This Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup features tender chicken pieces, diced ham, and bacon bits in a rich, creamy Swiss cheese broth — a cozy, satisfying meal for chilly days.
Chicken Cordon Bleu is wonderfully adaptable. It can be made into crescents, served with a smoky raspberry-chipotle sauce, given a crispy crust, cooked in a slow cooker, served as a casserole, or even grilled with pineapple. This version captures all those classic flavors — chicken, ham, and Swiss cheese — transformed into a comforting soup.
This soup is delightfully meaty, loaded with chicken, ham, and bacon bits in a creamy Swiss-based sauce. Let it cool briefly and it thickens to a chowder-like consistency; serve it very hot for a thinner, more pourable soup.
Leftovers improve as the flavors meld, so plan for seconds the next day — the meats deepen the sauce and make the soup even more flavorful.
Photography conditions were gloomy the day these photos were taken, but the soup itself is bright on flavor. If you enjoy meat and cheese, this creamy, hearty bowl is perfect for soup season.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch cubes
- ¼ cup butter
- 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups half & half
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz diced ham
- ½ cup real bacon bits
- 8 oz swiss, shredded
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic salt, (or garlic powder and salt to taste)
Instructions
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Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the cubed chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside.
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Add the butter to the pot and let it melt. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture smells nutty, about 1 minute.
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Slowly whisk in the half-and-half, milk, and chicken broth, whisking continuously to keep the roux smooth.
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Return the cooked chicken to the pot and add the diced ham. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and the flavors to combine.
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Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the bacon bits and shredded Swiss until the cheese melts. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Because the ham, bacon, and Swiss are salty, consider using garlic powder and additional black pepper instead of garlic salt if you prefer less sodium.
Notes
- Tip: Substitute 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken for the olive oil and cubed chicken; add the shredded chicken with the other meats in step 4.
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