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A simple yet flavorful pot of chicken potato soup is a cozy, family-friendly meal for chilly days! Each bowl is full of smoky bacon, tender chicken, vegetables, potatoes, and herbs in a light, creamy broth.
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for even more cozy soup recipes, be sure to try this turkey vegetable soup, this chicken enchilada soup, my grandmother’s hamburger soup, and this easy taco soup, too!
Why You’ll Love this Chicken and Potato Soup
- One Pot. From the bacon to the chicken and the veggies, everything cooks in a single pot — which means fewer dishes to wash at the end!
- Flavorful. By layering smoky bacon drippings with sauteed vegetables and the browned bits from searing the chicken, you create complex flavor and richness in this humble dish.
- Affordable. From potatoes to chicken thighs, this meal is a great way to stretch the budget with easy-to-find, less-expensive ingredients that come together in a hearty, satisfying, and delicious meal.
Ingredients for Creamy Chicken Potato Soup
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pot of potato chicken soup. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Butter: to sauté the bacon and brown the meat.
- Bacon: adds smoky flavor to the soup, and the drippings brown the chicken.
- Chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken thighs, which have great flavor and stay tender and juicy in the broth. You can also use boneless skinless chicken breast if you prefer the white meat.
- Carrots, celery, onion, and garlic: for savory flavor.
- Flour: to thicken the broth.
- Bay leaf, Italian seasoning, dried basil, dried oregano, and dried thyme: dried herbs and spices add savory, earthy flavor to the soup.
- Chicken broth: start with low-sodium chicken broth if you prefer a less-salty dish. Homemade chicken broth is also delicious when available.
- Potatoes: you do not need to boil potatoes before adding to soup. They cook right in the hot broth until they’re perfectly tender.
- Heavy cream or half-and-half: a splash at the end gives the broth a rich, creamy mouthfeel, while still keeping it light. Nothing too heavy or rich! See my notes below if you’d like to omit this ingredient.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Fresh parsley: a bright, colorful touch.
- Lemon juice: an acidic note that brightens up the dish.
How to Make Chicken Potato Soup
This recipe is slightly adapted from my favorite Dutch oven chicken stew. It’s simple, easy comfort food! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Fry the bacon in butter.
- Sear the chicken in the bacon drippings.
- Sauté the vegetables.
- Add the flour and seasoning.
- Stir in the broth, potatoes, chicken, and bacon.
- Cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Stir in the cream, and then add the parsley and lemon juice.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken soup with potatoes pairs nicely with any of these sides:
- Kale Apple Salad with Bacon, Feta, and Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing, Wedge Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Southern Caesar Salad, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, House Salad with Candied Pecans, or Classic Caesar Salad
- One-Bowl Pumpkin Bread, Easy Pumpkin Muffins, or 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
- Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits with Bacon and Chives, Angel Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
- Cast Iron Cornbread, Sour Cream Cornbread, Fluffy Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Broccoli Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Butter Cornbread
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Bread or One-Bowl Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Cheddar Chive Beer Bread (No Yeast, No Knead) or Honey Beer Bread
- Homemade Crescent Rolls or Soft Dinner Rolls
- A loaf of crusty Dutch Oven Bread, No-Knead Cranberry Walnut Bread, or French Baguette
- Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
Preparation and Storage Tips
This is a great make-ahead dinner! Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the chicken and potato soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Just be aware that the texture of the potatoes will change after they have been frozen. They tend to be a bit mushy when thawed.
Reheat leftovers in a pot on the stovetop over low heat, just until warmed through. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, or just until heated through.
Recipe Variations
- We prefer the flavor and buttery texture of Yukon gold potatoes. You can also use red potatoes, which hold up best in soup, or white potatoes. Peeled and diced russet potatoes are fine, but they are more likely to fall apart in the broth.
- Use 4 cups of cooked chicken (such as rotisserie chicken) instead of the raw chicken. Since you don’t need to brown or cook the rotisserie chicken, add the shredded meat to the pot towards the end of the cooking time (when you add the cream). This way it won’t get too dry while the soup simmers.
- The cream adds a nice, rich texture and flavor to the finished dish. If you prefer, you can swap out the cream and replace it with extra broth.
- Add other veggies such as frozen peas, corn, or cut green beans. Diced tomatoes would also be good. You can also stir in spinach or other greens (like kale or collards) at the end.
- Add a splash of white wine for extra flavor.
Tips for the Best Chicken Potato Soup Recipe
- Keep an eye on the soup and add the cream as soon as the potatoes are tender. You don’t want to cook the potatoes for too long, or they’ll get mushy.
- Add extra flavor to the soup with more herbs and spices, such as poultry seasoning, paprika, chives, dill, or a spicy kick from crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Allow the cream to come to room temperature before stirring it into the soup. The room-temperature cream is less likely to break or curdle when you add it to the hot pot.
- Taste and season as you go. The total amount of salt necessary will vary depending on the saltiness of your broth, and on personal preference. Add extra salt for more flavor, and feel free to increase the other herbs and seasonings as well. Start with low sodium chicken broth if you’re sensitive to sodium, since many store-bought options can be quite salty.
More Chicken Soup Recipes to Try
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
45 minutes mins
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
30 minutes mins
Chicken Vegetable Soup
1 hour hr
Chicken Potato Soup
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
A pot of easy chicken potato soup is a cozy, delicious meal for a chilly day!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 8 thighs) (or sub with chicken breasts)
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon total)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ lbs. Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes (about 4 large), diced into 1-inch cubes
- ½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half, at room temperature
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Fresh lemon juice, to taste
- Optional garnish: additional chopped fresh parsley or other herbs
Instructions
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté bacon in butter over medium heat until crisp and browned, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high; sear chicken in the butter/bacon fat until browned on all sides (about 5 minutes) – it does not need to be cooked through at this point. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add carrots, celery, and onion to the drippings in the pot. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in flour, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, and thyme. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add broth, potatoes, browned chicken (and any accumulated juices from the plate), and bacon to the pot. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low or medium-low, and simmer (covered) for about 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Discard bay leaf.
- Stir in the cream. Simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes (or until heated through). Remove from the heat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Stir in the parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh herbs.
Notes
- Keep an eye on the soup and add the cream as soon as the potatoes are tender. You don’t want to cook the potatoes for too long, or they’ll get mushy.
- Add extra flavor to the soup with more herbs and spices, such as poultry seasoning, paprika, chives, dill, or a spicy kick from crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Allow the cream to come to room temperature before stirring it into the soup. The room-temperature cream is less likely to break or curdle when you add it to the hot pot.
- Taste and season as you go. The total amount of salt necessary will vary depending on the saltiness of your broth, and on personal preference. Add extra salt for more flavor, and feel free to increase the other herbs and seasonings as well. Start with low sodium chicken broth if you’re sensitive to sodium, since many store-bought options can be quite salty.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 274kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 22gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 524mgPotassium: 667mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3440IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 2mg
