Sandra Diced russet potatoes, onion, cream of chicken soup, and chicken broth go into the slow cooker and cook on low for five hours. Cream cheese and cheddar finish the soup in the final 20 to 30 minutes. The recipe serves 8 and takes about 5 hours and 35 minutes total.
Paula Deen, host of Paula’s Home Cooking on Food Network, stirs cream cheese into this soup in the final half hour, not at the start. That timing protects the cream cheese from hours of direct heat that would cause it to separate. Add it earlier and the finished soup turns grainy instead of smooth.
Raw diced potatoes go into the slow cooker without pre-boiling, and five hours on low gives the starch time to release into the broth. That released starch is what thickens the soup naturally, without flour or cornstarch. Cut the potatoes into even pieces so the thickening happens uniformly throughout.
Paula Deen Easy Potato Soup Recipe
Description
Paula Deen Easy Potato Soup Recipe with russet potatoes, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese. Serves 8 in the slow cooker
Ingredients
Soup
Finish
Optional Toppings
Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes. Add to the slow cooker along with the diced onion, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours until the potatoes are completely tender and beginning to break down.
- Cut the cream cheese into small cubes and add to the slow cooker along with the shredded cheddar. Stir to incorporate.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and the soup is thick and smooth.
- Ladle into bowls and top with additional cheddar, crumbled bacon, and chives as desired.
FAQs
Can this soup cook on HIGH instead of LOW?
Cooking on HIGH cuts the time roughly in half, bringing the 5-hour low setting down to about 2.5 to 3 hours. Check potatoes for tenderness at 2.5 hours before adding the cream cheese, since slow cookers vary in temperature. LOW is preferred because the longer cook breaks down the potato starch more evenly.
How should leftovers be stored and reheated?
Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. The soup thickens significantly as it cools because the potato starch continues to set overnight. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring in a splash of chicken broth to restore the original consistency.
Can chicken broth be swapped for a different liquid?
Vegetable broth replaces chicken broth at the same 4-cup quantity without changing the soup’s texture or thickness. The flavor shifts slightly since the cream of chicken soup carries most of the savory depth on its own. Water is technically a swap but produces a noticeably thinner, less developed background flavor compared to any broth.
What chicken soup pairs well with this in a weekly soup rotation?
Potato soup and a broth-based chicken soup are a natural pair since they cover different comfort food registers in the same week. A Chinese ginger chicken soup on this site builds a clear broth around chicken and fresh ginger in a lighter format. Together the two give a soup rotation one rich and filling bowl and one light and restorative.
What chicken soup takes a different angle for a soup rotation?
Filipino chicken soup takes the same ginger-and-broth format in a completely different direction. A Filipino ginger chicken soup on this site, known as Tinola, simmers chicken in ginger broth with green papaya and spinach. Together the two give a soup rotation one hearty American comfort bowl and one bright, herb-forward bowl.
