Creamy Chicken Potato Soup
If you're craving comfort food, Creamy Chicken Potato Soup is about as comforting as it gets! This homemade soup made with simple ingredients can be made in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker, and is made with refrigerated or frozen shredded hash browns, smoky bacon, chicken, and cream. It's the best thing on a cold winter night and this delicious soup will be a family favorite!
This time of year I am all about the soups for dinner! My family loves soup, so it works out really well, and their favorite is creamy soup. With this delicious soup, what started out as a Potato Soup, ended up as this Chicken Potato Soup and is now one of our favorite soups.
Basically, this soup is like a loaded baked potato in a soup, plus some chicken, and it is absolutely delicious! This thick creamy soup is the perfect comfort food on a chilly day!
If you like a loaded baked potato as a side dish (or your main dish!) then you will really love this soup. Bonus: it is super easy to make in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker, which means it can be ready in minutes of coming home.
Not surprisingly, my whole family loved this hearty soup! I mean, when something involves potatoes, cheese, and bacon, you can't really go wrong!
Ingredients in Creamy Chicken Potato Soup
The ingredients in this easy chicken soup are very simple and basic ingredients that are easy to find.
- Bacon - smoky bacon give this soup a ton of flavor.
- White Onion - diced onions are sautéed in bacon grease at the beginning of this recipe.
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Chicken - you can use raw chicken breast or chicken thighs, or this is a great use for rotisserie chicken!
- Chicken Broth - chicken broth is the base for the liquid in this soup. Vegetable broth or chicken stock will also work.
- Refrigerated or Frozen Hash Browns - I love using these for easy potato soup! No peeling or chopping potatoes in this recipe!
- Heavy Cream - this makes the creamy potato soup super rich and give the soup its creamy texture.
- Flour - all purpose flour is used to thicken the soup.
- Salt and Pepper
- Green Onions - green onions are in this soup for topping.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Potato Soup
You can make this comforting soup on the stove top, in the Instant Pot, or the slow cooker!
Stove Top Instructions
To start, cook the bacon, over medium heat in a large dutch oven or soup pot. Once the bacon is cooked, remove it from the pan, leaving the grease. Cook the onions, carrot, and garlic over medium high heat until the vegetables are softened, for 5-7 minutes.
Next, add the salt, black pepper, chicken, hash browns, and broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the soup pot and shred with two forks.
Return the chicken to the soup pot. Next, combine the flour and cream in a mason jar and shake until combined, or stir together in a bowl. Add the cream mixture to the large pot and simmer for another 10 minutes. Then add the cheese and stir until melted!
Slow Cooker Instructions
For the slow cooker, you'll have to do a little bit of prep on the stovetop, if your slow cooker doesn't have a saute/brown function (which mine doesn't!). To start, cook the bacon, onions, carrot, and garlic over medium high heat in a skillet.
Next, add everything to the crock pot, except for the cream and flour. Cook on hours for 3-4 minutes, or low for 6-7 hours.
Remove the cooked chicken from the soup pot and shred with two forks. Return the chicken to the soup pot.
After the cooking time, combine the flour and cream in a mason jar and shake until combined, or stir together in a bowl. Add the cream mixture to the slow cooker and cook on high for another 30 minutes. Then add the cheese and stir until melted!
Instant Pot Instructions
For the Instant Pot, start by cooking the bacon on the sauté function until crispy. Remove from the Instant Pot and then cook the onions and carrots until slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes. They don't need to be fully cooked.
Next add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook another minute. Then turn the brown/saute function off and add the broth, chicken, and hash browns, and cook on HIGH pressure for 4 minutes.
After the 4 minutes, quickly release the pressure. Remove the cooked chicken from the soup pot and shred with two forks. Return the chicken to the soup pot.
Next, combine the flour and cream in a mason jar and shake until combined, or stir together in a bowl. Add to the Instant Pot and stir to combine. Turn the brown/saute function and cook for 5-10 minutes, until thickened. Finally, add the cheese and stir to combine and melt.
Serve the Creamy Chicken Potato Soup in bowls topped with additional cheese and diced green onions. Enjoy!
Creamy Chicken Potato Soup FAQ's
Why does this recipe use frozen hash browns?
Because it makes this recipe so much easier! You can definitely use russet potatoes or red potatoes and shred them yourself, if that's what you have on hand and want to do.
Can I freeze this chicken potato soup?
Yes this soup freezes well. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To eat, thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat on the stovetop OR in the microwave.
What is the best cheese to use in this soup?
I love using shredded cheddar cheese, but many different types of cheese would work. I think Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, pepper jack (for a bit of a kick!), and shredded mozzarella cheese.
Other topping ideas: a dollop of sour cream, fresh parsley, additional shredded cheese.
Like this recipe? Check these out, too!
Chicken Bacon Corn Chowder
Chicken Bacon Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 7 slices bacon chopped
- 1 white onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced (or 2 cups cooked chicken)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 40 ounces shredded hash browns (I used Simply Potatoes)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoon flour
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese plus more for topping
- diced green onions for topping
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- Cook bacon in a skillet on the stovetop.
- Once cooked, remove and cook the onion, carrots, garlic, and salt in bacon grease for 3-4 minutes.
- Add bacon, onion/carrot mixture, chicken, chicken broth, and hash browns to slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- When there are 30 minutes remaining, add the flour and cream to a mason jar, and shake well to combine. Add to the slow cooker and cook another 30 minutes on high.
- Stir in cheese until melted.
- Serve topped with diced green onions!
Instant Pot
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute/brown function.
- Add the bacon and cook until browned and crispy. Remove from the Instant Pot
- Add the onion and carrots, and cook until slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and cook one more minute.
- Add the cooked bacon, chicken, chicken broth, and hash browns.
- Cook on HIGH for 4 minutes.
- Release the pressure.
- In a mason jar, combine the cream and flour and shake until well combined.
- Turn on Instant Pot back to Saute/Brown function and add the cream mixture to the soup.
- Stirring often, cook the soup until it has thickened, about 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the cheese until melted.
- Serve topped with sliced green onions and additional cheese.
- Enjoy!
Stovetop Version
- Add the bacon to a large dutch oven or soup pot, and cook over medium heat until crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the grease.
- Add the onions and carrot and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Add the salt, black pepper, chicken, hash browns, and broth and stir well to combine.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken and shred with two forks or chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Return the chicken to the soup pot.
- Add the flour and cream to a mason jar and shake until combined, or stir together in a bowl.
- Add the cream mixture to the soup and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add the cream and stir until melted.
- Serve topped with chopped green onions and enjoy!
Wonderful flavor combo! This soup + a good loaf of bread = perfect fall/winter dinner.
Will definitely be making this again - and again!:)