Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Chicken Bacon Ranch Soup
Chicken, bacon and ranch make a very inviting bowl when soup is on the menu. Pasta catches in the creamy broth, with crisp bacon kept for the top as well as mixed in. Sit down with it hot and enjoy a spoonful with a little crunch.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 10 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken · Pork
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Soups · Soups & stews
A few quick notes
1. Keep some bacon fat in the pot
Remove crisp bacon to its towel-lined plate, leaving the stated small amount of fat for sauteing onion.
2. Leave the simmer lid ajar
After adding pasta, simmer with the lid slightly open and stir occasionally so the noodles do not stick underneath.
3. Help the cream cheese melt
Stir after adding cream cheese, chicken and most bacon, working the cheese into the hot soup until incorporated.
Get to know the ingredients
Small bacon pieces
Cut bacon into small pieces before crisping, with kitchen shears offered as an easy tool for the job.
Softened cream cheese
Soften the cream cheese block before adding it with cooked chicken and bacon near the end of the soup preparation.
Cooked chicken
Rotisserie chicken is the example for this already cooked ingredient, added after the pasta's initial simmer to warm in the soup.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 7 steps completeMake room for Chicken Bacon Ranch Soup
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Spinach and crisp bacon last
Stir in spinach to wilt, then serve immediately with the reserved bacon scattered over each bowl.
A little more help as you go
Thin the soup if needed
If it needs loosening after the cream cheese melts, add the allowed splash of chicken broth or water.
Optional extra toppings
Chopped scallions or grated cheddar are included topping suggestions if you want either over the finished bowl.
A few questions you might have
Does all the bacon go back into the pot?
Most goes in with cream cheese and chicken, but save the remaining portion to sprinkle over individual bowls.
When does the ranch seasoning go in?
Whisk it into the broth after the onion, garlic and flour stage, then bring to a boil before adding pasta.
Is the pasta cooked separately?
The uncooked fusilli or rotini simmers directly in the broth, with occasional stirring, before the creamy final additions.
Does the spinach simmer for the whole recipe?
It is stirred in at the end and allowed to wilt just before serving with the reserved bacon.
How is flour added?
Stir it into the sauteed onion with garlic and cook briefly before whisking in broth and ranch seasoning.
Any more cooking tips?
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.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: saltandlavender.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
