2Prick potatoes with a fork and wrap each potato in aluminum foil.
3Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Cool potatoes until easily handled; scoop insides from skins and discard skins.
4Place chicken in a bowl and add enough olive oil to coat; add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat.
5Heat a skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir chicken until no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, 5 to 10 minutes.
6Toss onion, carrots, and celery with enough olive oil to coat in a bowl.
7Heat a skillet over medium-low heat; cook and stir onion mixture until tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
8Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-heat. Stir flour into melted butter and cook until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, into butter-flour mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
9Stir cooked potato, chicken, onion mixture, chicken stock, broccoli, 1/2 of the bacon bits, 1/2 of the green onions, and 4 ounces of the Cheddar cheese into the sauce. Cook soup until heated through and broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir sour cream into soup and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
10Ladle soup into serving bowls and top with remaining bacon, green onions, and Cheddar cheese.
Footnotes
Cook's Notes:
Soup will continue to thicken as it cools down. If you like your soup really thick, let it cool about 30 minutes before serving.
Tip
Aluminum foil helps keep food moist, ensures it cooks evenly, keeps leftovers fresh, and makes clean-up easy.
Ingredients
8 servings
510 cals
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste