Southwestern Chicken Soup has been a longtime favorite of mine. It’s so simple to make and full of all the fantastic Mexican/Southwestern flavors I love.
I first posted this recipe on the blog way back in December 2013. I had just moved to NYC at the time, staying in a temporary furnished apartment with VERY little cooking equipment, not even a measuring spoon! Needless to say there was not a lot of cooking being done and an awful lot of eating out. Most people would probably love the opportunity to eat out all the time, but I love to cook and create in the kitchen. It’s therapy for me. Southwestern Chicken Soup was the first homemade meal I made in that tiny little place!
Today while making this soup I thought it was time to snap a few new photos and update my original recipe with a few tweaks I made. This recipe is so tasty, I hope you’ll give it a try!
How to Make Southwestern Chicken Soup
- Sauté some cut up chicken breasts (or save this step and use already cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store).
- Sauté some onion, colorful bell peppers, carrots, jalapeños or other pepper of your liking, garlic and spices.
- Add some chicken stock and canned tomatoes and let it simmer a bit.
- Toss in some black beans and corn.
- Finish with lime juice, cilantro and garnish with your favorite toppings.
Winter may be chilly where you are so why not whip up a batch of this Southwestern Chicken Soup to warm you soul… and your toes!
PrintSouthwestern Chicken Soup
Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, cubed*
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced (or use a few baby carrots)
1/2 each, red, yellow and orange bell peppers, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, deveined, seeded and chopped or 1 poblano pepper (less spicy)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. chipotle chile powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
28 oz. can diced, fire roasted tomatoes
6 C. chicken stock
1–2 Tbls. tomato paste
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
11 oz. can corn
1 lime, juiced
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
Garnish:
Chopped Cilantro
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Diced Avacado
Tortilla Chips
Instructions
Saute chicken breasts in olive oil in a big soup pot until lightly browned but not cooked all the way through. Remove from pot and set aside. If you are using precooked chicken, omit this step and add chicken with the black beans later.
Saute onion, bell peppers, jalapeño, in olive oil until veggies start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and spices and saute additional minute.
Add chicken breast cubes back to pot (if using rotisserie chicken hold off and add it later with the black beans) Add chicken stock, canned tomatoes (with juice) and tomato paste, simmer, partially covered about 10-15 minutes or so. Really just need to let the chicken finish cooking and flavors to meld.
Add black beans, corn and the rotisserie chicken if using that instead of the diced chicken breasts.
Add lime juice and chopped cilantro and continue to simmer about 5 more minutes to heat it all up.
To serve, top with desired garnishes.
Notes
*I’ve made this both ways with chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken. Lately I’ve been using chicken from the package of cooked chicken you can get at Costco. Just add as much chicken as you want in the soup!