Hello, comfort food! There’s no better way to warm up on chilly days than snuggling up to a piping hot bowl of Cheesy Chicken Potato Soup, or chowder as some people call it! This soup is full of potatoes, chicken, and carrots all nestled in the most flavorful, creamy, and cheese soup base! It’s easy to make in the pressure cooker or right on the stovetop!
To be completely honest with you, my boys always turn their noses up a little bit whenever they find out I’m making soup for dinner. They think they are far too manly for eating soup. Soup is a starter, not a meal you know!
Several years ago I went to a church meeting and they served this Cheesy Chicken Potato Soup to us and I fell in love with it. Of course, I wanted the recipe and I’ve been making it ever since. I’m happy to report, even my boys like this soup. Heck, Justin requests it from time to time! That’s a win at my house!
My kids have been out of school for potato harvest break. That’s right! They get two weeks off every fall so the kids can help harvest those beautiful Idaho potatoes you love! My family doesn’t raise potatoes, but we still had PLENTY of work for our kids to do.
The boys helped pour what seemed like a million loads of concrete, it seemed like even more than that when I got the bill in the mail! Eeek! They also helped take care of the cows, chop corn, and all kinds of other odds and ends jobs we need to hurry and finish up before the snow flies.
I’m a planner type of person and wanted to plan out what jobs we wanted to accomplish over the break, and what fun activities we want to do. I had a handful of tasks I really wanted the boys to help me with. Before the harvest break even started I knew Justin would keep them so busy I wouldn’t get a chance to use them at all. I was right! Well, mostly right!
Payson helped me with quite a few little yard work tasks and Carson helped me dig my potatoes. Other than that I was on my own, even though I spent the whole morning helping pour concrete! Why is it that I raise them up from babies and as soon as they are big enough to be really fantastic help they are gone? Oh well, I appreciated the little bit of help I got.
Since we dug up all the potatoes in my garden I knew I had to make soup with them! If you’ve never had a potato straight from the garden or the field you’re missing out! They are so fluffy and buttery! Oh man, I love my Idaho potatoes!
For this recipe, I cut up all my veggies and add them to my pressure cooker with a little chicken broth and cook them until they are tender. Of course, you can either leave skins on the potatoes or peel them off. I think the red skins are gorgeous, and not peeling is quicker so that’s what I go with!
Several different kinds of chicken can be used for this recipe; shredded, rotisserie, or diced. Check out my guide for the easiest shredded chicken!
The creamy white sauce can either be made right in your pressure cooker or on the stovetop. Either way works really well. Just be sure to add plenty of cheese because it really makes a difference! Oh, and this stuff makes the most amazing biscuits and gravy so make extra for a quick breakfast!
Be sure to check out my Dairy Farmer’s Wife’s Cheese Guide for tips on quickly grating and storing cheese in bulk.
Here are a few other soup recipes I think you’ll love!
- Creamy Southwest Chicken Soup
- Fresh Creamy Tomato Soup
- Cowboy Pulled Pork Chili
- Slow Cooker Creamy Taco Soup
- Cheesy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Ranch Potato Soup
Homemade bread is a must-have to serve with soup! These are a few of my favorites!
- Butter Dips
- Whole Wheat French Bread
- Honey Whole Wheat Bread
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Monkey Bread
- Easy Parmesan and Garlic Dinner Rolls
The boys are back in school and the fight over who gets to have them as helpers after school continues. I’m not sure why I keep losing the fight. Today is going to be different though! Justin took my youngest two boys deer hunting and that means I get Carson to myself! I have a chore list ready for him, and when he gets them all crossed off there’ll be a hot bowl of Cheesy Chicken Potato Soup waiting for him! Enjoy!
Cheesy Chicken Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lrg. Chicken Breast
- 3 c. Chicken Broth
- 2 c. Potatoes Diced
- 1 c. Carrots Diced
- 1/2 medium Onion Diced
- 1 c. Celery Diced
- 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Cracked black pepper
Sauce
- 1/4 c. Butter
- 1/3 c. Flour
- 2 c. milk
- 2 c. shredded cheese Cheddar, or Monterey
Garnishes
- shredded cheese
- parsley chopped
- bacon fried and crumbled
Instructions
- Add chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper, and chicken broth to a pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Quick release.
- Remove vegetables, and broth from pressure cooker. Set aside.
- Remove chicken from pressure cooker and shred, or dice it. Set aside.
- Set pressure cooker to sautee setting. Melt butter. Add flour. Whisk until combined and slightly golden brown. Slowly, and while whisking add milk. Continue whisking and cooking until sauce has thickened. Add grated cheese to the sauce. Stir until melted.
- Add vegetables and shredded chicken back to the pressure cooker with the white sauce. Stir to combine.
- At this point the chowder can be left in the pressure cooker on the “soup” setting for up to an hour, or it can be served immediately. I prefer serving it immediately.
- Serve with desired garnishes.
Stove Top Method
- Add chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper, and chicken broth to a stock pot. Bring to a boil and cook until veggies are tender and chicken is cooked through.
- Shred chicken and return to stock pot.
- In a separate sauce pan melt butter. Add flour. Whisk until combined and slightly golden brown. Slowly, and while whisking add milk. Continue whisking and cooking until sauce has thickened. Add grated cheese to the sauce. Stir until melted.
- Pour sauce over chicken and vegetables in the stock pot. Stir. Serve with desired garnishes.
Cory says
This was delicious.
I doubled the recipe, added garlic, poultry seasoning, and bay leaves to the chicken mixture.
Subbed half the cheddar with Gouda.
Honestly amazing. Texture and taste were both spectacular.
Amy Engberson says
Those additions sound amazing! It’s a favorite at our house!
Shannon Noell says
I am planning to make this tonight but was wondering if you would make well in my crock pot vs instapot? While I have an instapot, I am terrified of it
Amy Engberson says
Oh my goodness! I was scared to death of my pressure cooker when I first got it! I was sure I was going to blow my house up if I used it! I’m telling you it’s so easy to use and once you get used to it you will LOVE it! I also really love my slow cooker. You can make this soup in the Crock-Pot for sure. I would add all the ingredients, except the sauce ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. Shred chicken. Whisk flour with a little bit of water and add it, milk, and cheese to the crockpot at the last hour of cooking. You could shred the chicken when you add the flour, etc. Let me know how it turns out!
Jill says
I love this soup! Reminds me of my grandma’s chicken pie without the pie, but I served it with Sourdough pretzels. Yum. I had cooked chicken and no carrots, so pressure cooked the veggies, plus a parsnip and then added the chicken. Made the cheese sauce on the stovetop for timesaving. Didn’t have bacon either. I can only imagine how good that would make it. Will make this again.
Amy Engberson says
Any recipe that reminds you of your grandma’s cooking is a winner! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Amanda says
Best chowder ever!!
Amy Engberson says
Thanks! I’m glad you love it too! It’s the BEST comfort food!
Emily says
This is probably my number one go to recipe. It’s so adaptable to whatever I have on hand. I’ve never had it turn out bad and it’s a family favorite!
Amy Engberson says
Now I want to hear all about your substitutions! That’s my favorite thing to do! Glad you’re whole family loves it!
Kenna says
I’ll be honest… this was the BEST soup I’ve made in my entire life. I added a second chicken breast and cooked on high pressure for 11 minutes. Also added garlic and more salt. Thank you for posting!! I’ll be making this again for sure
Amy Engberson says
Kenna you just made my day! I’m thrilled you liked one of our favorite soup recipes as much as we do!
Crystal Henderson says
I already know this soup is amazing!! But how would you make this a dairy free option? We have a family member who is sensitive to dairy but loves chowders… makes cooking a challenging adventure! Any idea tips would be most definitely appreciated!
Amy Engberson says
Oh, man Crystal! I’m so sorry to hear that! Since my family owns a dairy farm I can’t imagine not being able to drink milk! I’d substitute chicken broth for the milk. To make it a bit creamier you could either 1.) mash a few of the potatoes with a potato masher just to give the soup a little bit of body or 2.) Puree a can of garbanzo beans and add them to the soup for a little bit of creaminess. I know it’s not whole milk, cream, or sour cream, but hopefully, it will be satisfying! Let me know how it goes!
Chrissy says
I just made the cream part of this to add to my soup own recipe and I subbed milk for almond milk.. it was so delicious! However, I did use actual grated cheese.. I know they have cheese substitutes out there but I haven’t tried them with this. Maybe nutritional yeast could be a substitute? It will probably take some trial and error to figure it out but almond milk worked perfectly for the milk.
Meg Ketcherside says
The post is annoying because it takes forever to find the recipe (I was in a hurry as usual) and the amount of time it takes to prepare is longer than she says, but it was worth the wait. So stinking delicious!!!
Amy Engberson says
Hi Meg! There’s a little button at the very top of the page that says, “Jump to Recipe” if you click that button it will take you straight to the recipe! I know how busy days are, hopefully, that will help! Because every day of my life is crazy busy I’ve learned to work very quickly in the kitchen. I can make this soup from start to finish in 50 minutes as the recipe states. Maybe I need to slow down to a more realistic pace! Haha!
And YES! This soup recipe is my husbands’ favorite soup! I’m glad you loved it as much as he does!
Daphne says
Thanks for the recipe! I modified to suit my family’s low saturated diet and it still tasted rich and chowder-y.
Amy Engberson says
Yay! That’s fantastic you were able to modify this recipe to make it work for your family! Glad you enjoyed it!
Meg Ketcherside says
How did you modify? Curious
April Anderson says
Do you drain the broth or combine the broth with the sauce, chicken and veggies?
Amy Engberson says
Hi April! Go ahead and leave the broth in there and add the sauce, chicken, and veggies right in there with it! I can’t wait for you to taste it!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
Amy Engberson says
Thanks! It’s such a comforting meal!
Melanie Bauer says
Oh wow this looks beyond delicious! This recipe is really perfect for the season, yummy!
Amy Engberson says
We love making it with our freshly dug potatoes! It hits the spot every time!
Catalina says
Soups are always a great idea! And they are so perfect for this season!
Amy Engberson says
Yes! I love that soups get better as they sit! Leftovers are always a good thing too!
Allyson Zea says
How do you think this would be without the chicken? I love the idea of cheesy potato soup!
Amy Engberson says
It would be fantastic! You can’t go wrong with cheesy soup!
Jamielyn says
This looks like the ultimate comfort soup! Easy and delicious!
Amy Engberson says
It’s so quick and easy to make in the pressure cooker! And yes, it’s incredibly comforting!
Mahy Elamin says
This Cheesy Chicken Potato Soup looks really good! Interesting idea! Deliciously. This soup is perfect for me and my family. I’m sure it is very tasty!
Amy Engberson says
It’ really is so hearty and comforting! Even my pickiest eaters love this one!
Demeter says
This is such a filling soup! Love all the chunks of veggies.