Top Your Soups With Crushed Potato Chips For A Salty, Crunchy Boost

You might already garnish a bowl of soup with croutons or crackers for a bit of crunch to complement the brothy or creamy consistency. Maybe it's oyster crackers on clam chowder or wonton crisps with egg drop soup. It's a common way to elevate a variety of soups with more texture, but if you want even more of a crunch in each bite, go with crushed potato chips instead of those saltine crackers.

Potato chips can provide more of a crunch compared to some crackers because they're fried in oil. That means your chips shouldn't get too soggy while they're on top of the soup waiting for you to take a bite. These crushed chips will also provide a salty boost to a spoonful of soup, and you can mix it up with other varieties to get different flavor profiles.

We think this is also a great idea to get rid of those half-eaten bags of chips in your pantry so they don't turn stale and end up in the trash. Either way, the key is to use crushed chips so you have bursts of salty crunch rather than whole chips taking over the spoon.

Regular crushed salted potato chips will work just fine with just about any type of soup — but you can get creative depending on what flavors you want, or what chips are already in the kitchen. Kettle chips are typically thicker and crunchier, so use those if you want more of a crunch, or go with chips with ridges for even more texture.

To experiment with different flavors, sour cream and onion chips will add a delicious tang to creamy potato soup and can be paired with fresh chives or green onions for a fresh flavor. Broccoli and cheddar soup pairs well with cheddar and sour cream chips to lean into the cheesy flavors, while salt and vinegar chips crushed on top of any rich, creamy soup will provide a delicious kick of flavor. There are also many jalapeño and spicy potato chip varieties if you appreciate a kick of heat.

We've been discussing potato chips here, but those aren't the only types of chips that can give soups a salty crunch. Chicken tortilla soup is deliciously paired with crushed tortilla chips or strips, corn chips like Fritos taste great with a bowl of hearty chili, and crushed Doritos sound delicious on top of a bowl of taco soup.