This chicken taco soup recipe has a flavorful Rotel tomato cream cheese broth, black beans, corn, and plenty of tender chicken. It's fast and easy to make!
You can eat this soup as-is (it's plenty filling), or load it up with your favorite toppings, taco style. I love a good Tex-Mex soup!
This recipe is based on my popular Creamy Taco Soup (made with ground beef), and I figured it was time to get a chicken version on here. The recipe is very similar but has a few modifications to make it well suited to rotisserie/cooked chicken. If you want to make it with uncooked chicken, I have some tips in the recipe notes below.
Love tacos? Try my Easy Baked Chicken Tacos.
Chicken taco soup toppings:
- Tortilla strips (or crushed chips)
- Cilantro
- Cheese (try cheddar or a spicy Tex-Mex blend)
- Avocado
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Lime wedges
- Sliced jalapeno peppers
Recipe notes & tips:
- If you want to make this with uncooked chicken, you definitely can! I recommend starting the soup by adding 2 cut-up chicken breasts (or 4 cut-up chicken thighs) to the pot after you've cooked the onion for a few minutes. Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes and then transfer it to a plate. Add it back in towards the end so it finishes cooking without getting tough/overcooked.
- You could swap the cream cheese for heavy cream. Try 1/2 cup to start with (I'd probably build up to about 1 cup). I would then add in some lime juice prior to serving to give it that nice tangy flavor.
- I find Original Rotel tomatoes to have a bit of kick, so be sure to use mild ones if you're sensitive to spice. If you want the soup to be really spicy, add in 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or more as needed!).
- I definitely recommend using the Rotel diced tomatoes, but if you can't find them, you can use regular ones (but add in a can or two of diced green chilies if possible... they make a huge difference in the overall flavor!).
- This soup isn't super thick, but if you do want it a bit thicker, you could add a cornstarch slurry (start with 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon cold water), and add it in a few minutes prior to serving.
- Storage/leftovers: This soup will last 3-5 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen. I recommend warming it up on a low heat. The cream cheese may separate a bit, but it'll still taste good (you may need to stir it well prior to serving).
Crockpot method:
I would use uncooked chicken thighs (try 4 of them) or chicken breasts (try 2 of them), and cook the soup for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low (I recommend chicken thighs if cooking on low since they're less likely to dry out). Add in the cream cheese during the last 30 minutes of cooking (ensure it's set on "high").
Instant Pot method:
Use uncooked chicken breasts (try 2 of them) or chicken thighs (try 4 of them), and add everything except for the cream cheese, seal it up, and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Let the pressure release for 5 minutes then quick release the rest. After you unseal it, stir in the cream cheese (use the sauté function to help it melt faster).
Other tasty chicken soups to try:
- Buffalo Chicken Soup
- Easy Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Will you give this creamy chicken taco soup recipe a try? Questions? Let me know in the comments below, and be sure to tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you make one of my recipes.
Chicken Taco Soup
This chicken taco soup recipe has a flavorful Rotel tomato cream cheese broth, black beans, corn, and plenty of tender chicken. It's fast and easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 (10 fluid ounce) cans Ro-tel diced tomatoes & green chilies with juices
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can corn drained
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 (8 ounce) block of cream cheese (I used Philly) softened
- 2 cups cooked/rotisserie chicken shredded
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Toppings (optional): shredded Tex-Mex cheese blend, avocado, cilantro, tortilla strips, etc.
Instructions
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Take the cream cheese out of the fridge at least an hour ahead of time to let it soften up, or microwave it for 20-30 seconds until it's soft.
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Add the oil and onion to a soup pot and sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
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Add all the remaining soup ingredients to the pot except for the cream cheese, chicken, and salt & pepper.
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Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Turn down the heat so it's simmering gently (uncovered) for 5 minutes. While the soup cooks, prep your toppings.
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Cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces and add it to the soup. Let it melt in (you may have to stir it a fair bit until it's fully incorporated).
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Stir in the chicken and cook for another 5-7 minutes or so until it's warmed through.
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Season the soup with salt & pepper and serve with toppings as desired.
Recipe Notes
- Serves 4-6.
- If you have any concerns with salt, use low-salt broth.
- If you're not using Rotel diced tomatoes, you can use regular ones, but I suggest adding a can or two of diced green chilies as well (the 4 oz. size ones) since it really makes a difference in the way the soup tastes.
- See blog post for Instant Pot & Crockpot adaptation suggestions.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
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