Cooking Steps

• In a 4 or 5 quart Dutch oven or soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain the bacon grease, leaving about 3 tablespoons in the pot.
• Add onions, celery, bell peppers, and jalapenos. Saute about 5 minutes or until peppers are just tender, stirring occasionally.
• Sprinkle the flour over the veggies, along with the garlic and stir. Things will become a little thick and pasty. That’s okay.
• Increase heat to medium-high. Add the broth one cup at a time, incorporating each addition completely into the veggie mixture until the soup is smooth. Then add the half-and-half. Let the soup come up to a gentle boil and cook for five minutes.
• Place cream cheese in a medium heat-proof bowl. Slowly pour in about ½ cup of the hot broth mixture, whisking until smooth and creamy.
• Add the cream cheese mixture and the cheddar cheese into the soup until melted.
• Stir in the cooked chicken and the bacon, reserving about ¼ cup of the bacon for topping the soup. Remove from heat.
• Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with toppings of your choice, such as sliced jalapenos, crushed croutons, and more cheese.