This Chicken and Broccoli Cheddar Soup is creamy, cheesy and packed with veggies and protein. It's one of my favorite soup recipes and is hearty enough to eat for a filling meal. Plus, it's cooked all in one pot and ready in under one hour!
I'm a total soup girl, like the kind where I could eat soup for every meal from October to February. I love every variety, but my favorite kinds of soup are the filling ones, like this one or my Dutch Oven Chili, where you can just serve it with crackers or a slab of bread.
If you want a bigger meal, serve this Chicken Broccoli Cheese Soup beside Sourdough Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Stuffed Garlic Bread or Roast Beef Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls.
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Why You'll Love This Soup:
- One Pot Recipe. Grab a big dutch oven or pot for an easy one pot meal.
- Quick. A store-bought rotisserie chicken saves us time and it only takes 20 minutes to prep and 35 minutes to cook!
- Easy. No difficult techniques and simple step by step instructions with pictures.
- Delish. This recipe is huge on flavor with creamy and cheesy textures.
- Healthy. Get your nutrients from the high protein combination of chicken, cheese and broccoli.
For more easy soup recipes, try this Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup, Italian Pastina Soup and Green Chili Chicken Soup.
Ingredients:
Broccoli: The star of the recipe. Make sure to cut the florets from the stems and chop the florets pretty fine for the best texture.
Cheddar Cheese: I used Tillamook extra sharp cheddar, which melted perfectly in the soup and was big on flavor. If you choose a different brand, that's totally fine, but make sure to shred it from a block for the best melt.
Rotisserie Chicken: Store bought rotisserie works fabulous in this recipe because it's easy to pull apart and tender. Plus, it's already cooked. Make sure to remove the chicken skin and watch out for small bones.
Simple Roux: A butter and flour mixture adds richness and thickness to the creamy stock.
The Broth: A combination of chicken stock, milk, and heavy cream and used as the base for a creamy, delicious broth. I recommend chicken stock over chicken broth for much more flavor. Kitchen Basics is a great brand and the flavor it brings is worth the extra cost.
Carrot, Onion, and Garlic: Used to flavor the soup. I recommend minced the onion and garlic and thinly shredding the carrot. We want the broccoli to really shine here.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Don't love other veggies? You can leave the carrot or onion out.
- Need a vegetarian version? Remove the chicken from the recipe and use Vegetable stock in substitution of Chicken stock.
- I like salted butter for this recipe, but unsalted can be used too. Add an extra teaspoon of salt, plus more to taste if you use unsalted butter.
- The combination and amounts of chicken stock to heavy cream and whole milk turn out perfectly in this recipe, and I don't recommend substituting ingredients for the broth.
- These homemade Soup Croutons are fantastic if you want to add a homemade topping.
For more protein packed soups, try this Turkey Lentil Soup, Ground Chicken Meatball Soup and Chicken Minestrone Soup.
How to Make Chicken and Broccoli Cheddar Soup:
Step 1: In a large dutch oven or pot with cover, melt the butter over medium low heat. Toss in the onions, salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened, but not browned, stirring every minute.
Step 2: Add in the minced garlic and sprinkle in the flour. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until no dry flour is showing (it should combine with the melted butter within a minute).
Step 3: Slowly pour in the whole milk while stirring the roux (butter & flour mixture) at the same time, making sure it all combines into a thick milky texture. Pour in the chicken stock.
Step 4: Stir in the grated carrot and broccoli, then cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Note: When you stir, use a wooden spoon and scrape the bottom to make sure the roux isn't sticking.
Step 5: Pour in the heavy cream and pulled chicken. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Make sure the broccoli is fully tender. Add a few minutes covered if needed.
Step 6: Turn off the heat and sprinkle in the cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Add a dash of salt and pepper or hot sauce to taste.
Step 7: Ladle into bowls, serve and enjoy! It's great topped with soup croutons, oyster crackers or even a few parmesan crisps.
Expert Tips:
- Don't use bagged cheddar cheese. It has an anti-caking agent that doesn't melt well. It's best to shred it yourself from the block.
- Stir the milk in slowly and really combine the roux (butter and flour mixture) into it without leaving it stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Do not leave this soup simmering on the stovetop for a long time after cooking. The broccoli will start to get mushy and the chicken will continue to pull apart into thin strands, which we don't want.
Thinking about a salad to pair with this soup? Try this Chicken Bacon Caesar Salad, Mediterranean Chopped Salad or Crunchy Kale Salad.
Recipe FAQs 📋:
A roux is a simple butter and flour mixture used to thicken soups and stews. Different recipes call for different cook times. For example, a gumbo is going to have a roux that is cooked until almost chocolate brown before adding stock.
It must be shredded fresh from the block for the best melt. Do not use pre-shredded bagged cheese because it has an anti caking agent and is horrible at melting right. Also, make sure the liquid is hot enough before adding the cheese and stir constantly for a smooth melt.
Add in a bit more heavy cream or cheddar cheese over low heat on the stovetop. If you need the opposite, to thin the soup, add in a few splashes of chicken stock.
Once the soup cools, store in a sealed container and place in the fridge. Enjoy within 3 days. To reheat, pour into a saucepan until hot or carefully microwave until hot.
More Soup Recipes You Will Love ❤️:
If you tried this Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Chicken and Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: About 6 cups 1x
Description
This Chicken and Broccoli Cheddar Soup is creamy, cheesy and packed with veggies and protein. It's one of my favorite soup recipes and is hearty enough to eat for a filling meal. Plus, it's cooked all in one pot and ready in under one hour!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ cup yellow onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups broccoli florets, remove stems and chop the florets fine
- 1 large peeled carrot, grated (about ⅓ cup)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups of hand pulled rotisserie chicken, skin removed
- 8 ounce block cheddar cheese (sharp or extra sharp), grated
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or pot with cover, melt the butter over medium low heat. Toss in the onions and salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened, but not browned, stirring every minute.
- Add in the minced garlic and sprinkle in the flour. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until no dry flour is showing (it should combine with the melted butter within a minute).
- Slowly pour in the whole milk while stirring the roux (butter flour mixture) at the same time, making sure it all combines into a thick milky texture. Pour in the chicken stock.
- Stir in the grated carrot and broccoli, then cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Note: When you stir, use a wooden spoon and scrape the bottom to make sure the roux isn't sticking.
- Pour in the heavy cream and pulled chicken. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Make sure the broccoli is fully tender. Add a few minutes covered if needed.
- Turn off the heat and sprinkle in the cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Add a dash of salt and pepper or hot sauce to taste.
- Ladle into bowls, serve and enjoy! It's great topped with soup croutons, oyster crackers or even a few parmesan crisps.
Notes
- Don't use bagged cheddar cheese. It has an anti-caking agent that doesn't melt well. It's best to shred it yourself from the block.
- Stir the milk in slowly and really combine the roux into it without leaving it stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Do not leave this soup simmering on the stovetop for a long time after cooking. The broccoli will start to get mushy and the chicken will continue to pull apart into thin strands, which we don't want.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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