"Loaded Beer Cheese Soup

By RoketJSquerl

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon, diced
• 1 pound chicken breast (boneless, skinless), diced
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if you prefer less spice)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup beer, Belgian-style wheat
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups half & half
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire

Details

Adapted from ourhollydays.com

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch/French oven, add bacon.
Cover with 3/4 cup warm water and allow bacon to cook up until crispy. over medium-high heat.
Remove bacon from pot using a slotted spoon and set aside.
Remove about 3/4 rendered fat from the pan, leaving the remaining 1/4 inside the pot.
Add diced chicken to the pot and cook through completely.
Remove chicken to set with bacon.
Add butter to the pot with remaining bacon fat and allow to melt completely.
Add in flour, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, whisking constantly to ensure mixture doesn't clump or burn.
Allow flour mixture to cook for a full minute.
Add in beer, whisking constantly to ensure mixture doesn't burn (mixture will thicken measurably).
Allow beer to cook for about two to three minutes to burn off the alcohol.
Add in chicken stock and half and half, whisking constantly.
Reduce heat to medium-low and allow soup to come to a slight boil.
Add in cheddar, a little at a time, allowing it to melt between each addition.
Once cheese is completely melted, add Worcestershire and return the chicken and bacon to the pot.
Allow soup to simmer together for several minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve with toppings like croutons, green onion, bacon pieces, or soft pretzels.