Crack chicken noodle soup literally broke the internet when it first came about. This is a delicious chicken noodle soup that is paired with diced bacon, cream cheese, dry ranch mix, cheddar cheese, and more. A satisfying dinner that the whole family can enjoy. Crack noodle soup is a must-make recipe for when you are craving a comforting chicken recipe.
This Crack Chicken Noodle Soup is literally one of the best recipes you will try! It’s my top most viewed and loved on my entire blog!
Everyone that has tried it raves about it, It’s pure comfort food at it’s best! Want to use your Instant Pot? Well, you can! My friend Rachel over at SweetteeandSprinkles has an incredible Chicken Noodle Soup recipe that only takes just a few minutes to make using your Instant Pot!
Reasons You Will Love This Soup
- An easy soup that is great for the cold weather season.
- This is a stick-to-your-bones type of soup that will leave you feeling satisfied.
- Family-friendly recipe that kids will enjoy eating as well.
- You can customize the soup to fit your flavor preferences if you want to change up the ingredients.
- Great for serving up to a crowd or just for you and your family.
- Reheats really well for dinner or even lunches throughout the week.
Ingredients Needed
Chicken – You can use cooked shredded chicken that you have on hand. Or cook up some chicken breasts that you then shred or dice into pieces.
Condensed Soup – Chicken condensed soup is going to help give this soup that creamy texture.
Stock – Chicken stock works great for this recipe. I opted for a low-sodium stock but you can easily use a classic chicken stock or broth.
Milk – Whole milk is going to offer the richest flavor. You can use skim milk, 2 percent milk, etc.
Vegetables – Carrots and celery were both used to help enhance the flavor of the chicken crack soup even more.
Ranch Dressing Mix – It must be dry ranch mix for this, not liquid ranch. The ranch mix is going to elevate the flavor tremendously.
Bacon – Thick-cut bacon that is cooked and diced into bite-size pieces is key. You want it crispy so that it really enhances the flavor.
Cheese – I opted for a mild cheddar cheese, but any flavor of cheese works. Sharp, Colby Jack, etc.
Cream Cheese – Cream cheese is going to really richen the flavor of the soup and offer a thicker consistency.
Spaghetti – You can use spaghetti or angel hair for the noodles in the recipe.
Pro Tips For Success
Season Well
You will use the vegetables and the dry ranch seasoning to create a variety of flavors which all work together for a bold flavor. You can also season with salt and pepper at the end to taste.
Cook Chicken
Make sure that the chicken is fully cooked before you go to cook up the soup. Now you can use leftover chicken you have on hand, rotisserie chicken, etc. Or you cook up the chicken in a skillet or in a pot on the stovetop.
Low Sodium Stock
Now one thing is the ranch dry mix is rich in salty flavor, so using a low sodium stock to help control the salt.
Thicken As Needed
If you find your soup is not thickening the way you want, you can mix cornstarch and water to create a cornstarch slurry. Just mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water, and mix it into the soup mixture. After a few minutes, it will thicken.
Simmer The Soup
Allowing a slow simmer is key to getting the flavors from blending together but also helping to not curdle the cream cheese. If you go to boiling the mixture once the cream cheese is in there, it can cause a clumpy texture to the cream cheese.
Storing
Refrigerate any of the soup you do not eat in the fridge in a sealed container for 3-4 days. You can reheat the soup on the stovetop or microwave.
Now you can freeze the soup as well for up to 4-5 months. But it will create a more tender pasta once it thaws from being frozen. But the flavor will still be delicious.
FAQs
How Can I Make Crack Chicken Soup Gluten-Free?
Make sure the ranch seasoning mix is gluten-free and condensed soup that contains no gluten, and then reach for gluten-free pasta. Then you should have a gluten-free soup.
What can I use instead of chicken breast?
So if you do not want to use a chicken breast as the base of the chicken dish, reach for chicken thighs, tenderloins, etc. The idea behind it is to make sure it is a boneless chicken that can be diced and shredded up into bite-size pieces.
How Can I Make the Soup Spicier?
You can dice up some jalapenos and mix in the soup, add a splash of hot sauce, red pepper flakes, or even some cayenne pepper. Any of these items will add a splash of spice to the chicken soup.
What Sides Pair Well with Crack Chicken Soup?
While this soup can be a meal in one, it also can have great sides to accompany it. From crusty bread that is great for dipping, salad, or even a side of veggies. I love using bread for dipping.
More Soup Recipes
Crack Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked shredded or chopped chicken breast You can also use rotisserie chicken
- 1 10.5 oz. can condensed chicken soup
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 medium carrots sliced
- 1 1 oz. packet Ranch dressing mix
- 12 slices of thick cut bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup cream cheese softened
- 8 oz. Thin Spaghetti or Angel Hair – uncooked
Instructions
- Cook the Bacon , drain , cut and crumble- set aside.
- Combine chicken, condensed soup, chicken stock, milk, cream cheese, carrots, celery, ranch dressing mix, and crumbled bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Turn down heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 – 25 minutes.
- add noodles and cheese and simmer until noodles are fully cooked.
Top with extra crumbled bacon if desired
- ENJOY!!
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Comments & Reviews
Cheryl says
How long does this take in a crockpot
Kathylee says
I tried this recipe in the crock pot last week and if memory serves me right it took about 2 hours. I used the Dutch oven for the recipe up to the simmering. When the pasta needed to be added I put everything in the crockpot and let it do its magic. It was delicious. I would make this meal again. Family loved it!!i
Mary says
Looks yummy
KW says
I made this today and it was awesome!! I didn’t have the packet of ranch dressing, so I minced up a big garlic clove and threw it in along with some chopped onion and a couple of teaspoons of salt-free seasoning. The only thing I would have done differently is to break up the angel hair pasta into small pieces before adding — it’s kinda like delicious chicken noodle soup-flavored spaghetti. Thanks for the recipe. This is a keeper!
Kristina says
I have all of the ingredients, with the exception of the bacon and ranch dressing mix. It looks like a quick trip to the grocery store is in my immediate future!
Andrea Van Hazelen says
Any idea of the nutritional value on this? Looks too good to be healthy!
Linda says
Definitely new family favorite! I had to substitute 2% milk instead of whole milk, used ranch dip mix instead of just ranch, and I may have forgotten the condensed chicken soup (I remembered it as I was eating it) and it still turned out amazing! My husband wants me to make it the exact same way next time.
Shannon says
I need this to be gluten free. I can sub for gluten free noodles…any suggestions for subbing the condensed chicken soup(the noodles aren’t gluten free)?
Becky says
You can get gluten-free cream of chicken soup from Amazon. I either use gluten-free spaghetti or I am trying rice in it tonight. We have this soup a lot in the winter.
Jennifer says
The 10.5 oz can of chicken soup – is that cream of chicken, chicken broth or what?!
Donna says
I used Creamette Fine Egg Noodles.
Delicious over mashed potatoes!e
GG says
I made this for a church “souper” bowl. It was delicious, everyone was asking for the recipe!
Betty says
This looks so good. Will try it this week.
Cynthia says
I made this tonight for dinner and hubby loved it! He said it’s the best soup I’ve ever made.
Margie Depew says
I just made it and of course I took a test and it’s absolutely delicious. Thank you.
manda moore says
Made it and absolutely loved it. Will make again and again!
Jennie says
I made this today with a few twirks and it is delicious !!! Great recipe thank you
Nancy says
Easy and delicious!!
Andrea says
This is a very creamy and delicious soup! My entire family loved it!
karen R thomas says
its wonder full.
WildaGolden says
This is an amazing soup with the tender chicken & & bacon bubbling in the mouth watering stock. Warms the soul and feeds the tummy. Will make this again for friends and family!!
Cree says
My kiddos loved it!
Robyn says
Awesomeness! I broke the Angel hair pasta in half but next time would break it up a bit more before putting it in. A bit unwieldy otherwise. Yummy!
PBP says
Delicious! Made this with a few changes . . . mainly creating a stock with vegetables, broth/stock, chicken and seasonings; then I added creamy items (condensed soup, milk, cream cheese, etc. to simmer). I also added the cheddar cheese as a topping only to the soup once we dished it into the soup bowl to avoid the messy clean up in my Dutch oven. Flavors blend beautifully. It’s a keeper!
Patti says
Made this for family dinner, and everyone loved it! Even the kids! It smells and tastes delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Leah says
Delicious and so easy
Desiree says
This recipe is bursting with flavor! I followed it almost to the letter with the exception of using 2% milk instead of whole milk. I’ve made it a few times since learning about those recipe a couple years ago. Both my husband and I love it! Definitely recommend to anyone! I wish the author would put the nutritional value if known. Thanks for sharing!
Mary Lou S says
Made a half recipe and omitted the bacon (the hubby doesn’t like bacon), as I wanted to see if we liked it. It was super easy to make and it’s really good. The hubby is eating seconds as I write this. Thanks!
Lauren Eleveld says
This soup was delicious didn’t have the ranch dressing dnt know if we even have it here. I used more stock and milk added garlic and wholegrain mustard. Cooked chicken breasts then shredded them. Left out the cheese. Had it simmering on the stove for couple hours served with garlic bread. Definitely make again.
Angela says
I made this completely gluten free. I used a can of Tim Hortons bacon potato soup, in place of the condensed chicken soup, and rice noodle spaghetti. Nobody knew it wasn’t gf. It was amazing!
Margaret D. says
Made this last night, it was delicious. I’ll make this again.
Linda says
My Granddaughter has made this soup twice for us. It is delicious! My husband is extremely picky. He said it was so good he didn’t know if he should eat it with a fork or a spoon. Second time we made it we broke up the Angel Hair Pasta into bite sized pieces. Made exactly as recipe stated. SO GOOD
debbie boettcher says
Really good crack chicken noodles soup
Trace Dunaway says
Looks Amazing!
I use the canned white skinless, boneless chicken breast and the cream of chicken soup, too!
Natalie Wright says
I did this in the crockpot. Added extra pepper jack and lots of salt pepper and onion and garlic powder! Worked great! Yummy!
Kristine says
This is one of the best things I’ve ever had! Best version I’ve tried. I made this some years ago and it’s definitely a favorite for me, family, friends, coworkers, and literally anyone who’s tried it. I’m heartbroken though because this past year I decided to go vegetarian for health reasons and I’ve been pretty good at finding ways to recreate most of my favorite dishes and at least get them close in taste and texture. But this one, I haven’t gotten quite right yet. My biggest challenge is finding a good substitute for the condensed chicken soup…. But I do miss this dish! Any ideas are greatly appreciated!
Sue Wilson says
Incredible. Will definitely make again!