Okay friends, it is the middle of comfort food season!!! This recipe is an old favorite. One of the most popular recipes on our website with over 125,000 Pins and countless readers raving about the recipe. It's time you tried it!
We have had so many requests for more videos that we created one for you. You are going to love it.
Let's take a peek at how this epic creation came to be...
Sometimes I am brilliant on the fly. You know what I mean; you are rushed for dinner, and you start pulling things out of your fridge and pantry and create the most spectacular meal ever.
Other nights you get stuck in one mindset. Like OK, I have chicken and need to make soup. Hmmm.... Chicken noodle soup? No.
Luckily this week Chad was incredibly inspiring. I told him I needed a soup made with chicken. We threw some ideas around and then he said: bacon, chicken cheese. OH YAY! I got that.
Before I knew what hit me, I had a pot on the stove, and I was making 25 Minute Bacon Beer Cheese Soup with Chicken.
It's thick and creamy, uber cheesy, and perfectly seasoned to make your taste buds stand at attention. This warm and welcoming beer cheese soup is a stand out in our soup recipes.
Oh my word, this is a fabulous soup!!! Chad's review "Someone should write a song about this soup".
Well, there you have it. Loaded with bacon and chicken this beer cheese soup has the perfect smokiness and heat to make you notice. Just amazing! Top with chives and croutons for a fantastic crunch and finish!
I'm telling you; you're going to love it!
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Helpful Tips to make Bacon Beer Cheese Soup with Chicken:
- Use cayenne pepper according to your heat preference. Mild=1/4 teaspoon, Medium=1/2 teaspoon, Hot=1 teaspoon.
- Half-and-half is an American dairy product made of half milk and half cream. You can substitute half-and-half with one part milk, one part cream or adjust according to your preference. Adding more milk than cream will make it less rich. Just be sure to use 2 cups total.
What you will need to make Bacon Beer Cheese Soup with Chicken:
- 8 quart pot-
- Heat resistant spoon – Ideal for cooking, stirring, and serving.
Enjoy!
With love from our simple kitchen to yours.
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See how easy this Bacon Beer Cheese Soup with Chicken is to make. Watch the video!!!
Yield: 6/8
Bacon Beer Cheese Soup with Chicken
25 Minute Bacon Beer Cheese Soup with Chicken is one of our all time most popular recipes and for good reason. BACON.BEER.CHEESE ready in 25 minutes. It is thick and creamy, amazingly cheesy with just the perfect spices to make your taste buds stand at attention.
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick cut bacon
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 cup beer, Belgian-style wheat beer (I used Blue Moon)
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 8 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Garnishes
- chives, chopped
- croutons
- crisp bacon, diced
Instructions
- Warm an 8-quart pot over medium-high heat. Using clean scissors; cut bacon into the pot. Cook bacon until it's crisp, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from pan draining the drippings into the pan as you take out the bacon. Place the bacon inside your upside-down pot lid (or on a plate). Add chicken pieces into bacon grease to cook, sprinkle with 1 /2 teaspoon salt. Stir occasionally until chicken is completely cooked through. Remove chicken from the pot with a slotted spoon and place on the upside-down pot lid with bacon.
- Cut butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and add to pan drippings. Stir until melted. Whisk in flour and seasonings. Allow to cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently, to cook out the floury taste. Add beer and whisk to combine and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and half-and-half. Whisk to combine and reduce heat to medium. Slowly add the cheese, if you add the cheese too quickly it can become grainy, so add a little at a time whisking until it is incorporated. Stir until you have a smooth mixture. Add Worcestershire sauce and return chicken and bacon back to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Allow to simmer until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.Garnish with croutons, chives, and bacon.
- Enjoy!
DONNA'S NOTES
- Use cayenne pepper according to your heat preference. Mild=1/4 teaspoon, Medium=1/2 teaspoon, Hot=1 teaspoon.
- Half-and-half is an American dairy product made of half milk and half cream. You can substitute half-and-half with one part milk, one part cream or adjust according to your preference. Adding more milk than cream will make it less rich. Just be sure to use 2 cups total.
Recipe developed by Donna Elick The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2013 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2013 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.
Originally published 09/09/13
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Yum, Donna and Chad! It does look just fabulous. Scott's a songwriter, I think he could definitely write a delicious song about this one! :)
ReplyDeleteNow that would be awesome Chris!
DeleteYes please!
ReplyDeleteI saw this and had to make it! Luckily I had Blue Moon on hand, it was fantastic! The boyfriend LOVES it and is currently getting seconds as we speak. I caramelized an onion before I cooked the bacon and added that into the soup later...delicious!
ReplyDeleteHow awesome! Caramelized onions sound amazing too. So happy y'all loved it.
DeleteSorry if this sounds stupid, but - what is half & half? ^__^ I can't translate "half & half" to german :) We have "german style" wheat beer, I guess I can use this, too?
ReplyDeleteHalf and half is an American dairy product that is half milk and half cream. It gives a nice balance without being too rich. In this recipe you can substitute accordingly or just substitute all milk (will be lighter) or all heavy cream (with be rich). I personally like the lightness of the Belgian style beer called Blue Moon - here is a description I found on Wikipedia: The beer is orange-amber in color with a cloudy appearance because it is unfiltered. Blue Moon has a more pronounced orange flavor than many other beers of the style, and also has a slightly sweet flavor. The grain bill for Blue Moon includes malted barley, white wheat, and oats.
DeleteAll in all, use your favorite beer and it will be fabulous! Let us know how it goes. Enjoy.
Thanks Donna for your answer <3 I'll make it and let you know how it worked :)
DeleteHalf and half just means they put some of the cream back into the mix. It's readily available, but if you don't have it, heat milk, add butter and whisk.
DeleteHalbrahm
DeleteI made this last night, we had it again tonight (I doubled the batch - so we had leftovers). My 24 year old dubbed this, "The best soup ever!" Thanks, Donna, for this & all your wonderful recipes!
ReplyDeleteRight on Cheri! So happy you enjoyed it. "The best soup ever" I can live with that. You keep reading and we will keep creating fab recipes.
DeleteI made it tonight. It's fantastic. I'm making it again this weekend for my husband.
ReplyDeleteSo happy you enjoyed it so much!
DeleteIt is delicious...and so easy. I did cut the cayenne pepper to 1 tsp...2 would be a little too hot.
ReplyDeleteRight on! So happy you enjoyed it!
DeleteHaving made the Bacon & Beer Cheeseburger soup (to die for!), which we thoroughly enjoyed, I made this Chicken version to according to the recipe with the exception of adding an onion with the chicken when cooking it. Both recipes will make your kitchen mouth watering and have everyone anxious for the dinner bell.
DeleteIt was delicious EXCEPT that we found it too hot for our tastes with 2 Teaspoons of cayenne pepper. I like things hotter than most in my family, and even I scrambled for the bread and butter, along with a nice glass of cold milk! :D
We had to buy the beer in a six pack because they didn't sell them in singles in the store we went to, so I stirred some of the beer into my bowl to cool it off as well as cut the heat, which also helped a great deal and was very tasty as well. :D Everyone else followed suit; and said it improved the flavor even more, and also help cut the heat somewhat.
Next time I make this, I will add even more onions (they were a nice addition) and cut the cayenne pepper to 1/2 teaspoon and slowly add more to taste until the right balance of heat is reached for our taste.
I served it with Tortilla Chips and that would have been perfect IF it hadn't been too hot for us. It is somewhat thick and we have discussed it being used as a dip, perhaps with some spinach added.
can't wait to try this...
ReplyDeletecan't wait to try this
ReplyDeletemy husband pinned this and post it on my facebook, then went to the store with me to get the items needed, which NEVER happens! making this tonight for him and can't wait to have some. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHow awesome! Let us know how it goes.
DeleteBacon, beer and CHEESE?! Yeah, that's pretty much all the things I need in life!
ReplyDeleteI like the way you think! Enjoy.
DeleteMade it last night...delicious!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo happy you loved it!
DeleteMy family and I invited one of our neighbors over and we loved it.
ReplyDeleteWe had ours in sourdough rounds that our lovely neighbor brought. We provided the atmosphere, the broth, chicken, bacon, beer, flour, and seasonings. She brought the cheese, half-n-half, and croutons. Love good neighbors and great company!!
I browned them to crispy under the broiler.
We did a nice little "stone soup" kind of thing. What surprised me was how savory the soup was without being "beer-y" or overly cheesy.
How awesome! I love the neighbor get together and of course the soup. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI have made this twice now and wow. The first time I made it I followed the recipe to the letter. However the second time, I added quite a bit more bacon and chicken (12oz of applewood smoked bacon and 24oz of chicken. The first time it was a bit on the spicy side so instead of 2 tsp cayenne pepper I used 1 tsp of Chipolte Chili Pepper. It ended up being fantastic, not to spicy and a real smokey flavor. Also used tortilla strips instead of croutons.
ReplyDeleteHow fantastic. I love the idea of more meat and the tortilla strips would be fantastic! So happy you loved it!
DeleteOmg the beer, bacon, cheese soup is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteYay! So happy y'all loved it. Its on the menu again this week.
DeleteThis sounds divine, I think it's on the menu for tomorrow. I'm going to venture a guess though that you meant an 8 qt, not 8 cup pot?
ReplyDeleteThat looks phenomenal! What a fantastic assortment of ingredients and flavors. The combination looks both delightful and delicious. And all that extra cheese is sure to give an added helping of incredible
ReplyDeleteflavors.
Could you give a rough estimate on what the overall cook time would be? How long should the soup be simmered for ultimate flavor perfection? Looks amazing. Can't wait to try!
ReplyDeleteHonestly we ate it within 5 minutes of it being done. Enjoy. Let us know how it goes.
DeleteSounds wonderful, but I only have beer with lime in the frig. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteBeer with lime would give the soup an added dimension of flavor and add a brightness to the soup. But, it would also give the soup a coolness. I don't know. I think it would be great with all the smoky spices in here. Let us know how it goes! Enjoy.
DeleteTried it with the lime beer - INCREDIBLE! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
ReplyDeleteYay! So happy you loved it!
DeleteI am thinking about making this for a fall cooking contest at my office. Do you think if I made this and then transferred it to a crock pot on low for a few hours it would be fine?
ReplyDeleteIt would be perfect. I would check it a few times if you can, as it will thicken up a bit. Maybe add 1 cups extra of chicken broth when you cook it, so as it thickens in the crockpot it will be perfect. Hope that helps! Enjoy.
DeleteLiked it! Next time, I'd like to add some veggies to it; I liked the idea of the caramelized onion. My husband said it would be good with potatoes, too. I feel like it took me a while to make, but I doubled the batch and had to cut up a lot of chicken! Also, I'm lactose intolerant so I made it with 2 percent Lactaid like I do other cream soup and it was fine. (Luckily, cheddar is one of lactose-free cheeses.) We don't drink beer so I had to send him to the package store for a bottle! :)
ReplyDeleteMade it last week and it is amazing! Best soup ever.
ReplyDeleteHi Donna! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I made it last night using store bought rotisserie chicken breast ( I was in a hurry) and green onion instead of chives. I also took another person's advice and added chopped yellow onion with the bacon. I have two kids and we don't do spicy well, so I added 1/8 tsp of cayenne. It still had quite a kick but it wasn't to the point where it was too spicy to enjoy. My family loved it! Also I made some homemade french bread so I used that bread to make crouton and it is the most heavenly soup I've ever made! My husband said it is definitely restaurant quality.
ReplyDeleteJust finished making the first of MANY pots of Beer Bacon Cheese with Chicken soup... Thank you for the recipe! The wife and I love it!!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to try this soup, It looks amazing and simply! In fact all of the soups you have posted are great! Keep it up I love them!
ReplyDeletecan this convert to the slow cooker
ReplyDeleteJust made this soup and it is GREAT!!!
ReplyDeleteI am excited to make this soup! I could only find the Blue Moon beer in a 6 pack. We don't drink much beer, so I decided to look at the singles in the grocery store. There wasn't a great selection and no wheat beers. Any suggestions, so I don't have to invest in a 6 pack that I won't drink? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI made this last night and it was delist! Our only problem was that it somehow ended up way too salty, maybe it was the bacon we used?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so good, but I dont drink beer or eat bacon. Anything I can use as substitute? Will beef pepperoni give a similar flavor? and malt?
ReplyDeleteYou could use chicken broth in place of the beer. The bacon can be omitted. Let us know how it goes.
DeleteWill definitely give this a try and let you know :)
DeleteMade this for a Soups and Hoops (soup fund raiser) at our school tonight! Thanks for an amazing recipe. I wasn't sure how it would turn out since I was making a large roaster full and don't follow measurement directions well, but apparently I did OK, as I won the people's choice award!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy everyone loved it! I will certainly take the award as a huge compliment.
DeleteMade this today for a Soups and Hoops (Soup fundraiser for Community Commercial Club at our school basketball game) and wanted to thank you for a great recipe. I wasn't sure how it would turn out since I was making a large roaster full and had to double and then double and then double, etc the recipe and I'm not good at following measurement directions anyway, but it turned out really well and I won the peoples choice award! :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing!! Sharing on my page :)
ReplyDeleteDoes the alcohol cook off when cooking?
ReplyDeleteDoes the alcohol burn off when cooking?
ReplyDeleteDoes the alcohol cook off when cooking?
ReplyDeleteIt does Shannon. Thanks for asking. You want to be sure to bring the beer to a boil. Enjoy!
DeleteHello everybody, I have a question.....I am from Germany and I dont know.... what do you mean with " half & half".Thanks for the answer
ReplyDeletehalf and half is a milk somewhere between whole milk and heavy cream.
DeleteHmm sorry if this is a repeat question- does this freeze well if we have any leftover by chance? Can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteI have not froze it to be honest. We never have any leftover. Most cream soups freeze pretty well. Once you defrost it, toss it back in a pot over medium heat and let it warm. You will need to add milk or cream to get it back to the nice creamy texture you started out with. Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
DeleteI pretty much never comment on these threads, but this soup was absolutely DELICIOUS. Served it in bread bowls and there wasn't a drop left!
ReplyDeleteDoes it matter if we don't add the beer - we are a no alcohol household -- what do i add instead - and instead of half n half - can i use 2 cups of 2% milk
ReplyDeleteDoes this taste like beer at all? I can't stand beer but want to try this...
ReplyDeleteThis soup does not taste like beer. The beer lends a rich 'yeasty' flavor to the soup, but you could substitute chicken broth, but it will not be nearly as flavorful. Enjoy! Let us know how it goes.
DeleteDonna, this sounds amazing! I love your on the spot creativity!
ReplyDeleteThis soup looks amazing! You are creative and your photos are awesome. Do you have a source for that beautiful red soup bowl with handles?
ReplyDeleteThe red bowl was purchased at BevMo a few years ago. It is actually an olive bowl but was too pretty, I had to use it for the soup. There is no brand marking. Hope that helps a little. Enjoy!
DeleteCan you use lage beer in place of wheat beer?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Use your favorite. enjoy and let us know how it goes!
DeleteI made this tonight thinking oh this will feed my family of 7 if i double it. Boy was i was wrong. I am not sure how they came uo with serves 6-8. What with 1 cup servings? I will be lucky if i can give my 5 kids a bowl each. Otherwise a very good soup.
ReplyDeleteThat's the disturbing fact about "servings." They aren't particularly based on the amount a person would eat for a meal. They're just a defined measurement for nutritional purposes. On most commercial soups, the "serving" is defined as 1 cup. Personally, when I'm having soup for a meal, I usually fill my Corning Ware mug; which holds about 2 cups. If I were having it with a sandwich or a salad, I might have just 1 cup. I've always thought it unfortunate that the "servings" label might give the impression that one of them was the appropriate/usual amount to eat at a time.
DeleteOh my... this soup is PERFECTION!!! I like spicy foods, but it was a bit too much for my husband and I, so next time we will use 1 teaspoon instead of 2 of the cayenne pepper. Also, we accidentally dumped the whole Blue Moon in the soup (that's what we get for cooking too quickly!) and it was still delish! My husband is the pickiest eater you'll ever meet and I always have him rate new recipes on a scale of 1 to 10. In our 5 years together it's the FIRST 9 he's ever given (and we've certainly never made a 10)!!! Thank you so much Donna!!! I just found your website this weekend and we already have about 5 new recipes to try over the next couple weeks!
ReplyDeleteIf you were to make this without the chicken, would i need to decrease any of the ingredients (bacon grease or butter) or just continue on without it?
ReplyDeleteAfter you cook the bacon - remove bacon from pan and drain of bacon grease then begin next step (or use 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings plus 2 tablespoons butter in the next step.) Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
DeleteGreat creamy consistency and served in crusty bread bowls was a hit, though a little spicy for my taste buds. Any creative ideas for taming the heat and using some of the leftovers? I omitted the chicken and wondered if it could be used as a cheesy sauce for something? Would love any suggestions!
DeleteAfter you cook the bacon - remove bacon from pan and drain of bacon grease then begin next step (or use 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings plus 2 tablespoons butter in the next step.) Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
ReplyDeleteWould this work if it's made in the crock pot, as opposed to a pot on the stove? Also, do you think sub-ING guinness or newcastle would work as well?
ReplyDeleteI have not tried it in the crockpot, but if you do please let me know how it goes. I may work on a crockpot version next month now that you have me thinking about it. Whatever your favorite beer would be great, keep in mind that alcohol does not cook off in a crockpot though. Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
DeleteI decided to try it in a pot, I was worried about the flavor which depends on the bacon and chicken grease. I did sub Boddington's ale, and heavy whipping cream, for the half & half, since it was what I had on hand. It tastes and smells amazing. I will definitely make this again.
DeleteAwesome! I am so happy you loved it.
DeleteCan you use something instead of beer? We don't really drink it so we don't keep it around.
ReplyDeleteYou can use all chicken broth. Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
DeleteHoly Mother of cayenne! You've really gotta like heat to add this much pepper to this soup. It was inedible the first time I made it. Tried again today because I had extra ingredients left and started out with 1/2tsp and added as needed. Much better!
ReplyDeleteSounds strange….but the last five minutes before serving, I put in approximately 3 Tablespoons of maple syrup. Delish!!!
ReplyDeleteMade this soup. It is absolutely amazing. Great flavor. The family loved it.
ReplyDeleteDoes the bacon grease make the soup greasy? Too much greasy food upsets my stomach.
ReplyDeleteThanks! The recipe looks amazing!!!
Just wondered about the spices - is it 2 tspns. garlic powder + 2 tspns. ground chile de arbol OR 1/2 - 2 tspns. cayenne pepper? Am confused about the spices as listed in ingredients. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing that out. The spacing shifted some how. I fixed it and updated the recipe. Use chile de arbol if you can find it. If not, use cayenne pepper (to taste).
Deletesorry if this was asked and answered. if you wanted to use something lighter than half and half, do you know if 2% milk would work?
ReplyDeleteI am making this for my soup cook off at work. The soup off is at noon and I work at 8:00 a.m. Will transferring the soup into a crock pot work?
ReplyDeleteYou posted your Beer, Bacon, Cheese, Chicken soup earlier this & both of us love it! Gordon especially because he gets most of it. I don't eat too much of it because I'm diabetic but it is oh so delicious! Absolutely love it. I guess I must sign this as anonymous because I have no site & got rid of my Google accounts. Google is way too slow. Love your blog please keep up the fantastic job that you do! Margo Haynes
ReplyDeleteWow! This soup is amazing! Looked up quick soup recipes when an under the weather child on his way to hockey practice said "can I have some soup?" when I asked what he'd like after practice. Wasn't on my radar to make soup but this recipe came up. Happened to have everything on hand so.... WOW! I am a little chicken phobic and might make with ham next time but family LOVED it. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWtached your Demo at the Pinners Expo today. This soup is fantastic! Wonderful demo..and thanks for all the wonderful handy tips you shared! I am making it tomorrow!!!
ReplyDeleteIt was so much fun, Kelsey. Thank you for joining us and stopping by. I am so happy you loved it. Let me know how how the prep goes. Enjoy!
DeleteVery glad this is a lo-cal recipe!
ReplyDeleteTried this out last night and it was SO delicious! My boyfriend and I couldn't wait to have the leftovers for lunch today!
ReplyDeleteJust made this soup added diced onion to the bacon and use left over chicken. Excellent soup and a great wy to use leftover chicken
ReplyDeleteThis soup was incredible! Perfect on a cold rainy day! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI just made a batch for a neighbourhood party. It is amazing!
ReplyDeleteI came across this recipe quite by accident while racking my brain for meal ideas for hubby and myself. It looked delicious and the directions were clear enough, even for me, who isn’t the best of cooks. I asked hubby what he thought, and his response was “ might be even better with potatoes in it”, and I had to agree. I decided to double the recipe so I could have a bowl or two during the week for lunch at work. I followed the recipe as written, except for the addition of the 4 small Yukon gold potatoes, and it came out perfect! I did use an entire package of bacon ( I know, I’m naughty) and 4 chicken breasts for a little more protein, but did not sway from the original recipe. It was the best soup I have ever made! I’m more a fan of broth soup, rather than cream, but this is my new favorite, and hubby agrees! Thanks for a great, easy to follow recipe that warmed us up on this rainy PNW day.
ReplyDelete