My most favorite and probably easiest, soup recipe came about almost as an accident one day when I was looking for a quick dinner and had all these ingredients on hand. It basically just involves throwing bags of this and cans of that together and letting it all simmer till it makes rich, cheesy deliciousness.
If you don't want to go to all of the trouble of cooking the bacon, I have used a bag of bacon pieces before and it turned out just fine. (NOT bacon bits... Oscar Mayer bacon pieces... found in a bag next to the bacon bits.) BUT if you have the time, adding that crispy freshly fried bacon takes this soup over the top. Anytime I take this soup somewhere I'm asked for the recipe which I am always embarrassed to give because of the simplicity. Still, you can't argue with the results.
Ingredients:
1 bag frozen southern style hash brown potatoes, (cubed, not shredded)
12oz bacon
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 2/3 cups milk
1 16oz container light sour cream
3 cups chicken broth
12-16oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese (how cheesy do you want it? I like 16oz)
1 12oz bag frozen corn
1Tbsp dried dill
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Put the bag of hash browns in the microwave and cook on high for ten minutes. (This defrosts them and starts the cooking process so it doesn't take so long to cook.)
Cut the raw bacon up with kitchen shears into little strips, (I do several strips at a time), and throw them all in a frying pan and cook till nice and crisp. Remove bacon from fat and let it sit on a couple of paper towels so you get as much of the excess fat off of it as possible.
In a large stock pot combine the cream of chicken, milk, sour cream and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add the cheese, corn and dill. Throw in the hash browns and bacon. Bring to a light boil then choose one of these:
1. Turn the heat way down and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes stirring frequently or:
2. Throw it in the crockpot on low for a few hours.
I taste it and adjust seasonings after a little bit of cooking. You don't need to add a ton of salt but I add a good amount of freshly ground black pepper.
Also don't worry if it seems thin at first it will get thicker as the potatoes cook. Later if it is getting too thick you can add a bit more milk or chicken broth
Just as a note, this soup is the BEST served in bread bowls. This bread bowl recipe is SUPER easy and takes only a few minutes to throw together.
Put the bag of hash browns in the microwave and cook on high for ten minutes. (This defrosts them and starts the cooking process so it doesn't take so long to cook.)
Cut the raw bacon up with kitchen shears into little strips, (I do several strips at a time), and throw them all in a frying pan and cook till nice and crisp. Remove bacon from fat and let it sit on a couple of paper towels so you get as much of the excess fat off of it as possible.
In a large stock pot combine the cream of chicken, milk, sour cream and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add the cheese, corn and dill. Throw in the hash browns and bacon. Bring to a light boil then choose one of these:
1. Turn the heat way down and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes stirring frequently or:
2. Throw it in the crockpot on low for a few hours.
I taste it and adjust seasonings after a little bit of cooking. You don't need to add a ton of salt but I add a good amount of freshly ground black pepper.
Also don't worry if it seems thin at first it will get thicker as the potatoes cook. Later if it is getting too thick you can add a bit more milk or chicken broth
Just as a note, this soup is the BEST served in bread bowls. This bread bowl recipe is SUPER easy and takes only a few minutes to throw together.
