This Crack Chicken Noodle Soup is a one-pot meal made with rotisserie chicken for easy prep! This highly addicting soup is loaded with bacon, pasta, cream cheese, and ranch seasoning.
I can’t get enough of these “crack” recipes — crack dip, crockpot crack chicken, and now this crack chicken noodle soup. They’re all SO GOOD!
What is crack chicken noodle soup?
Crack chicken noodle soup is chicken noodle soup taken up a notch. It has the same base – chicken, veggies, broth, and noodles – but it’s then loaded up with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, dry ranch seasoning, and bacon. This flavor and texture combination makes it highly addicting…hence the name!
You’ve been warned. 😉
Ingredients
The secret ingredient? Ranch seasoning mix! You’ll find it in the salad dressing aisle (not the spice aisle) at any grocery store.
- Bacon – adds a crispy, yet chewy texture and smoky, salty flavor to the soup.
- Yellow Onion, Carrot, and Celery – the classic soup veggie blend for added nutrition, color, and texture.
- Garlic – adds that subtle nuttiness to round out the other flavors in the soup.
- Ranch Seasoning Mix – gives the soup the signature “crack” flavor. Ranch seasoning adds a rich, salty, tangy, sweet flavor.
- Chicken Broth and Half-and-Half – a flavorful and creamy base for the soup.
- Chicken – use an already cooked rotisserie chicken for easy prep!
- Spaghetti Noodles – uncooked; they cook directly in the broth! This allows the noodles to absorb all those yummy flavors as they cook.
- Cream Cheese and Sharp Cheddar – melted into the soup to add tangy flavors and ultra-creamy and cheesy textures.
- Green Onions – for serving, if desired!
How to make
This creamy, cheesy, and highly addicting soup takes 15 minutes to prep!
- Cook bacon in a large stockpot until crispy, then remove, crumble, and set aside.
- Leave the bacon grease in the stockpot then use it to sauté the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic with ranch seasoning.
- Slowly pour in broth and chicken then bring to a boil before adding in the noodles. Simmer until the spaghetti is al denté.
- Turn off the heat then add in cream cheese, shredded cheese, half-and-half, and cooked/crumbled bacon. Stir until the cheese and cream cheese are melted then serve and enjoy!
Do you need to cook the noodles separately?
No, the spaghetti noodles cook directly in the chicken broth so you only dirty one dish. Bonus: because the noodles cook in the broth, they’re so much more flavorful than when cooked in only water!
Can you use a different pasta shape?
Definitely. I love the texture of long spaghetti noodles in this soup, but other types of pasta will work as well.
Can you put raw chicken in soup?
This recipe calls for already cooked chicken, but if you only have raw chicken on hand, here’s how you can incorporate it into the soup:
- Cube 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts/thighs into bite sized pieces.
- Add cubed chicken to the hot stockpot with the veggies and ranch seasoning in Step 3.
- Proceed with the recipe as directed (this should give the chicken ample time to cook through).
What to serve with crack chicken noodle soup
This creamy soup is delicious on its own but I do love to serve it up next to a side dish or two. Here are some ideas!
How to store
Leftover crack chicken noodle soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen then microwave or heat on the stove until warmed through. The noodles will continue to soak up the liquid, so add additional broth as necessary.
– Jennifer
Crack Chicken Noodle Soup
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- 8 slices uncooked bacon
- ½ large yellow onion diced
- 3 large carrots sliced into coins
- 3 stalks celery sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 3 (1 oz) packets ranch seasoning mix
- 3 (32 oz) cartons chicken broth
- 4 cups cooked and cubed chicken about 1 store-bought rotisserie (1 pound)
- 8 oz uncooked spaghetti noodles 1/2 box
- 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese cubed and softened to room temperature
- 1 (8 oz) block sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 pint half and half room temperature
- Green onions for serving, if desired
Recipe Video
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a large stockpot over medium heat until crispy.
- Remove, crumble, and set aside.
- To the hot stockpot with bacon grease, add in onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and ranch seasoning.
- Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent burning.
- Slowly pour in broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in chicken and bring to a boil.
- Stir in noodles, then simmer until al denté, according to noodle package directions. Stir regularly to prevent the noodles from clumping together.
- Once noodles are cooked to your liking, turn off the heat.
- Add in cream cheese, shredded cheese, half and half, and cooked and crumbled bacon.
- Stir until cheese has melted (it takes awhile for the cream cheese to fully melt), then taste and re-season, serve and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Barbara
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy
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Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy