This easy Mexican Chicken Soup is ready in just 30 minutes with only 10 minutes of prep! Made with rotisserie chicken and pantry staples, it’s a quick, hearty meal packed with bold southwest flavors!
Why you should make this Mexican Chicken Soup
This one-pot Chicken Taco Soup is one of my fastest weeknight wins. I use rotisserie chicken to keep it simple, and it still tastes like it’s been simmering all day.
If you’ve ever had Chili’s Southwest Chicken Soup, this version comes close—maybe even better. Want to make it even more like the restaurant favorite? Try swapping the corn for a can of drained hominy, skip the pinto beans (or not!), and stir in a couple of chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for that smoky kick. Check out all the adjustments here.
I’ve tested this recipe over and over, and not just for flavor. I love sharing ways my readers can tweak it to fit their needs, like how to make it Weight Watchers-friendly with a few easy swaps, without losing any of the bold, cozy flavor.
This one’s become a regular in my kitchen and a reader favorite, too. It’s quick, hearty, and flexible enough for any night of the week—and just as good the next day.
Chicken Taco Soup Ingredients
- Olive Oil – Saute your aromatic veggie trio in olive oil.
- Onion & Garlic – A small diced yellow (or red onion) onion and some fresh minced garlic (or use jarred garlic if preferred).
- Red Bell Pepper – Sneak in a few more veggies!
- Chicken broth – Use chicken broth, chicken stock, or vegetable stock. Use broth from a carton, as canned broth tends to be much higher in sodium and is more concentrated.
- Canned Veggies – I used diced tomatoes and diced green chiles, feel free to use fire-roasted tomatoes too!
- Beans – I used black beans and pinto beans; use your favorites.
- Corn – Use regular or white sweet corn, fresh, frozen or canned or go authentic and use hominy.
- Seasonings – Garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, kosher salt and black pepper are used. Or use a couple tablespoons of my homemade taco seasoning.
- Chicken – Use shredded cooked chicken for this recipe. You can use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken.
- Lime – Freshly squeezed lime juice adds an amazing pop of flavor.
- Optional toppings – shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, Mexican crema, sliced jalapenos, chopped tomatoes, fresh lime wedges, tortilla chips or tortilla strips.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Taco Chicken Soup
Before starting, prep your ingredients by chopping all of your veggies and shred your chicken. Open any cans, drain and/or rinse where appropriate, and measure your spices; this will make the process much quicker.
Step 1 – Saute veggies
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot on the stovetop over medium heat, and stir in diced onions and red peppers. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the minced garlic during the last minute, stirring until fragrant.
Step 2 – Dump and go Southwestern soup
Pour in chicken broth, canned tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, pinto beans, and frozen corn. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Next, add spices: garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and chili powder, finishing with salt and pepper to taste. Carefully add the shredded chicken, stirring to incorporate it all.
Cover the pot, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat, simmering for 20-30 minutes.
What is the best chicken to use for this soup?
- Use shredded rotisserie chicken for a shortcut.
- Brown 1 pound of ground chicken in place of the rotisserie chicken (or go traditional with ground turkey or lean ground beef).
- Meal prep slow cooker shredded chicken and use that!
- Or place raw chicken breasts or thighs in broth, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, remove and shred with two forks, and return to the pot.
Step 3 – Garnish & Serve
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips and your favorite toppings. Or pour it over a bed of rice in the bowl (great use for leftover rice).
Our favorite toppings are diced avocados, shredded cheddar, sour cream, and tortilla chips. Feel free to use Mexican crema, Queso Fresco, corn chips, or your favorite toppings!
Variations & Substitutions
- Easy Variations & Add-Ins
- Make this Chicken Taco Soup your own with these simple swaps and upgrades:
- Veggies & Beans: Use any beans—black, pinto, or white—and toss in extras like hominy, zucchini, carrots, or even roasted veggies or salsa for more flavor.
- Peppers: Any color bell pepper works, and green chiles or poblanos (like in my poblano soup) are great too.
- Spice It Up: Adjust the heat with more or less chili powder, cayenne, jalapeños, or chopped chipotle peppers in adobo.
- Cheesy or Creamy: Stir in your favorite cheese—sharp cheddar, Cotija, Monterey Jack—or melt in 4–8 oz. of cream cheese at the end for a creamy version.
- Make It Hearty: Bulk it up with rice, quinoa, farro, or tortilla strips.
- Flavor Boost: Add coriander, oregano, smoked paprika, liquid smoke for a smoky twist, or use a packet of taco seasoning (or my homemade taco seasoning).
Weight Watchers Taco Soup
This recipe is so close to the original Weight Watchers Taco Soup that I couldn’t resist giving you a few quick tweaks for a 1-point-per-serving soup!
- Swap the chicken for 1 pound of lean ground turkey, lean ground beef or keep the rotisserie chicken as it still fits within the points.
- Omit the pinto beans, but keep the black beans.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of Ranch dressing mix—though honestly, I don’t think you even need it with all the flavor already in the soup. And you won’t have preservatives that are in Ranch seasoning.
Chili’s Southwest Chicken Soup Recipe
Here’s how to make this copycat recipe:
- Add one teaspoon of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce instead of chili powder.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste after sauteing onions and garlic.
- Add 1 cup of white hominy in place of the frozen corn.
Gluten-Free Southwest Chicken Soup
This Taco Soup with Chicken is naturally gluten-free. Double-check all of your ingredients, though.
FAQs for Taco Soup Chicken
That’s easy! You can find various Southwest seasonings at your local grocery store! Either in a packet (my fave organic brand) or in a jar.
This recipe calls for shredded chicken breasts. To make it easy, I love using my sous vide chicken breast or I often use rotisserie chicken.
Absolutely! You can adapt the recipe for a slow cooker check out specific how-to’s for crockpot here and Instant pot here.
Caldo de Pollo is a traditional Mexican chicken soup made with a clear, flavorful broth, tender chicken, and vegetables like carrots, celery, corn, and sometimes diced potatoes. It’s simply seasoned with garlic, onion, cilantro, and lime. This recipe is very similar, just with a few southwest-style twists!
Yes, back in 2017 to make room for other Tex-Mex recipes on their menu. But don’t worry this one is so much better!
Crockpot Southwest Chicken Soup
- Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic first (optional but recommended), then add everything to the slow cooker.
- Use raw chicken breasts or thighs on top—cook on LOW 6–6½ hours or HIGH 3–3½ hours. Shred chicken and stir in lime juice and cilantro before serving.
Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup
- Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic in the Instant Pot, then deglaze with broth.
- Add remaining ingredients, including raw chicken breasts. Seal and cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes (22 at high altitude).
- Let pressure release naturally 5–10 minutes. Shred chicken, stir back in, and finish with lime and cilantro.
Storage Tips for Rotisserie Chicken Taco Soup
Cool soup completely before storing. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze, use a freezer-safe container, bag, or portion with 2-cup Souper Cubes. Store for up to 3–4 months.
Reheat on the stovetop until hot, or microwave individual portions in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between (about 2–3 minutes total).
Best Sides for Southwestern Chicken Soup Recipe
Serve with this sweet cornbread (add a can of green chiles to make it more Southwestern!), this yummy Mexican corn rice and this chopped Mexican salad.
Best Desserts for Southwestern Night
Try this Air Fryer Fried Ice Cream or a slice of Fried Ice Cream Cake, our Tres Leches recipe, and this creamy, tangy key lime pie recipe.
Try our other favorite Mexican recipes
Like this recipe?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 4 cups chicken broth from a carton, or chicken stock or bone broth
- 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes undrained, regular or fire-roasted
- 4 ounce diced green chiles undrained
- 15 ounce black beans rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce pinto beans insed and drained
- 1 cup corn kernels I used frozen, but use fresh or canned (drained) too, or swap in hominy
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 ½ cups shredded chicken or use rotisserie chicken, see notes for adding raw chicken
- Kosher Salt to taste, start with ½ teaspoon and add from there
- black pepper to taste
- ½ lime fresh squeezed
- 2-3 tablespoons cilantro chopped
Optional Topping Ideas
- Shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, fresh lime, jalapeno, tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat oil (1 TBL) in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, add chopped onions (1 medium) and red pepper (1 large) and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add minced garlic for the last minute, stirring until fragrant.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium onion, 1 large red bell pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic
- Add the chicken broth (4 cups/32 oz), diced tomatoes (15 ounce), green chiles (4 ounces), black beans (15 ounce), pinto beans (15 ounce), and corn (1 cup). Stir to combine.4 cups chicken broth, 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes, 4 ounce diced green chiles, 15 ounce black beans, 15 ounce pinto beans, 1 cup corn kernels
- Add garlic powder (1 tsp), onion powder (1 tsp), cumin (1 tsp), and chili powder (1 tsp), then add salt and pepper to taste.1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 tablespoon chili powder
- Add shredded chicken (2 ½ cups) and stir. Cover the pot, bring to boil, reduce heat and let the soup simmer for 20-30 minutes.2 ½ cups shredded chicken
- Stir in lime juice (½ lime) and chopped cilantro (2-3 TBL) and serve with your favorite toppings.
- Serve the soup with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips or strips, jalapenos, diced tomatoes and fresh cilantro or your favorite toppings.Shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, fresh lime, jalapeno, tortilla chips
Notes
Storage Tips
- Store the cooled soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- FREEZE by placing the soup in an airtight container or freezer bag, or I love these 2-cup Souper Cubes – freeze 3-4 months.
- Reheat, place the thawed soup in a pot, and heat it on the stovetop until warm. If you’d like to reheat a bowl at a time, microwave covered soup in 1-minute intervals, stirring between heatings. It should take 2-3 minutes.
- Use frozen or raw chicken: Add to soup, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove and shred, return to the soup pot!
Swap in 1 lb lean ground turkey, beef, or keep the rotisserie chicken.
Use only black beans (skip the pintos).
Optional: Add 1 tablespoon Ranch dressing mix—though with all the flavor, you might not need it! Chili’s Southwest Chicken Soup Recipe
- Add one teaspoon of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce instead of chili powder.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste after sauteing onions and garlic.
- Add 1 cup of white hominy in place of the frozen corn.
- Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic first (optional but recommended), then add everything to the slow cooker.
- Use raw chicken breasts or thighs on top—cook on LOW 6–6½ hours or HIGH 3–3½ hours. Shred chicken and stir in lime juice and cilantro before serving.
- Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic in the Instant Pot, then deglaze with broth.
- Add remaining ingredients, including raw chicken breasts. Seal and cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes (22 at high altitude).
- Let pressure release naturally 5–10 minutes. Shred chicken, stir back in, and finish with lime and cilantro.
Nutrition
TAYLER ROSS
I made this soup for dinner last night and it was fantastic! Easy to make and so full of flavor!
Thanks so much!!
Angela
This soup is just what I needed! Love the flavors. Definitely adding it to my soup rotation. Thanks for the great recipe!
I love that you have a soup rotation, Angela!!
Beth
I made this soup last night, and it really hit the spot. I served it with tortilla chips, and it was AH-mazing.
Sounds absolutely perfect, thanks so much Beth!
Tiffany
This soup is perfect for my family! Its quick and delicious! Thank you!
Thank you so much Tiffany, so glad you enjoyed it!
Michelle
This soup is just delicious, with so much flavor. If you use rotisserie chicken it’s really quick to make too. Grea recipe!
Super quick with rotisserie chicken!!