This cheesy keto chicken soup is thick, cheesy, and ultra-satisfying. All the best flavors from King Ranch Chicken Casserole in a hearty slow cooker soup recipe. And it’s packed with protein too!
Cheesy comfort food is the BEST comfort food, in my humble-yet-expert opinion. Cheese adds richness and flavor, but it also brings a sense of satisfying home-cooking. It’s what makes recipes like Keto Pizza Casserole and Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup so popular.
As the chilly weather approaches, you need to add this Keto King Ranch Chicken Soup recipe to your menu. It is so rich and hearty, and bursting with Tex-Mex flavors. And it’s so easy to make in your slow cooker…or your Instant Pot…or even on your stovetop!
★★★★★
Amy says: “I have to admit I avoided this soup because of the name. Ranch? In a soup? But on a busy rainy weeknight with chicken defrosted and a hungry family I decided to read through the recipe. To my surprise I had it wrong all along! My family absolutely loved this soup and we have added another favorite to the rotation. I made it on the stove top per Carolyn’s instructions though I used canned tomatoes and jalepeños due to time constraints. Wonderful filling soup!!“
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: I like to use chicken thighs but chicken breasts work as well.
- Tomatoes: Use fresh tomatoes if you can, as they are slightly lower in carbs than canned.
- Jalapeño: Leave the seeds in for more heat, remove them for less heat.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is an absolute must.
- Seasonings: Chili powder and ground cumin add layers of flavor.
- Thickener: My preferred ingredient for thickening sauces and soups is glucomannan. But xanthan gum also works.
- Cheddar: You can use sharp or mild, depending on your preference.
- Cream cheese: This adds creaminess and thickness.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, chicken broth, salt, pepper.
How to make Keto King Ranch Chicken Soup
- Place the chicken, tomatoes, and jalapeño at bottom of a slow cooker.
- Prepare the sauce with the butter, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Then stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add salt and pepper, and thicken with glucomannan.
- Pour over the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and add the cheddar and cream cheese to the pot. Blend until smooth.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and stir back into the soup.
- Serve with chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and additional shredded cheese.
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
If you have the time, grate your own cheddar from a block of cheese, rather than using pre-shredded. It will melt better into the soup and make it more creamy.
Let the cheeses sit in the hot soup for 10 minutes, before blending. This ensures that you don’t get any little blobs that won’t mix in.
Remove all the seeds from the jalapeño, if you want the soup to be milder. If you really don’t like heat, you can skip the chili pepper altogether.
Instant Pot or Stove Top
For an Instant Pot: Follow the same process and cook on high for 30 minutes or so. Let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid. It may be a little less thick, as pressure cookers force a lot of moisture out of meats and vegetables.
For the Stove Top: Start with Step 2, making the sauce in a large saucepan or stockpot. Then add the chicken, tomatoes, and jalapeno right into that same pot. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Proceed with Step 5 as directed.
More Delicious Keto Chicken Soup Recipes
Keto King Ranch Chicken Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb (680.39 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup (149 g) diced tomatoes
- 1 large jalapeno, diced, (more if you want it spicier)
- 2 tbsp (28.4 g) butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 3 cups (705 g) chicken broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp pepper
- 3/4 tsp glucomannan, (optional, thickens the soup)
- 2 cups (264 g) cheddar or colby jack, shredded
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese, cut into chunks
Instructions
- Add the chicken, tomatoes, and jalapenos to a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook another minute. Stir in all the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in the salt and pepper, and the glucomannan if using, to thicken the sauce. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Set the slow cooker to high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
- When the time is up, remove the chicken to a plate. Add the shredded cheese and the cream cheese to the slow cooker and replace the lid. Let melt 10 minutes, then use an immersion blender to blend everything together.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and stir back into the soup. Serve hot with chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cheese, as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Could I use a whole chicken?
I don’t think that would work out very well. It would be too much chicken, for one thing. And the skin would become awfully rubbery and you’d be left trying to find all the bones to remove them.
We love this recipe so much and I’ve made it quite a few times. Absolutely delicous!!! Tonight, I made your Garlic Cheese Bread for the first time to accompany it. What a perfect combo! Thanks again :-)))
Nice combo!
Excellent soup! I doubled the recipe also and it came out perfectly yummy with a nice spice to it. Thank you!
This is one of my staples in my keto diet. It is a simple recipe that is so good and satisfying. I use pickled jalapeno’s instead of fresh. It is perfect!
This soup is SO GOOD!!! Thank you!!!
Really good flavor but the glucomannon didn’t thicken the soup like I’d hoped. If anyone has suggestions, I’d love to hear them
What brand were you using?
This soup is simply delicious! Keeper!
I made this for dinner last night and my family RAVED about it. My husband took leftovers for lunch and raved about it again.
Thank you for the amazing recipe. I definitely will make it again.
This is one of my all-time favorite soups!!! Amazing!
A cold front came in so I decided this would warm us up nicely tonight… I had all of the ingredients on hand & sure didn’t want to go to the store! Oh I didn’t have the tomatoes so I used a can of tomatoes with green chilis. It’s finished & tastes delicious!! I made it on the stovetop but roasted the chicken & onion first, I also roasted a red bell pepper since I had one that needed to be used & added it. It is simply divine. Thank you!
This is excellent! I used the suggestion of another poster and used poco de Gallo, which adds huge depth. Then I used rotisserie n, and lunch was made in about a half-hour.
Did you mean Pico de gallo?
Made this AT work in my IP, everyone raved about it. Turned out amazing. No one knew it was Keto but my team all complimented me on it and were debating who would get the left overs the next day. I call that a major win, especially in a shop of Auto Mechanics!
Wow, I call that a win too!
Hi,
Has anyone made this in an Instant Pot? Did you use the slow cooker option or the pressure cooker option?
Does this keep well in the refrigerator or freezer? Does it reheat well?
Thank you,
Kiki
I made this using leftover Thanksgiving turkey…it was delicious! Being from Texas, I miss King Ranch Chicken, so this filled the void. Thank you for the recipe!
I made this yesterday, I used 3 small jalapenos and fresh tomatoes. Also used chicken bone broth instead of just chicken stock. It was amazing! Extremely filling. I just wish it was a little thicker. Wonder if it would hurt to add either more cheese or more glucomannan to thicken it a bit more?
This will definitely be going in my rotation though, but first need to portion out and freeze my leftovers 🙂
Thank you, Carolyn. You are one of the first keto bloggers I discovered, and you’ve consistently provided amazing content & recipes. I appreciate you!
I used pico de Gallo instead of dicing the jalapenos and tomatoes. The added cilantro adds another depth of flavor.