Instant Pot Cajun Ranch Chicken Soup

Instant Pot Cajun Ranch Chicken Soup

This chicken soup is seasoned with both Cajun and ranch seasonings so it has a big, bold flavor! Creamy, cheesy, and loaded with chicken and bacon, it's always a hit in our house.

Course Soups

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken, instant pot, low carb, soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings bowls

Calories 412kcal

Author Karly Campbell

Equipment

Ingredients

4 slices bacon diced
2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno minced, see note
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning more as needed
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried chives
1 teaspoon onion powder
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cups baby spinach
½ cup shredded white cheddar
Cilantro jalapeno slices, green onions, for garnish

Instructions

Instant Pot Method:

Set the Instant Pot to sauté and add the bacon to the pot. Cook until bacon is crisp, stirring often.
Pour the broth into the pot and deglaze the pan by scraping up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom.
Add the chicken, garlic, jalapeno, Cajun seasoning, dill, parsley, and chives to the pot and stir to combine.
Cover, set the vent to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 18 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pot and shred with two forks.
Microwave the cream cheese in a small bowl until easily stirred.
Set the pot to sauté and add the cream cheese. Whisk well until the cream cheese has fully melted into the soup.
Return the chicken to the pot along with the spinach and cheddar. Stir well until the spinach has wilted and the cheese has melted.
Taste and add additional Cajun seasoning, if needed.
Ladle into bowls and serve with cilantro, jalapeno, and green onions, if desired.

Slow Cooker Method:

Fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Add the bacon pieces to the a 6 quart slow cooker.
Add the chicken broth, chicken, garlic, jalapeno, Cajun seasoning, dill, parsley, and chives to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
Remove the chicken and shred with two forks.
Microwave the cream cheese in a small bowl until easily stirred. Stir into the slow cooker until well combined.
Return the chicken to the pot along with the spinach and cheddar. Stir well and cover the pot. Cook on high for 30 minutes.
Taste and add additional Cajun seasoning, if needed.
Stir again to combine and then ladle into bowls and serve with cilantro, jalapeno, and green onions, if desired.

Notes

You may increase or decrease the amount of jalapeno, as desired. As written the recipe does have a spicy kick, both because of the jalapeno and the Cajun seasoning.

We prefer to use reduced sodium broth in this recipe so that we can add extra Cajun seasoning for more spice. We use Tony Chachere's seasoning and it is a bit salty, so we cut salt in other places. If you use another brand of Cajun seasoning, you may need to add additional salt.

Serving Size: I didn't measure this by volume - just divided it equally between 6 serving bowls.

Nutrition