Keto Crack Chicken Soup

chicken crack soup in a bowl with crumbled bacon over top

4.78 from 74 votes

Keto Crack Chicken Soup

Keto Crack Chicken Soup is a comforting, hearty meal the entire family will love during these colder months! It is creamy, cheesy, super flavorful, and can be made in advance!

Cook Time2 50

Total Time2 50

Course: Dinner, lunch, Main Course, main dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 655kcal

Author: Kasey Trenum

Ingredients

1 tb butter
½ onion diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 rib celery, diced
2 lbs boneless chicken breasts (3 cups shredded)
8 oz cream cheese softened (I warmed mine up in the microwave)
2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese packed in a measuring cup
12 oz bacon
6 cups chicken broth
2 ½ cups baby spinach
Ranch seasoning packet
2 tb heavy whipping cream
¾ tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (can omit)
salt to taste
parsley and chives for garnish

Instructions

Cook your chicken breasts in a slow cooker on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours, then shred. You should have 3 cups.
Fry your bacon in a Dutch oven, reserving 1 tb of the bacon grease. Remove bacon and set aside.
Sauté the onion, garlic, and celery in 1 tb of bacon grease and butter over medium heat. Once they are translucent, add the softened cream cheese, and stir until combined.
Add the chicken broth, baby spinach, ranch seasoning, heavy whipping cream, cheddar cheese, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if desired). Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, then turn down to medium low and simmer with the lid off for 10 minutes.
Remove ¼ cup of the soup in a small bowl and add the xanthan gum. Mix until combined then add back to the soup along with the shredded chicken and ½ of the crumbled bacon.
(Reserve the rest of the crumbled bacon to sprinkle on top of the soup when serving.)
Simmer your soup on low for 15-20 minutes or until it thickens.
Serve with crumbled bacon, chives, and parsley on top!

Video

Notes

Can you make this soup in a slow cooker?

I do not recommend making this soup in a slow cooker. Because it is made with cream, it has the chance of separating which is not appealing. My recommendation is to cook it in a Dutch oven. This is best for soups since the thick bottom does not cause food to burn easily. Simmering the soup gently is ideal for cream-based soups.

Soup variations:

If you do not have a few ingredients or would like to alter this recipe a bit, you can. If you do, keep the cream, cheeses, and chicken stock measurements the same so your consistency stays thick and creamy. The xanthan gum should not be omitted if you want thick soup while keeping it low in carbs.

With that said, if you would like to swap out a few ingredients, here are my recommendations:

Add mushrooms to your celery and onions while sautéing. This adds flavor and a bite to your soup.
Swap out the spinach for kale if you wish. (If you would like to use frozen spinach, make sure to squeeze out the liquid as much as possible so your soup is not watery!)
If you do not have a ranch seasoning packet, you can make your own homemade ranch dressing that is keto-friendly.
If you do not have bacon, you can use diced ham or leave it out altogether.

Nutrition