Southwestern Chicken Soup Recipe
Super easy
This Southwestern chicken soup is hearty, smoky, and full of flavor. Chicken, beans, corn, and warm spices simmer together in one pot. It’s simple enough for beginners, yet customizable with fun toppings so everyone at the table can make their bowl just the way they like it.
Prep
16m
Cook
3h
Total
3h 16m
| Category: | Soup |
| Cuisine Type | American |
Ingredients
For
4
Serving(s) Serving size
Ingredients
| 2 cups Chicken Cooked |
| 2 tbsp Olive Oil |
| 1 Large onion diced |
| 3 cloves garlic minced |
| 1 Jallapeno minced |
| 2 tsp Smoked paprika |
| 2 tsp Ground Cumin |
| 1 tsp Chili powder |
| 4 cups Chicken broth |
| 14 ½ oz Canned tomato |
| 15 oz can black beans |
| 1 cup frozen corn |
| Lime juice |
| Salt & pepper |
Toppings
| tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips |
| diced or sliced avocado |
| shredded cheese cheddar, Monterey Jack, or pepper jack |
| sour cream or Mexican crema |
| fresh cilantro |
Southwestern Chicken Soup Recipe Directions
- Cook 1 whole chicken. Remove chicken from bones and make a broth. 4 cups needed.
- Reserve 2 cups chicken (or more) for the soup.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onion (1 large yellow onion), minced garlic (3 cloves garlic), and diced jalapeño (1 medium jalapeño). Cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring often so they don’t burn.
- Sprinkle in smoked paprika, ground cumin, and chili powder. Stir constantly for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. (This step helps “wake up” the spices for deeper flavor.)
- Pour in chicken broth, tomatoes (with juices), black beans (drained and rinsed), and frozen corn. Stir well. Increase heat and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Stir in shredded chicken. Reduce heat to low and let the soup simmer gently, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes so the flavors come together. Stir occasionally.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice. Taste, then season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Add toppings such as tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips, diced or sliced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream or Mexican crema, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.
