Even if you don’t drink beer very often, not everyone knows just how useful it can be when it comes to adding flavor to your food. Because beer has such a rich, earthy taste, it can add a lot of complexity and deliciousness to your favorite dishes. On the more straightforward end of things, you can always make a beer-battered fish recipe or cook up some bratwursts with a little bit of beer in the pan. Still, if you’re looking for something a little more adventurous, we’ve got the perfect recipe for you today.
Everyone knows just how delicious bacon is no matter where we use it. The same goes for cheese. So what if you could make a soup that combines all of these delicious flavors into one complex dish? That’s what we’re doing today with this bacon beer cheese soup. The result is a thick, creamy and deliciously cheesy meal that you and the whole family are sure to love. So let’s get started.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 6 slices of thick bacon
- 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (to your liking)
- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 cup of Belgian-wheat beer
- 1 cup of reduced sodium chicken stock
- 2 cups of half-and-half
- 8 ounces of shredded mild cheddar
- 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
- chives
- croutons
- extra bacon
Here’s what you do:
1. First, start things off by warming up a pot over medium heat. Get a pair of kitchen scissors and cut up your bacon into the bottom of the pot, cooking it until it’s crisp and stirring it occasionally. In the meantime, cut your chicken breasts up into little chunks as well.
2. When the bacon is done, get a slotted spoon and take it carefully out of the pot, being sure to drain the fat back into the pot as you take the bacon out. Set the bacon aside and add your chicken chunks to the bacon grease, sprinkling it all with 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. Keep stirring until the chicken cooks all the way through.
3. Once the chicken is done, remove it with a slotted spoon as well and set the chunks aside. Cut up your butter into tablespoon-sized chunks and add to the pan, stirring regularly so it all melts. Whisk in your flour and seasonings and cook for a minute, whisking frequently.
4. After that, pour in your beer and keep whisking for another two minutes. Add your chicken stock and half-and-half as well. Whisk everything up and turn the heat down to medium. At this point, you can start gradually adding your cheese a little at a time, continuously stirring.
5. Keep stirring and adding cheese until the entire thing becomes a smooth mixture. After that, add in your Worcestershire sauce and put the cooked chicken and bacon back in the pot. Let everything simmer and stir a few more times before serving. Garnish your bowls with croutons, chives and bacon bits!
As you can see, this recipe is simple enough for anyone to make and results in a soup that you’ll want to make again and again. The cheese and the bacon complement each other perfectly and the complex flavors in the beer lifts everything to the next level. Enjoy!
Have you tried this recipe for yourself? Let us know how it went in the comments.
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