Chicken Bacon Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1. In a large medium heat pot cook diced bacon until crispy. Remove and set aside (leave about half the grease in the pot, remove excess).
2. Season chicken with 1.5 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1.5 tsp paprika, 1.5 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper, and 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Sear in the same pot until golden and fully cooked. When finished, remove it and let rest then dice it.
3. In the same pot slightly lower the heat and add diced onion and sautee until soft (3-4 min) add minced garlic (1 min) stir in flour and butter to make a roux. (since you lower the heat the bacon grease should still be in the pan to mix with the flour to make the roux, if not add a tbsp butter and calculate that into the calories.)
4. Slowly stir in chicken broth.
5. Add broccoli, carrots, 1 tsp chicken bouillon, and optionally red pepper flakes.
6. Add in half and half, and heavy cream.
7. Simmer 15-20 minutes until the broccoli is tender.
8. Stir in chicken, bacon, and cheese. Mix until cheese melts, taste and adjust seasonings as needed.