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This chicken bacon ranch soup is irresistibly creamy, easy to make, uses everyday ingredients, and is sure to become a family favorite!
Can’t get enough chicken and bacon? Try my Creamy Bacon Chicken or this Chicken Bacon Gnocchi Soup.
Why you’ll love it
This soup is also known as crack chicken soup apparently because it’s so addictive! I had to make my own version of this comforting soup. The tangy ranch and cream cheese combo is a crowd favorite. Add some crispy bacon, tender chicken, and pasta, and you’ve got one heck of a dish.
Here at S&L we believe that cozy soups shouldn’t have to take much time and effort, so this chicken ranch soup is ready in just over half an hour, and it doesn’t use any fancy ingredients that are hard to find. If you’re looking for a Crack Chicken Recipe, I’ve got your covered. You’ll like this Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole too.
What you’ll need to make it
- Bacon – one of our key ingredients. Fry it up nice and crispy!
- Onion and garlic – two of my go-to bases for any soup to infuse flavor
- Flour – a thickening agent
- Chicken broth – we’re using low sodium since the bacon and ranch seasoning will be salty enough
- Ranch seasoning – you’ll find them in packets at the grocery store. The classic ranch flavor is what makes this soup so tasty!
- Pasta – I chose fusilli, but anything close to that size will work
- Cream cheese – makes the broth ridiculously creamy. Use your favorite brand, but I always go for Philly
- Chicken – for ease we’re using leftover/rotisserie chicken
- Spinach – to add a burst of freshness. Spinach and bacon go together so well.
How to make chicken bacon ranch soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Fry the bacon in a soup pot until crispy, then transfer it to a paper towel lined plate, leaving 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot. Add the onion in and sauté for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the garlic and flour and cook for a minute or so.
Whisk in the chicken broth and ranch seasoning, then bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the pasta. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the cream cheese, chicken, and most of the bacon (reserve some for topping bowls). Once the cream cheese has been incorporated, stir in the spinach.
Helpful tips
- Bacon and ranch seasoning are both quite salty, so be sure to use low-sodium chicken broth if you’re concerned the soup could be a bit salty for you. I don’t add any extra salt. You can make a Homemade Ranch Seasoning mix if you need to further control salt.
- You can use a different shape of pasta; just be sure not to add too much if it’s a much smaller shape than fusilli. Then add less than the suggested amount.
- I don’t throw out bacon fat. I add it to a container that I keep in my fridge. You can cook with bacon fat instead of olive oil or butter or spread it on bread in place of butter for a delicious pop of savory, bacon-y flavor!
What to serve with this soup
- It’s rich and hearty, so a comforting slice of crusty bread would be a good pairing.
- For something lighter, try a side salad with mixed greens, veggies, and my Olive Garden Copycat Dressing or Simple Honey Mustard Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers of this soup will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in a sealed container.
- Reheat on the stove over a low heat. You may need to add a splash more chicken broth to leftovers since the pasta will soak up the broth the longer it sits.
- Since it’s so dairy-rich, I don’t anticipate it would freeze well.
Questions about this ranch chicken soup, or did you make it? Let me know in the comments below! You can always find me on Instagram.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Soup
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon cut into small pieces
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning I used Hidden Valley
- 1.5 cups uncooked fusilli/rotini pasta
- 8 ounces cream cheese (a block of Philly) softened
- 2 cups cooked chicken (I used rotisserie)
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Cut the bacon up (this is easy with kitchen shears) and add it to a soup pot over medium-high heat until crispy (about 10 minutes). Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and leave 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot.
- Add the onion to the pot and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and flour and cook for about 1 minute.
- Whisk in the chicken broth and ranch seasoning. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, stir in the pasta. Reduce the heat so it's simmering. Cover the pot with the lid slightly open and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the cream cheese, chicken, and about 3/4 of the bacon (save the rest for topping each bowl). It will take about 5 minutes or so to incorporate the cream cheese (stir to help it along, and you may need to increase the heat a bit). If needed, thin the soup with a splash more chicken broth or some water.
- Stir in the spinach and let it wilt, then serve immediately and top each bowl with the remaining bacon.
Notes
- Chopped scallions would work as a topping for this soup if you happen to have some.
- Some grated cheddar would also be a good topping for this soup.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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One of my favorite soups ever! I added mushrooms and cheddar cheese and 32oz water to make a bigger batch. This will definitely be a staple in my house!
I’m so glad it was a hit!!
I made it exactly as recipe is written and it was GREAT! My hubby is a very picky eater and when he had Chicken Bacon Ranch Soup at a nice restaurant and loved it, I set out on a quest to make him soup he’d actually eat. This fit the bill perfectly! Winner, winner!! Thank you Natasha!!
That’s awesome!! 😀 Thanks for letting me know, Jenny!
Delicious! I did gnocchi instead of noodles and halved the simmering time (I did see your bacon chicken gnocchi soup but I liked the cream cheese and ranch combo of this recipe). I also added some red chili pepper flakes and some pepper for a little kick, and I probably doubled the ranch seasoning because it felt like such a shame to waste the rest of the packet. I did have to add some water to thin, but it turned out wonderfully.
I’m so glad the gnocchi worked!!
This was incredibly tasty! Super easy to make too.
So happy to hear that, Courtney! 🙂
Made this for the second time today – it’s awesome (again)! Followed recipe as written except omitted the onion. Delicious!!
Awesome!! So happy it’s a hit for you, Emily! 🙂
I’m not a “cook” in the kitchen but this was a hit with my family. Simply and flavorful.
Wonderful!! Appreciate your comment, Sharita!
Loved this! I followed the recipe exactly, but it definitely was not a soup for me. Almost like a thick, creamy, Alfredo texture. Still delicious and would make again in a heartbeat, but I’ll have to play around with the measurements next time if I want a soup instead of a sauce.
Yup… just add a splash more broth to it. I’ve seen many people make it on Instagram, and it seems like for some it’s thicker and some it’s more soupy haha.
I give this 5 stars…was relatively an easy dish to prepare and was really delicious. However, I wouldn’t call this soup, as it wasn’t really “soupy”, it was more “saucy”. Whatever you call it, call it DELISH!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! You could always add a splash more broth next time, but yes, it’s definitely quite thick haha. Thanks for your review!
This was delicious & there wasn’t one drop left after my family devoured it! Will definitely be a new go-to recipe. I love how easy it is & supper came together quickly.
That makes me so happy!! Thanks for letting me know, Michelle! 😀
I just made this soup tonight and it was amazing! This recipe is definitely a keeper and on my list to make again and again. I served it with homemade focaccia and I’d like to say a salad for a complete balanced meal but I’d be lying. (There was spinach in the soup!)
Fantastic!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Susan. Haha… exactly… spinach makes everything better! 😉