Cheesy Chicken Soup Recipe
Hearty and packed with flavor, cheesy chicken chowder is a comforting soup featuring a delicious blend of chicken, cheese, potatoes, and vegetables.
Warm up with a big bowlful of this easy, cheesy chicken chowder with potatoes and cheddar. This Amish chicken soup recipe makes a big pot of creamy comfort food that's perfect for any time you're craving soup. It's a simple, one-dish meal that everyone, including the kids, will love.
Ingredients
- Butter adds richness to the chowder.
- Onion provides a savory and aromatic base flavor.
- Celery adds a subtle, earthy flavor and contrasting texture, as well as nutritional value.
- Carrots introduce a natural sweetness and vibrant color to the chowder, while also enriching it with essential vitamins.
- Chicken Broth forms the liquid base, enhancing the overall chicken flavor. (It's easy to make homemade chicken broth or bone broth.)
- Seasoned Salt, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Dried Thyme, and Paprika are the seasonings that collectively provide a well-balanced blend of savory, herbal, and slightly spicy notes. (Feel free to adjust seasonings to your taste. I like to add some Tony's Creole seasoning for more spice.)
- Potatoes contribute a hearty texture and absorb the flavors of the broth.
- Milk adds creaminess and helps balance the savory elements.
- All-purpose Flour serves as a thickening agent to give the chowder a creamy consistency.
- Cooked Chicken provides protein and a substantial, meaty component.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Velveeta introduces a rich and cheesy flavor, enhancing the overall indulgence of the chowder. (Feel free to use your favorite kind of cheese.)
Each ingredient works together to create a delicious and comforting cheesy chicken chowder with a well-rounded flavor profile.
However, remember that when you're cooking, recipes are meant to be a guide. So feel free to get creative and adjust the ingredients and seasonings to suit your taste preferences.
This Amish recipe for cheesy chicken chowder is pretty thick and creamy when finished. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add more broth or use less flour.
Soup
I love soup! There are so many yummy kinds of soup, and I'm always happy when the weather gets cool enough to start making soups for dinner again.
Soup is a popular wintertime food for a few key reasons. The seasonal availability of ingredients like root vegetables and legumes makes soup a practical choice for winter cooking.
The fact that many soups can be served as a one-dish meal makes them a quick and easy choice.
And last, but certainly not least, soup is comfort food. It warms you up when it's cold outside. People love it because it reminds them of good times, like when family members cook and share homemade soups. The mix of different textures and flavors, like yummy broths, soft veggies, and protein, makes soups super satisfying.
When you're feeling under the weather with a head cold or flu bug, nothing quite hits the spot like a brothy soup such as homemade chicken corn noodle soup.
What is the Difference Between Soup and Chowder?
Chowder and soup are different mainly in their thickness and ingredients. Chowders are heartier and thicker with a creamy base, often including seafood, chicken, or bacon, and vegetables such as potatoes, corn, and onions.
Soups, on the other hand, come in various consistencies, from thin to chunky, and can have a wide range of ingredients like veggies, meats, and grains. Soups are made by simmering ingredients in a liquid base like water or broth, and they can be blended for different textures.
Both are comforting and tasty, but chowders are typically thicker with more specific ingredients, while soups offer more variety in consistency and ingredients.
While chowder can also be called soup, the name "chowder" often indicates that it has a thick and creamy consistency.
So it doesn't really matter whether you call this dish "cheesy chicken chowder" or "cheesy chicken soup". It's hearty comfort food!
How to Make Cheesy Chicken Chowder
- Prepare Ingredients:
- If you don't have any cooked chicken on hand, begin by cooking chicken. This can be as simple as throwing a couple of chicken breasts into a pot with some water and cooking until tender.
- Chop the onion and celery. Peel, wash, and chop the carrots and potatoes.
- Sauté Vegetables:
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium to medium-high heat.
- Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté and let it cook until the vegetables are softened. (Place the lid on and let it cook for approximately 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.)
- Seasoning:
- Stir in seasoned salt, garlic powder, black pepper, dried thyme, and paprika. Cook for an additional minute to allow the spices to bloom.
- Add Potatoes and Broth:
- Add the diced potatoes to the pot.
- Pour in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender. (We like to leave our potatoes just a tad crunchy - it adds more variety in textures.)
- Prepare Roux:
- Place the flour into a separate bowl, and while whisking, slowly add the milk to the flour to create a smooth mixture (this is called a roux). You don't want to add the milk too fast or it may get lumpy.
- Thicken the Chowder:
- Gradually whisk the roux into the simmering soup, stirring continuously. Allow the soup to thicken, but do not let it come to a full boil.
- Add Chicken:
- Once the soup has thickened, add the cooked and diced chicken to the pot.
- Cheese Addition:
- Stir in the shredded cheese or Velveeta. Give it a minute to melt, then stir to combine.
- Adjust Seasoning:
- Taste the chowder and adjust the seasoning if necessary. You can add more salt, pepper, or other seasonings according to your preference.
- Serve:
- Feel free to garnish with additional cheese, fresh herbs, or a sprinkle of paprika if desired. If the soup sits too long, it may thicken more. You can always add a bit more milk or broth if desired.
Enjoy your homemade cheesy chicken and potato chowder!
Store Leftovers
If you have leftovers, make sure to let the chowder cool completely before placing it into an airtight container. It will keep refrigerated for 3 to 4 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop on low heat.
Turkey Chowder
This recipe can easily be made with turkey broth and leftover turkey meat instead of chicken. It's a great way to use up leftover turkey from the holidays.
Amish Soup Recipes
My sister-in-law declares that Amish women make soup out of everything. I told her that I think there is a good reason for that.
Groceries are expensive, and if I had to feed ten kids every day, I'd be trying harder to stretch the food too.
Serving soup is a cheap way to feed a family. You can make a big pot of soup using only one pound of meat, and add a cheap filler ingredient such as rice, noodles, potatoes, etc. Then you can always add more broth or water to make it stretch.
My kids typically prefer brothy soups such as Chicken Noodle or Beef Barley Soup with Ground Hamburger. Hearty Hamburger Soup and Potato Soup are also favorites at our house.
I, however, love creamy soups as well as brothy. One of my all-time favorites is a thick and creamy broccoli cheese soup, and this Amish recipe for cheesy chicken chowder comes in close to the top as well.
More Wintertime Comfort Food Recipes
Items you may need...
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Farberware Classic Stainless Steel 4-Quart Covered Saucepot
Tupperware Classic Old-Style Quick Shake is what my mom-in-law uses to make a flour roux.
I hope you enjoy this easy, cheesy chicken chowder. If you get to try this Amish soup recipe, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe Card
Cheesy Chicken Chowder (Amish Soup Recipe)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter (½ stick)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- 1 - 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 - 3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (a little less than ½ cup)
- 2 ½ cups cooked and diced chicken
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Velveeta
Instructions
- If you don't have any cooked chicken on hand, you will need to begin by cooking and deboning chicken.
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium/high heat. Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots. Stir, cover, and cook for approx. 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.4 tablespoons butter (½ stick), 1 small onion, chopped, ½ cup celery, chopped, 1 - 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
- Add the dry seasonings, stir, and cook for a minute.1 teaspoon seasoned salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon paprika
- Add the potatoes and the chicken broth and bring it to a full boil. Cover the pot, simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender. (We like to leave our potatoes just a tad crunchy, so I only cook them for 5 - 7 minutes - it adds more variety in textures.)2 - 3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced, 4 cups chicken broth
- In a separate bowl, slowly whisk the milk into the flour to make a roux. Add only a bit of milk at a time and whisk vigorously, to avoid having lumps.2 cups milk, 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (a little less than ½ cup)
- When all the veggies are tender, gradually whisk the roux (milk and flour mixture) into the simmering soup, stirring continuously. Heat and allow the soup to thicken, but do not let it come to a full boil.
- Once the soup has thickened, add the cooked and chopped chicken and the cheese. Stir, and give the cheese a minute to melt.2 ½ cups cooked and diced chicken, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Velveeta
- Add salt to taste, stir, and serve.
- Cool, refrigerate, and reheat any leftovers.
Anna
Delicious!