Keto Jalapeno Popper Chicken Soup
If you’re a fan of jalapeno poppers, this Keto Jalapeno Popper Chicken Soup is a home run! This mouthwatering keto chicken soup combines all of your favorite parts of a jalapeno popper with chicken to create a creamy soup that is satisfying and keto-friendly.
THE BEST KETO JALAPENO POPPER CHICKEN SOUP
I’ve been craving soup as the weather is cooling down here in Tennessee. I love that soup is generally a one-pot meal, and I typically make enough so that I have enough leftovers for lunch the next couple of days. Even in the summer, I find myself craving a nice bowl of keto chicken soup from time to time.
As I’ve seen recipes for soup all over Pinterest, I pinned several that caught my eye to tweak and make it low-carb friendly. When I saw jalapeno popper chicken soup, I knew it was something my family would enjoy as my hubby and kiddos love all things hot and spicy. I wasn’t sure I would like it because I am a total wimp when the spice gets turned up. However, the great thing about my keto jalapeno popper chicken soup is that you can turn up the heat as much as you want and vice versa. This recipe is a crowd pleaser and oh so satisfying!
Ingredients:
- Chicken breasts – boneless skinless chicken breasts are best for this recipe because they are the easiest to shred with a fork.
- Jalapenos – You can’t have keto jalapeno popper chicken soup without the jalapenos! These peppers give the soup a wonderful flavor and a little kick.
- Bacon – One of my favorite parts of jalapeno poppers is the bacon. This recipe calls for half a pound. Feel free to use more for garnish if desired.
- Chicken broth – This is a standard soup base that adds savory flavor.
- Cream cheese – The cream cheese provides an irresistibly creamy and thick layer to the soup that contrasts nicely with the other savory and spicy ingredients.
- Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese – I found this cheese blend perfect for this recipe.
- Xanthan gum – This thickening agent gives the keto chicken soup the perfect creamy consistency.
Steps for making Keto Jalapeno Popper Chicken Soup:
Step 1: Turn Instant Pot to saute and add butter, onions, green peppers, jalapenos, and seasoning. Saute the veggies and seasoning together until the onions turn translucent.
Step 2: Add chicken broth and cubed chicken. (I cut my chicken into big cubes.) Set Instant Pot to cook on manual for 15 minutes. It will take several minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure then it will begin to count backward.
Step 3: When it is finished with the cycle, allow a 5-minute natural release. When the 5 minutes is complete, release steam. I always cover the valve with a towel while the steam is releasing.
Step 4: Turn Instant Pot to saute. Remove the chicken and use two forks to shred the chicken into big chunks, then return the chicken to Instant Pot. Add heavy whipping cream, softened cream cheese, cheeses, and cooked bacon, stirring until the cheeses melt.
Step 5: Sprinkle xanthan gum on top to thicken the soup and turn Instant Pot to warm. Simmer for 10-15 minutes so that the soup can thicken. It takes Xanthan Gum a few minutes to work.
Step 6: Serve your keto jalapeno popper soup with grated Monterey Jack Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, jalapenos, and cooked bacon sprinkled on top.
CAN I USE THE CROCK POT TO MAKE THIS KETO CHICKEN SOUP?
You absolutely can! If you’re using a crock pot, follow these steps instead of the instructions for the Instant Pot.
Step 1: Melt butter in a saucepan and saute onions, green peppers, jalapenos, and seasoning until onions are translucent.
Step 2: Spoon mixture into Crock Pot, then add chicken breasts and broth. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
Step 3: Remove chicken, shred and then return chicken to the Crock Pot. Add softened cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, cheeses, and cooked bacon, stirring until the cheeses melt. Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes so the flavors can combine.
Step 4: Sprinkle xanthan gum on top to thicken the soup and simmer on low with the lid off for 10-15 minutes, so the soup thickens. Once your keto jalapeno popper soup is nice and thick, serve it with grated Monterey Jack Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, jalapenos, and bacon sprinkled on top.
HOW DO YOU MAKE KETO JALAPENO POPPER CHICKEN SOUP MORE OR LESS SPICY?
My family can take the heat, but I’m slightly weaker regarding spicy foods. Most of the heat in jalapenos is in the membrane and the seeds. If you’re not big on spicy food, remove the membrane and seeds from your peppers. I found that the easiest way to do this is with a spoon! If you are a spicy fan, leave as much hot stuff as you’d like. You can add more or leave off the jalapeno garnish to suit your taste buds.
WHERE CAN YOU BUY XANTHAN GUM?
If you don’t already have some at home, I’d highly recommend stocking up on this stuff. Xanthan gum replaces thickening agents like cornstarch and comes in handy for many keto and gluten-free recipes. You can buy xanthan gum on Amazon here or at your favorite grocery store.
Other Keto Soup Recipes:
Creamy Keto Jalapeno Popper Chicken Soup (Instant Pot or Crockpot)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1/2 green pepper chopped
- 2 jalapenos seeded and chopped
- 1/2 lb of bacon cooked and crumbled
- 6 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cup Monterrey Jack Cheese
- 3/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
Instructions
Instructions for Instant Pot:
- Turn Instant Pot to saute and add butter, onions, green peppers, jalapenos, and seasoning.
- Saute until the onions are translucent.
- Add chicken broth and cubed chicken. (I cut my chicken into big cubes.)
- Set Instant Pot to cook on manual for 15 minutes. It will take several minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure then it will begin to count backward.
- When it is finished with the cycle, allow a 5-minute natural release.
- When the 5 minutes are complete, release steam. I always cover the valve with a towel while the steam is releasing.
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute.
- Remove the chicken and, using two forks, shred in big chunks, then return the chicken to Instant Pot.
- Add heavy whipping cream, softened cream cheese, cheeses, and cooked bacon, stirring until the cheeses melt.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes so that the soup can thicken. It takes Xanthan Gum a few minutes to work.
- Serve with grated Monterrey Jack Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, jalapenos, and cooked bacon sprinkled on top.
For the Crock Pot:
- Melt butter in a saucepan and saute onions, green peppers, jalapenos, and seasoning until onions are translucent.
- Spoon mixture into Crock Pot, then add chicken breasts and chicken broth.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
- Remove chicken, shred and then return chicken to the Crock Pot.
- Add softened cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, cheeses, and cooked bacon, stirring until the cheeses melt. Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes so the flavors can combine.
- Sprinkle Xanthan Gum on top to thicken the soup. Simmer on low with the lid off for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve with grated Monterrey Jack Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, jalapenos, and bacon sprinkled on top.
Nutrition
The soup was amazing! Wish I would have made a double recipe.
So glad you loved it! You can make a double batch next time.
Kasey! What a great recipe. Just 1 1/2 weeks into Keto and this and the ground beef casserole made my weekend. I even had leftovers to use for several nights. You are truly talented in the kitchen. Thanks!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Myra! I truly appreciate it.
Sooo good! My whole family loved it! Next time I’ll likely try with poblanos as some peeps in this house have a spicy intolerance (I used whole jalepenos, seeds and all, opps😂).
Bet that was spicy!! Glad you liked it!
The recipe calls for 2 garlic cloves minced, but it’s never mentioned in the recipe instructions… is this a typo or when should it be added? Thank you.
You would add the garlic with all the other seasonings when you sauté them.
What amount is 1/8th of the recipe?
I divide the recipe evenly by the number of servings. I haven’t measured it out exactly.
Oh my stars in heaven!!!! This was so incredible!!! Easy to make and tastes like a million dollar recipe! This will be in our monthly rotation from now on. Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I have been reading your blog and I am loving it so much!!!
Awesome! I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you!
I’ve tried other Jalapeno popper soups and none as as good as this recipe!
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it.
Does it freeze well?
Recipes with lots of dairy products like cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, and cheese often change texture when frozen.
I tried this recipe since my husband loves cream-based soups, and it did not disappoint! I added a little extra shredded cheese, switches out heavy whipping cream for whole milk because it is what I had on hand, added onion + green pepper when I sauteed the jalapenos at the beginning and it turned out AMAZING. Adding this to our fall meal rotation as a regular. You can definitely decide how much to membrane/deseed the jalapeno based on taste. The more membrane and seeds you removed, the less spicy it turns out. I personally opted to remove most of the seeds but kept the membrane and it provided the perfect amount of spice for my family’s taste.
Perfect! So glad you all enjoyed it.
I have two pounds of chicken breasts to use, can I increase the chicken and still do the 3c broth or will it need more broth?
I’ve only made the recipe as is. It makes sense to me if you increase the chicken, you’d need to increase the chicken broth for the same ratios. However, I would make it and watch to see if you need more broth. You can always add more broth anytime.
I was so excited to try this recipe. I’m so disappointed. It just tastes like crack chicken. 🙁
Sometimes a recipe doesn’t suit your fancy. It sounds like you expected a different flavor. I cannot eat the traditional crack chicken recipe as the cream cheese is very overpowering, so this soup tastes different to me. At the same time, we all have different tastebuds. Perhaps you might enjoy other recipes. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Made this tonight for my wife and I.. this has made it to the top of the soup list. It beat out the zupa we make and that says a lot!! Fantastic soup and will be a staple in the winter fall months!!
Glad y’all loved it!!
Im a 52 year old man who has eaten plenty of soup in my life. This is by far the best soup I have ever had. Ive shared your site and recipe with more people than i can count. Thank you for changing my life with this recipe!!!
Thank you so much, Robert! so glad you loved this soup. It is definitely a favorite in our house too! Also, thank you for sharing my recipes and my site with so many!