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Crack Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

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One-pot Crack Chicken Noodle Soup is the new and improved homemade chicken noodle soup that you’ve been looking for! It’s cheesy, filled with flavor from the ranch seasoning, and it has bacon – which always makes everything better!

Homemade Crack Chicken Noodle Soup

This crack chicken noodle soup, with the creamy ranch base, bacon bits, and super juicy and delicious chicken, is one of the best soups I’ve had in my entire life.

It has perfectly tender spaghetti noodles. They’re absolutely loaded with flavor because they’re cooked in the chicken broth and ranch seasoning.

The house smelled absolutely irresistible, and Shane was so excited to have a bowl after he came in from shoveling the snow. It’s really perfect for cold winter days, because it’s very much a hearty, stick to your bones kind of soup.

Ingredients

Bacon: The bacon adds tons of flavor that brings chicken noodle soup to a whole new level. It also releases enough grease to saute the carrots and onions. If you make it without bacon, you’ll need to use olive oil to saute the vegetables.

Vegetables: Carrots and onions add lots of flavor to the soup, especially because we’re taking the time to saute them first.

Seasoning: Ranch seasoning is the only seasoning you need in this recipe! It totally elevates the flavor to something way more exciting than your typical chicken noodle soup. Any brand will work!

If you want even more flavor, feel free to add in some black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, or dried parsley. You can also garnish it with fresh herbs before serving.

Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts are the cut I chose to use, but you could also use thighs if you’d prefer. I’d recommend using air chilled chicken because it’s juicier and has a better texture. You could also use shredded rotisserie chicken if you want to speed up the cooking time!

Chicken Broth: This is the base of the soup. Using store bought chicken stock is easy, and allows us to add liquid without diluting the flavor.

Pasta: Spaghetti is the noodle I most like using in this recipe, but you can swap it for angel hair pasta if you prefer a thinner noodle.

Cheese: Cream cheese melted into the soup creates the creamy flavor, and shredded cheddar cheese adds a sharper cheese flavor that’s absolutely delicious here. If you don’t have any cream cheese, you could always stir in some heavy whipping cream or some half and half right before serving.

The labeled ingredients for crack chicken noodle soup.

How To Make Crack Chicken Noodle Soup

Start by sauteing the bacon until it’s about half cooked. Then add in the carrots and onions, and cook until the bacon is crispy and the onions are translucent. (See the recipe card below for the full printable instructions.)

Sauteing bacon, carrots, and onions in a large pot.

Drain off the bacon grease, and stir in the ranch seasoning. Add in the chicken breasts, and pour the chicken broth on top. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, then carefully remove the chicken and set it to the side.

Adding ranch seasoning, chicken broth, and chicken breasts to a large pot.

Break the spaghetti noodles in half, and add the noodles to the Dutch oven. Add the cream cheese at the same time, and give everything a stir. Stir often to stop the noodles from sticking together. Continue cooking until the noodles are cooked to your liking and the cream cheese is melted.

Adding pasta and cream cheese to chicken noodle soup.

Add in the shredded cheddar cheese, and stir until it has melted.

Mixing cheddar cheese into chicken soup.

Shred the chicken, then stir in the shredded chicken. Garnish and serve. See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.

Mixing shredded chicken into creamy chicken soup.

What Are The Best Noodles For Chicken Noodle Soup?

The best noodles for this recipe are spaghetti or angel hair pasta. If you don’t have either of those on hand, you could always use the egg noodles that are used in most classic chicken noodle soup recipes.

How Do You Keep Noodles From Getting Mushy In Soup?

The most important step to make sure the noodles don’t get mushy is to add the pasta at the end.

Make sure the chicken is already cooked before you add the noodles. If you add the chicken and the noodles at the same time, you’ll have to overcook the pasta in order to allow the chicken to fully cook.

What Can I Add To My Chicken Soup To Give It Flavor?

Ranch seasoning! Seriously. It’s the secret ingredient in this recipe and it’s why it’s PACKED with flavor.

A side image of crack chicken noodle soup, with light glistening off the top.

Do You Have To Cook Chicken Before Putting It In Soup?

No. You can boil the chicken breasts in the chicken broth with this recipe. If you want to really amp up the flavor, you can sear the chicken before adding it to the soup to finish cooking. Browning the chicken adds a savory umami flavor that’s really delicious.

What Goes Well With Chicken Noodle Soup?

This soup is really hearty enough to be a meal all on its own. If you want to serve it with quick bread, try this Soda Bread or this Cornbread with Creamed Corn. You could also serve it with sandwiches, like these Ham and Cheese Sliders.

Keep In Touch

I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime

Click here to pin this recipe for later!

A Pinterest pin image of crack chicken noodle soup with title text at the top.

Chicken Soup Recipes

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out all of our other soup recipes! Some reader favorites are:

Yield: 8 servings

BEST Crack Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

The best crack chicken noodle soup recipe.

One-pot Crack Chicken Noodle Soup is the new and improved homemade chicken noodle soup that you’ve been looking for! It’s creamy, filled with flavor from the ranch seasoning, and it has bacon - which always makes everything better!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 8 pieces bacon (sliced into 1/4 inch pieces)
  • 1 medium onion (diced, 1 cup)
  • 1 medium carrot (sliced, 1 cup)
  • 1 packet ranch seasoning
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 8 ounces dry spaghetti
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (cut into small cubes, 1 full brick)
  • 2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese (plus extra for garnish)
  • Green onions (diced, for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the sliced bacon and cook for 5 minutes. Then add in the diced onions and carrots, and cook until the bacon is crispy and the onions are translucent (about 5 more minutes).
  2. When the bacon is done cooking, drain off any grease. Reserve a few bacon pieces to use as a topping, then return the pot back to the stove over medium heat. Add in the ranch package and stir to coat the bacon and vegetables. 
  3. Place the chicken breasts on top of the bacon and vegetables, then pour in the chicken broth. Turn the heat back up and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring the heat down to medium and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes to cook the chicken. Chicken is finished cooking when it reads an internal temperature of 165 F on an instant read meat thermometer. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside.
  4. Break the spaghetti noodles in half, then add them to the pot and stir right away to prevent them sticking to each other. Add in the cream cheese, and stir into the soup. Stir frequently to prevent the noodles from sticking and to help the cream cheese melt. Continue cooking until the spaghetti has reached your desired tenderness (about 10-15 minutes, depending on the brand of your noodles).
  5. While the noodles are cooking, shred the chicken using two forks (I prefer to leave the chicken a little chunky).
  6. When the noodles have finished cooking, stir in the shredded cheese and the shredded chicken. Stir until fully combined and the cheese has melted.
  7. Serve the soup with green onions and reserved bacon pieces.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1/8

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 511Total Fat: 24gCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1.3gSugar: 4gProtein: 40.8g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Tag @KeyToMyLime on Instagram so we can see your delicious meal!

The next time you’re feeling hungry, try making this crack chicken noodle soup recipe! It’s truly the best chicken soup ever.

The best crack chicken noodle soup recipe.

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