INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 4 sticks celery chopped small
• 4 medium carrots peeled & chopped small
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 (1 ounce) packet ranch seasoning 
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce
• 2 chicken breasts
• 8 ounces cream cheese 
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Garnish (optional): crumbled blue cheese, chopped scallions

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Take the cream cheese out of the fridge and let it soften up prior to starting the recipe or microwave it for 20-30 seconds.
2. Add the oil + butter to a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, celery, and carrot for about 7 minutes. 
3. Stir in the flour and ranch seasoning, followed by the chicken broth and Frank’s Red Hot.
4. Add the chicken breasts (no need to cut them up) to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat so the soup is simmering. Let it cook for 12 minutes.
5. Take the chicken out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. Meanwhile, add the cream cheese to the soup. Cut up the chicken. It should be mostly cooked, but if it’s not quite done yet, that’s fine. You may need to give the cream cheese a helping hand with your spoon. Add the cut-up chicken into the soup once the cream cheese is incorporated. 
6. If the chicken wasn’t quite cooked, let it cook for a few more minutes. Season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Serve and garnish as desired. If you love blue cheese, you can stir some right into the soup prior to dishing it up.