Super creamy with just a bit of heat, this Jalapeño Popper Soup is the perfect cold night soup. With flavors from the popular appetizer, this soup is filled with cheese, bacon, and jalapeños, plus lots of chicken to make it a filling meal.
Go for double the jalapeños and serve this soup up with these Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits.
I love a bit of spice, so of course, I’m a big fan of jalapeño poppers.
So, of course, I’ll take any excuse to have jalapeños in any way, shape or form.
And you can’t beat jalapeño poppers combined with soup!
This soup recipe has all of the best flavors of this popular appetizer. Lots of jalapeños, cream cheese, and bacon. And we’re throwing in some chicken to just make this hearty enough for a meal.
This is a soup recipe I go back to over and over again!
Ingredients
- Bacon: You can cook the bacon whole and then crumble it, but I like to chop it first and then cook it. You will cook the vegetables in the bacon grease for extra flavor.
- Vegetables: You will need onion, red bell pepper, celery, and garlic.
- Jalapeños: This might seem like a lot of jalapeños, but you really do need a lot for the flavor to come through. I remove all of the seeds and ribs so they aren’t as spicy.
- Flour: The flour will slightly thicken the soup.
- Chicken Broth: You can use vegetable broth instead of chicken, but chicken will give you the most flavor. You can also use water with chicken bouillon powder or a chicken flavor base.
- Cream: I like to use cream, but you can use half and half, if desired. The cream will give the best flavor and texture, but half and half will cut some calories and fat.
- Cream Cheese: The cream cheese will incorporate best if you cut it into cubes and bring it to room temperature.
- Shredded Cheese: You want to make sure you are using freshly grated cheese. Pre-grated cheese has a coating on it, making it harder to melt into the soup.
- Chicken: I originally wasn’t going to include chicken, but I found that it needed it to be hearty enough to serve as a meal. You can leave the chicken out, though, if desired. I just use cooked, shredded chicken. You can also use a rotisserie chicken.
How to Make Jalapeño Popper Soup
STEP 1: Cook your chopped bacon in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Once the bacon is crisp, remove to a paper towel lined plate. Remove all but about 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pot.
STEP 2: Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeños to the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds longer.
STEP 3: Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, and stir the flour in until no dry spots remain. Let this cook for about a minute.
STEP 4: Stir in the broth, and then the cream. Let this all simmer together.
STEP 5: Whisk in the cream cheese. This might take a minute or two for it all to melt into the soup. Then add in the cheese and stir until melted.
STEP 6: Last, add in the chicken and the cooked bacon. Let this heat through for a few minutes, then serve.
Tips and Tricks
It might seem like the cream cheese won’t melt in at first. I like to use a whisk to really try to break it up, and if needed, take a flat spatula and press the cream cheese against the side of the pot. It will eventually melt and incorporate evenly into the soup.
We like to top the soup with additional cheese and bacon, as well as sliced jalapeños.
This soup stores well in the refrigerator, but will not freeze well because of the amount of dairy.
More Soup Recipes
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
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Jalapeño Popper Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 6 oz jalapeño peppers seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 oz cream cheese cut into chunks and softened
- 2 cups shedded cheddar cheese
- 10 oz cooked, shredded chicken
- Jalapeño slices shredded cheddar, and additional bacon, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Dice the bacon.1/2 pound bacon
- Heat a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat and add the bacon. Cook until crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. If needed, remove any excess bacon grease, reserving about 3 tablespoons in the pot.
- Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeños to the hot grease and sauté until the vegetables are tender. Add in the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.1/2 cup chopped onion, 2 ribs celery, 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper, 6 oz jalapeño peppers, 2 cloves garlic
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Stir together until the flour is incorporated.1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking as it is added. Once incorporated, whisk in the cream. Let the soup come to a bubble and let it lightly simmer for about 10 minutes.4 cups chicken broth, 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Add the cream cheese and whisk until it is melted and combined. Then mix in the cheese, one handful at a time, until melted and combined.4 oz cream cheese, 2 cups shedded cheddar cheese
- Stir in the chicken and the reserved bacon. Cook for a few more minutes, just to heat the chicken through.10 oz cooked, shredded chicken
- Serve topped with sliced jalapeños, shredded cheddar, and additional bacon, if desired.Jalapeño slices
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