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Abby

Jalapeño Popper Chicken Soup

This creamy and spicy Jalapeño Popper Chicken Soup combines bacon, jalapeños, bell peppers, cream cheese, and sharp cheddar into a hearty bowl that tastes like your favorite appetizer in soup form. Perfect for weeknight dinners or chilly days.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Calories: 515
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 slices raw bacon, chopped
  • 1/2 sweet or white onion, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 2 cups shredded cooked or rotisserie chicken breast
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into chunks
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Equipment

  • Dutch oven or soup pot for cooking soup
  • Medium bowl for whisking cream cheese mixture
  • Knife & Cutting Board for chopping vegetables

Method
 

  1. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp (about 8–10 minutes). Transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate, leaving about 3 tbsp grease in the pot.
  2. Add onion, celery, bell peppers, and jalapeños. Sauté for 5 minutes, until peppers are tender.
  3. Stir in flour and garlic. Mixture will become thick and pasty.
  4. Increase heat to medium-high. Slowly add chicken broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring until smooth. Add half-and-half and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 5 minutes.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of hot broth into the cream cheese until smooth. Add this mixture and cheddar cheese to the soup; stir until melted.
  6. Stir in shredded chicken and most of the bacon, reserving some for garnish. Remove from heat.
  7. Ladle into bowls and garnish with toppings of choice: sliced jalapeños, extra cheese, croutons, or reserved bacon.

Notes

* For a fun garnish, reserve 1/2 of a jalapeño and slice it into rings before cooking — add as a topping along with extra cheese or crushed croutons.
* Leftover or rotisserie chicken works perfectly in this recipe.
* Adjust heat by leaving some seeds in the jalapeños for extra spice, or reduce peppers for a milder soup.
* Store leftovers covered in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove to avoid curdling the dairy.
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