon fat, which made the chicken super flavorful. After the chicken was finished cooking I removed it, added a little evoo to the pan and cooked up the veggies, and followed the recipe from there. Turned out amazing!
Beth Pierce
Thanks for all the great tips, Jen! I am glad that you enjoyed the soup.
Janice
This is such a tasty soup for soup season! I love a good, hearty soup that’s easy to make. Thank you, Beth!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Janice!