This crack is not whack (Cheddar Chicken bacon ranch noodle soup)

Soup is the best when the weather is cold.  It warms your tummy and heart; and if you eat it right, your hands.  I love making soup, or any old dinner for that matter, out of what I have on hand in my fridge and freezer. My freezer has gotten to the point lately where it needs to make soup and get ready for hurricane season, it is so full.  I had broth, I had homemade cream of soups, I had chicken breasts, carrots, celery, and even bacon leftover from Hog's for the Cause practice.  And then I opened up Pinterest and noticed a recipe from Plain Chicken for Crack Chicken Noodle Soup and had an idea.

I don't make too many of Plain Chicken's recipes as-is because a lot of them are not in my little to no carb/healthy lifestyle.  But I decided to make an exception for this since it sounded so yummy and my kitchen was so accommodating to it!  Her "cracked out" recipes are usually a regular recipe with cheddar bacon and ranch flavors mixed in.  What man or premenstrual woman doesn't want that?  I can tell you, it is a good flavor combo no matter your gender or condition!

This was so good and I froze it and pulled it out for lunch and it was just as good.  I cheated and used my leftover smoky beer cheese sauce from Oktoberfest Tacos in lieu of a cheddar soup can, so there was a bit of extra flavor there.  But still, there is a richness and comforting quality to these flavors without my doctoring that just cannot be beat!  Next time I will try to find the egg noodles she uses, I am a sucker for them!  Full recipe to follow the montage.

A nice hearty bowl of soup on our most recent snow day!

My broth and cheese sauce are defrosting.  I went skimpy on the noodles.  It was enough for me!

Chop those veggies.  Looks like the beginning to any good soup!

I normally would have used rotisserie chicken bit that Anova always calls my name! 

Everything in the pot! The off brand ranch packet is chunky!

Et Voila!  Soup!  So delicious and comforting!

Cheddar Chicken bacon ranch noodle soup (adopted from Plain Chicken)

2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1-oz) package Ranch Seasoning Mix

3 cups chopped cooked chicken (a rotisserie chicken will work well, I sous vided a chicken breast)
1 (10.75-oz) can condensed cheese soup (or make Smoky beer cheese sauce and use 1 and 3/4 cup)
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 oz cooked bacon cut into bite sized pieces (can use the precooked bits)
8-oz dried fine egg noodles or other similar pasta, uncooked

In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp. oil or butter to melt. Add celery, carrots, and onion and stir and saute until onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Add ranch packet and stir to combine. Add the chicken, cheese soup, chicken broth, milk, and bacon. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Stir in noodles and cook for 5 minutes, until noodles are soft.

Happy Cooking!

Missy