Mexican Chicken Soup is a warm & comforting way to enjoy your favorite Mexican flavors in a bowl. It’s ready to eat in just about 30 minutes, and is a lightened-up alternative to tortilla soup.
Why You’ll Love It
It’s healthy. This soup is made with protein and veggies, so it will keep you feeling full, with loads of fiber & nutrients in each bite!
It’s easy to make. While it’s not a traditional caldo de pollo recipe, this soup is easy to make because it cooks all in one pot. You don’t have to use a whole chicken, or a separate pan to bake the chicken. And using an immersion blender at the end gives this soup a hearty texture you’ll love!
It’s delicious. A simple combination of spices makes this soup ultra-flavorful. It reminds me of chicken enchiladas, only in soup form!
It’s perfect for special diets. This recipe has no added sugar, and is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
It’s flexible. If you don’t have carrots or celery on hand, you can swap them for a chopped bell pepper or corn. I’ve also tested this recipe with both chicken breasts and chicken thighs, and both work well!
Ingredients You’ll Need
You can top this soup off with any toppings you love before serving, like diced avocado, sour cream, cheddar cheese, or tortilla chips. You can load it up, just like you would chili!
I typically cook soup with water instead of broth, because it’s affordable and accessible, but you can use chicken stock or vegetable broth, if you prefer. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to use less salt in that case.
Have a rotisserie chicken to use up? You can replace the raw chicken in this recipe with shredded cooked chicken at the end. To do this, add 1 cup more liquid to the soup while it simmers, and then add the shredded chicken for the last 5 minutes of cooking, just so it can heat through.
How to Make Mexican Chicken Soup
1. Sauté the veggies.
Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into a large pot over medium high heat, and saute the onion, carrots, and celery until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add in the garlic, jalapeno, ground cumin, chili powder, and dried oregano. Stir briefly, just until they smell fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Simmer.
Add in the chicken, tomatoes, water (or chicken broth), salt, and black pepper, and bring the liquid to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat and cover the pot.
Let it cook for 15 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Note: Small chicken thighs might reach this internal temperature even faster than 15 minutes, but it’s okay if they end up going a little over. Chicken thighs are very forgiving, and still have an amazing texture either way.
Chicken breasts might need up to 20 minutes of cook time to reach 165ºF, but be sure to check on them after 15 minutes because their texture isn’t as nice when they are overcooked.
3. Shred.
Once the chicken is cooked, use tongs to remove it from the soup and use two forks to shred it on a cutting board or plate.
You can also place the cooked chicken in a bowl, and use your stand mixer or electric hand mixer to shred it quickly.
4. Blend. (Optional)
While the chicken is removed from the soup, stir in the fresh cilantro until it wilts. Then use an immersion blender to briefly blend some of the soup, so it has a thicker texture.
You can blend as much or as little as you like, leaving some chunks of veggies, so the soup won’t be totally pureed.
5. Enjoy!
Return the chicken to the soup, and adjust any seasoning to taste. I usually add a little more salt, and you can add a squeeze of lime juice, if you’d like a more tangy flavor.
Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze soup for up to 3 months, if you’d like to last longer.
Substitutions and Common Questions
Can I add rice to this soup? Yes! You can add a 1/4 cup of dry white rice and an extra 1 cup of water to this soup recipe, and cook as directed. It usually takes 15 to 20 minutes to become tender, so be sure to check for tenderness.
Can I use other vegetables? Sure! You can add in potatoes to make this soup more hearty, or use zucchini when it’s in season.
What if I’m out of diced tomatoes? You can use a can of tomato sauce, instead.
What if I don’t like cilantro? The fresh cilantro adds a special flavor to this soup that is difficult to replicate with another ingredient. I don’t recommend swapping parsley for cilantro, as the flavor is too different and overpowering, but you can leave out the cilantro if you’re really not a fan.
Mexican Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 2 celery ribs , chopped
- 3 carrots , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 jalapeño , chopped (seeds removed)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 cups water
- 1.25 lbs boneless chicken thighs
- 1 (28 oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons sea salt , plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat, and saute the onion, celery, and carrots until they start to soften, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic, jalapeno, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika, and stir for one more minute.
- Add in the water, chicken, diced tomatoes, salt, and black pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat and cover the pot. It will take roughly 15 to 20 minutes for the chicken to cook through; be sure to check the internal tempature of the chicken with a meat thermometer, to ensure that it reaches 165ºF.
- Use tongs to remove the chicken, and transfer it to a plate. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes, then shred with 2 forks. (Alternatively, you can just chop it into small pieces, too.) Before you add the chicken back in, stir in the fresh cilantro and use an immersion blender to gently puree the soup to your desired texture.
- Return the shredded chicken to the soup, and adjust the seasoning as needed. I usually end up adding an extra teaspoon of salt, but start with just a 1/2 teaspoon at a time, so you don't end up over-seasoning it. Serve warm right away, with any toppings you love. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Mexican Chicken Soup recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
I love chicken tortilla soup with black beans. Also, I use corn flour as a thickner instead of tortillas and I serve it with crumbled corn chips along with other toppings like avocado
This looks delicious! If you don’t have an immersion blender, what would you recommend using? A regular blender using the stir/mix or pulse option?
How spicy is it even with the jalapeno seeds removed? I have a very sensitive stomach. The recipe sounds great and I would love to try the vegetarian option.
I am leaving in a week on a weeklong camping trip. I will be in a trailer so I will have frog and freezer space. I am trying to get all my cooking done early to leave more time for fun. How’s this recipe after frozen any other suggested recipes greatly appreciated!
I haven’t frozen this soup recipe in particular, but I’ve had pretty good luck with freezing/thawing almost any recipe I try. I’m sure it would work!
Oops..that was supposed to be frig not frog…;)
Just made this today and it is fantastic. I will be taking it to work this week for lunch. I did use chicken stock, but followed the recipe otherwise. We crumbled a few tortilla chips (2-3 is all you need). Only sorry that my avocado isn’t ripe enough yet to add to it!
Really yummy soup! Thanks for the recipe and for a no-tortilla mexican tortilla soup. I didn’t have celery so I put in a little kale. I only had two chicken thighs and thought I would add some black beans, but it turned out so well, I didn’t want to add beans. I also used about 2 cups of homemade chicken stock and one cup + of water. I really enjoy your website and recipes! Also I just used a regular blender (kitchen aide) and it worked well. Lighter and healthier soup — yum! 🙂
Tried this recipe for dinner on Friday night. My husband’s response was, “this one is a keeper.” Please make it again. I did have some ripe avocado on hand so I cubed it and floated it on the top. Thanks for another grain-free alternative that, as always, is fantastic!
Like many of your recipes, this was simple and delicious! For those without an immersion blender, I pulsed mine in a blender in a few parts since it wouldn’t fit all at once and I only wanted to pulse it instead of fully liquifying it. It worked great!
Hi Megan! This is my first time ever writing a comment on someone’s blog, but after the dinner I had last night, I was compelled to let you know how AMAZING it was! I made this soup almost as written, but I didn’t have jalapenos on hand. Instead I used Organic fire roasted diced tomatoes from Trader Joe’s. MAN was it good! My husband couldn’t stop raving about it and my five year old, who it normally takes pulling teeth to get him to finish his meal, had his bowl in his hands, sucking down every last drop he could get! It was fantastic. I’ve been looking around your site for days and finally had all the ingredients to make this soup! I’m so glad that I did and I can’t wait to try all of your other amazing dishes! THANK YOU!
Thanks! Another great recipe from you, and i loved it. Made it again to use up some baked chicken we had left, blended before i put in chicken and added a bit more heat. super good.
I finally made this tonight after wanting to for quite some time. It was so delicious! My husband kept saying how good it was, too. It’s a definite keeper.
This recipe was great! Perfect consistency! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
This recipe is very similar to the one I got from Vitamix – that is after I make some adjustments…. no squash, mushrooms, etc.
AND I just throw it all in my 5200 Vitamix and ‘cook’ it.
It is really good – so I know this recipe is also really good. I think I’ll use your recipe next time – At least with this one I don’t have to think about – don’t add this or that LOL
I also add more jalepenos to taste & I don’t remove the seeds – sometimes hotter than other times.
Thank you for having such a great website.
Heaven’s To Betsy’s! Delicioso! This “Mexican Chicken Soup” took me over the moon! I live in Tucson, AZ. and am a private integrative nurse. We are surrounded by Southwest cuisine. I made this and served to client and it was THE BEST SOUP EVER!!! Muchos Gracias!!!
PS. I illuminated 5 stars!!!
We just made this recipe for lunch today and it was great! All 4 of my kids even loved it (but I did leave out the jalapeños for their sakes). I also didn’t have cilantro on hand, so I used Italian flat-leaf parsley. I used already cooked and shredded frozen chicken, which made it come together even quicker. I love that you don’t need chicken broth for this recipe, since I don’t always have some homemade broth thawed. Thanks for a great recipe! 🙂
This looks delicious! Has anyone experimented with putting this into a slow cooker? I’m returning to a “normal,” 8-5 job and the slow cooker will be my best friend, I’m afraid. 😉
Excellent! And has options to vary. I added about half of an orange sweet pepper before blending. Avocado on top with plain yogurt to garnish.
What brand of an immersion blender do you recommend? I’ve researched and compared to see which one is best one for us to use for a long time even it can deal with hot and cold foods.
This recipe was OUTSTANDING! You’re definitely my favorite blogger… every recipe I’ve made on this site has been great, and healthy to boot! Thank you for posting and creating so many wonderful things Megan!
This turned out fantastic! I made it meatless and only added quinoa. I will admit to using chicken broth, and surely it would be just as good with vegetable broth (which I didn’t have on hand). If this soup tastes THIS good immediately after cooking it, one can only imagine how good it will taste after a night of flavor-melding in the fridge!
Another wonderful recipe from your kitchen to mine! Thank you! My adjustments were few: used olive oil rather than butter; had only 1 jalapeño on hand so added 1/2 bell pepper just for the “green”; used a can of whole tomatoes and cut them up chunky; only 1 tsp salt; used 1/8 cup dried cilantro so added 2 drops of cilantro doTERRA essential oil; added drained/rinsed black beans AND chicken. Would consider adding frozen corn next time. Did not blend as it was a beautiful chunky pot of Mexican delight! YUM!! I’ll divide up the remainder into freezer bags for quick dinners in the weeks to come.
i made this soup because it sounded easy & healthy. WOW! was pleasantly surprised that it was PACKED with flavor! delicious, filling and definitely a keeper! thanks again for another healthy option.
Hi Megan. I’ve been making this soup for years. The flavors are so fresh and delicious so it’s been one of my go- to soups. Just wanted to let you know I love it!
What is your suggestion for making this in the instapot?
I would suggest using chicken thighs if using the instant pot, as the breasts can turn out rubbery when cooked directly in soup, and I would think 10 to 15 minutes at high pressure with a 10 minute natural release would be plenty to cook everything through.
Made this for dinner tonight and it’s absolutely delicious. I added some lime juice and black beans. I did not use the immersion blender. Thank you Megan for all the amazing recipes.
Megan! This recipe is delicious! I love chicken tortilla soup and this one is even better because I know it’s healthy! from first taste test I knew this was going to be a staple! My husband loves it too! I followed the recipe exactly and using the immersion blender is genius
** I used olive oil instead of butter and used chicken thighs as well. The jalapeños do not make the soup spicy at all (and I don’t do spicy) but they add great flavor. Cook the recipe all in a Dutch oven and covered it when it was cooking for 25mins. Incredible recipe Megan
Delicious! I used black beans instead of chicken and I can’t get jalapenos where I live so I just used chilli powder.
My whole family loves this (4 kids ages 11 to 4). We probably make this once every two weeks. I use a potato masher throughout cooking because I just haven’t bought an immersion blender and it breaks up the veggies and chicken quite well.The cumin and cilantro are so simple but really make this so good! Whenever I want to take a meal to a friend or family, I make this tortilla soup. Thanks Megan!
I will try this soup recipe today…
I found a version of this soup on the Cookie and Kate blog. I’m writing as I am eating it. Perfection!!! Filling, flavorful, delicious. Just a few changes-Jalapenos burn my hands so I used canned chiles and some fresh red pepper, added dash of dried coriander. Fabulous. I am looking at your recipes trying to decide what I’ll make tomorrow! So happy to find your healthy, tasty recipes!!! Thank you!
Any suggestions on how to make this vegan? Do you think subbing jackfruit would work? Love your recipes!
I think jackfruit could work, as long as you rinse it really well if you’re using the canned green version. Or, you could add in quinoa or black beans, too!
Yum! So delicious 🤤
My husband has proclaimed this to be his favorite soup. Thank you so much for sharing this healthy and delicious recipe!
Delicious! I veganized this by using 6oz of soy curls. I soaked them beforehand, drained them, and chopped them before adding them to the soup.