Using a high quality cheese for this cheddar cheese soup insures a superb flavored, rich textured luxurious texture. This soup features bite sized pieces of chicken breast, poblano peppers and your favorite Southwestern spices to liven things up. This is a crowd pleaser that will have everyone asking for seconds.
About This Recipe and Why It Works
The first time I prepared this cheddar cheese soup we totally flipped over the “just right spicy” flavor and rich cheesy texture.
It’s bold enough to catch your attention and very hearty in nature. Which was somewhat of a surprise because the base of the soup is mostly chicken broth.
A can of tomatoes bring color and nuance, and milk and sour cream are added for richness.
Poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers and a lineup of Mexican spices such as cumin and chili powder make this a gratifying, gutsy cheddar cheese soup recipe that will warm anyone’s day..
The recipe works because along with my Creamy Chicken Soup With Wild Rice recipe, it’s from my absolutely favorite soup cookbook, Dairy Hollow House. As you would expect from any bed and breakfast cookbook, it’s full of no-fail delicious soup recipes and fresh baked bread recipes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Mise en place. Always gather ingredients before starting any recipe. It will save you time and organize your mind.
- Dairy: Milk, Sour Cream, Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Full fat dairy is best for flavor and texture for this soup. Also choose a quality brand of sharp cheddar cheese for the best flavor result. Sharp cheddar adds a bold flavor that makes this soup very special.
- Chicken Broth: The base of the soup. If you can, use homemade chicken broth.
- Chicken Breast: Boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite sized chunks and sauteed before adding to this soup.
- Tomatoes: During the Winter months, I find that Roma tomatoes are a good choice. They’re meatier and work well when chopped.
- Flour: All purpose flour is used to thicken the soup.
- Onion: Sweet onion or yellow onion. A red onion will add a strong flavor profile for this recipe.
- Peppers: Jalapeno peppers and poblano peppers. Poblano peppers resemble green bell peppers and are mild on the heat scale with an earthy peppery flavor. This recipe calls for one jalapeno to add a bit of heat.
- Spices: Cumin, chili powder and cilantro.
Pro Tip: Purchase good quality cheese and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese in bags includes additives to keep it from clumping, which will also compromise the melting factor. Grating cheese from a block of cheese will result in a creamier and more consistent melting experience. Plus, it’s less expensive.
Ingredient Swaps
- Tomatoes: In place of fresh tomatoes, use one 15 ½ ounce can of diced tomatoes, undrained.
- Chicken Broth: Use regular chicken broth or low sodium. You can also use vegetable broth. Beef broth would not be a good choice here, as the flavor profile would change and be too strong.
- Peppers: If poblano peppers are not available, a good substitute are Anaheim Peppers. Anaheim are smaller, so use six peppers to equal three poblano. If you don’t have jalapeno peppers, replace with one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Just remove the veins and seeds and chop. Chipotle peppers are simply smoked and dried jalapeno peppers. You could also use pickled jalapenos from a can or jar. Just rinse them of the brine before chopping.
- Chicken: To make this soup even easier, use meat pulled from a rotisserie chicken. Both dark and white meat would work well here. You can also use cooked boneless skinless chicken thighs.
How To Make Cheddar Cheese Soup, It’s easy!
- Step 1: In a large Dutch oven, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the tomatoes, lower heat and simmer covered.
- Step 2: In a skillet, heat the butter and oil. Add the onion and saute until tender. About 5 minutes. Add the chile’s and cook until they have softened. Add the cumin and chili powder. Stir and then sprinkle in the flour, blending all.
- Step 3: Gradually add the milk and stir until smooth.
- Step 4: Ladle 2 cups of the tomato/stock mixture into the thickened milk and stir to thin. Pour the entire contents of the skillet into the tomato/stock mixture and let simmer over very low heat, stirring often. Let cook about 15 minutes.
To finish: Stir in the cheddar cheese and sour cream. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the chicken and chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in some hot sauce. Cook on very low heat until everything is toasty and blended.
FAQ’s
Yes, just make sure it’s a good quality brand for ultimate flavor. BUT, yellow sharp cheddar will bring more color to the end result and is recommended for this recipe.
Freezing dairy based soups are not recommended. Any type of soup with a cream or milk base tend to separate once frozen. The end result is a soup with a grainy undesirable texture.
Pro Tip: This recipe calls for salt and pepper to taste. Be careful with adding salt. Cheese naturally contains a lot of salt, so add just a little and then taste and adjust.
Storage and Reheating
Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three days. Recommended method to reheat is in a saucepan stove top. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave in increments using 50% power and stirring in between.
Recipe for Cheddar Cheese Soup with Chicken and Poblano Peppers
I hope you give this cheese soup recipe a try, and if you do please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
Looking for more soup recipes? Don’t miss my Soup Category, you’ll find lots of great recipe ideas, including the most popular soup recipe on my site for Anthony Bourdain’s New Mexico Style Chili Recipe. And if you love a good Southwestern soup recipe, don’t miss this easy one for Chicken Poblano Soup. It will brighten your day.
And if you’re looking for a soup recipe to cook when you don’t feel like cooking, check this one out for Taco Soup with Ranch Dressing.
More Favorite Creamy Soup Recipes
- Slow Cooker Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Soup
- Easy Cheesy Chicken Vegetable Chowder
- Southwestern Cheesy Creamy Chicken Soup
- Easy Creamy Sausage Potato Soup
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Cheddar Cheese Soup with Chicken and Poblano Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 Cups chicken stock
- 15 ½ ounces chopped tomatoes canned, undrained. Or three good sized fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 poblano peppers seeded, veins removed and chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded, veins removed and chopped
- 2 teapsoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ cup flour
- 2 Cups milk
- 12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese grated. Use good quality cheese here.
- ½ Cup sour cream
- 2 Cups diced chicken meat from rotisserie chicken Or boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped and cooked.
- leaves Chopped fresh cilantro to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 shakes Hot sauce
- Cilantro tortilla chips and sour cream for topping
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the tomatoes, lower heat and simmer covered.
- In a skillet, heat the butter and oil. Add the onion and saute until tender. About 5 minutes. Add the chile peppers and cook until they have softened. Add the cumin and chili powder. Stir and then sprinkle in the flour, blending all.
- Gradually add the milk and stir until smooth.
- Ladle 2 cups of the tomato/stock mixture into the thickened milk and stir to thin.
- Pour the entire contents of the skillet into the tomato/stock pot and let simmer over very low heat, stirring often. Let cook about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the cheddar cheese and sour cream. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the chicken and chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in some hot sauce. Cook on very low heat until everything is toasty and blended.
- Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, crushed tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Cheddar Cheese Soup …It’s What’s for Dinner.
This recipe was first published January of 2013 and updated February 2021 with step by step instructions and new photos.
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Lea Ann, just had to Pin it! This is one I’ll be making VERY soon! Wish I had all the ingredients on hand right now.
I’ve been in a real ‘not blog worthy’ phase lately! We have a great burger place close to us that has take out it’s been dinner about once a week 🙂
Morrison, Co! I know the owner of the Morrison Inn. He’s originally from Milwaukee 🙂
The soup sounds like something we’d love! Delicious.
I’ve been so darn busy at work that my poor blog has suffered. I’ve talked with the owner several times, don’t really know him. It’s one of the original Mexican joints in the Denver area.
That crust on the Popper burger’s popper looks so light and crispy that I want to dive into the picture to get it! The soup sounds heavenly too!
From what I could tell, you have described it correctly. Since It wasn’t my burger I didn’t take my finger an poke at it or anything. 🙂 Those burgers were amazing.
Now that isn’t being a dedicated foodie…you should have spilled your drink on the burger owner and while they are in the bathroom drying off, steal a bite 😉
I’ll do that next time Chris. 🙂
I think I would eat myself silly in that Crave place… now, your soup is heavenly, the photo reminds me of a stuffed poblano pepper but in a bisque… this is gonna be a delight…
I feel the same way Drick. I like your description of my soup. 🙂
I am all over that soup! Anything I can put poblanos in is ok by me….
xxoo,
RMW
Ditto RMW 🙂
Lea Ann, this sounds like an amazing soup! We’ve had an extremely mild winter here in the Deep South coastal Mississippi this year. Today a front is passing through though so things will chill down again for a few days then back up to the 70s! Some of the azaleas have been blooming already.
I can eat soup in any weather Mary. Thanks for stopping by. I’ve missed seeing you and your blog. When I lost my harddrive, I lost my RSS Feeds. I’ve just now resubscribed to your blog.
Poblanos always sound so good to me as does cheese! WHat a great soup!
Poblanos are my favorite pappers.
Oh the meals that never show up on our blogs… if people only knew!!! lol Well, at least the soup was a huge hit… and I can see why! Love the flavors used…. all of my favorites!!
Thanks Jenn
Your burger sounds delicious Lea Ann and the soup sounds awesome.
You’ll have to come back to Highland Ranch so we an visit CraveBurger.
You know if it has cheese in it, I’m won over! And that bowl, love. The burger place sounds ah-mazing, love trying fun different stuff and then go home and make it even better 😉
We all seem to have those frozen salmon nights…
I’m with you Rhonda. I love to copy=cat restaurant creations at home. And darn those frozen salmon nights. ;/
Poblanos and cheese… what’s not to like. Yum!
Simply said … and yes@
We’re not really having very wintry weather either, but soup always sounds good. Love the chiles in this and the sour cream and cilantro toppings!
Lisa, I love all those toppings too. As always, thank you for stopping by and the comment.
So that was the hamburger bun? Looks amazing!!! The love the idea of chicken and cheese soup… how can you go wrong with cheese???
Yes Jane, and there were so many good things underneath it. ohmy.
The soup looks really good, but I must confess that I now have a hankering for a ‘Fatty Melt.’
Love the word “hankering” and it’s perfect for that Fatty Melt
Just getting caught up on email and found this post – loved Bob’s idea of blogging the freezer meal. The cheese soup sounds perfect with all the peppers and my favorite spices. Very nice. I love the pick of the four of you – Bob looks very dashing! Hugs to you both.
That freezer meal was horrible. I was laughing as I was eating it. That’s our favorite cheese soup. Had the recipe for years. Bob didn’t like that photo of himself, but I agree, thought he looked dashing.
Tried the cheese soup last night – Dana raved about it and said to add it to the favorite recipes. Loved it!!
I like that recipe. Brothy, just enough cheese, savory with chicken ….
Your chicken soup sounds great! Those burgers you had sound great, too! 🙂
Those burgers were incredible. Clever, fun and delicious.
My little point and shoot does a great job sometimes. I thought the burger photos turned out good. The soup was taken in poor light with my Canon. I was disappointed in that one.
So glad we now have 2 Crave locations for our enjoyment. Their burgers really are good. I don’t know which I’d rather have, a burger or a bowl of your soup. Anything with poblano peppers and cheese sounds great to me.
Karen, they have three locations. I can’t remember where the 3rd is, but I saw it on their website. I thought my burger was very good and Bob is dying to go, so my fat and calorie count is going to hit the moon this month. I love poblanos. Just the right heat and love the flavor.
Ummmm…Crispy Cream Donuts on a burger? Wow. You guys have some interesting restaurants!! We are totally boring around here. 🙂
Great soup, Lea Ann. Haven’t had a cheese soup in years and this one has a nice kick.
Yup, Crispy Cream Donuts. I can’t imagine.
Had to laugh at the meal not blogged about. We should all do something like that. We too laugh at some of the things that show up on our table that should never again see the light of day. But your soup looks great! It would be fun to post recipes that didn’t work. I once posted pictures of my kitchen with all of the dirty dishes after Thanksgiving. If we posted pictures of disaster, we could call it “Let’s get real”. Just an idea.
Oh Penny, it was hideous. I sprinkled the broccoli with cajun seasoning, it was an awful combo. the Salmon patty was pretty good, but my “healthy choice” bun ruined it. I love you “Let’s Get Real” title.