Mexican Chicken Soup

5 from 4 votes

This Mexican chicken soup recipe is super easy to make and bursting with fresh flavors! Load it up with your favorite toppings to make it a tasty meal.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican-American

Keyword: Mexican Chicken Soup Recipe, Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion chopped small
3 sticks celery chopped small
2 medium carrots peeled & chopped small
1 (28 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
4 cups chicken broth
1 (12 fluid ounce) can corn drained
1 (14 fluid ounce) can black beans drained & rinsed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
Cayenne pepper optional, to taste
1.5 pounds uncooked chicken breasts boneless skinless
Garnish (optional): lime wedges, cilantro, sour cream, tortilla strips, avocado, etc.

Instructions

Add the oil, onion, celery, and carrots to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté for 5-7 minutes (light browning adds more flavor).
Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, corn, black beans, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and chicken breasts to the pot. Give it a stir, then increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Take the chicken out of the pot and cut it up/shred it, then add it back to the pot.
Season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. I recommend adding a good squeeze of fresh lime juice and a handful of chopped cilantro to the soup prior to serving, but that step is optional. Serve and top each bowl as desired with any extra garnishes (tortilla strips, sour cream, cheese, etc.).

Notes

Anything from 1-1.5 pounds of chicken will work.
Use an instant read meat thermometer to tell if chicken is cooked. Chicken breasts can dry out quickly (it's easy to overcook them). Chicken thighs are much more forgiving/less likely to dry out, so you could always swap the chicken breasts for thighs in this recipe.
Check out the Crockpot version here.
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.

Nutrition