My chicken taco soup recipe is ready to flip-turn-upside-down your expectations of taco soup!
With the plethora of taste-bud tingling spices from taco recipes but all the ease and warmth of soup, this is one of those dinners you’ll find excuses to make again and again.
Plus, it’s as versatile as your favorite easy taco meat recipe — pile on whatever toppings you or your family want for personalized tastes! You can even make this more like pork tacos by swapping the protein. Endless possibilities!
Ready to jazz up Taco Tuesday? Let’s cook!
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What I Love About This Recipe
I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like tacos. Regular tacos. Spaghetti tacos. Softshell tacos. Ice cream tacos. So it’s no wonder that chicken taco soup is beloved by everyone who tastes it!
- Quick, easy, healthy!
- Customization King
- Cooking with one pot means you clean only one pot!
- TACOS. Need I say more?
How To Make Chicken Taco Soup Recipe
Get ready for the easiest, tastiest chicken taco soup recipe you ever did see!
Heat your oil in a big soup pot, then saute your onion, pepper, and jalapeno before adding your garlic. Let it get fragrant and yummy, then add the rest of your soup ingredients, except the chicken. Boil, reduce heat to simmer and let it do its thing for half an hour.
Finally, add the chicken and heat it through, then serve with your favorite toppings!
Recipe Notes
You’re probably thinking that this recipe cannot be both so easy and so delicious. There’s gotta be a catch, right? Wrong! Read on for my secrets to an easy, tasty taco dinner.
Ingredient Notes
One of the things that make my chicken taco soup recipe so easy to pull together is my use of canned veggies. Normally, I’d harp on the importance of fresh, but for this recipe, canned is the way to go.
Beans – Dried beans take at least a day to properly prepare, so for time-crunched recipes, like this one, canned is absolutely the way to go!
Chicken – Another reason Mexican chicken soup comes together so quickly is by using pre-cooked chicken. Got a few breasts leftover from your weekend BBQ? Snatched a sale rotisserie chicken at the grocer? This is the perfect recipe for that extra chicken you’ve been hoarding! You can even use canned chicken.
Salsa shake-up – Adding a whole jar of salsa to this recipe is one of my favorite parts because it allows for so much diversity! You can use sweet corn and black bean salsa for extra depth or spicy salsa if your family likes some heat. You can even try tomatillo salsa verde for that iconic fresh bite. Or go with a favorite secret ingredient of mine: pineapple salsa! Experiment! The possibilities are endless.
Dairy – Want to make this a creamy chicken tortilla soup? Add in some heavy cream when you add the chicken at the end. Go for a handful of cheese too!
Tools to Make
What tools do you need to whip up a delicious chicken taco soup?
- A good soup pot
- A stirring spoon
- Can opener
That’s it! If you go for a slow-cooked method, you’ll need either an Instant Pot or a Crockpot in lieu of the soup pot.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
This soup recipe, though King of all Easy, Healthy Meals, must adhere to the same fridge timeline as all other soups. So alas, you can only store it for up to four days.
Can You Freeze This?
Of course! Luckily, the ingredients in this should all do just fine in the freezer. The beans and corn may be a bit on the softer side after thawing, but the overall integrity of the soup should still be yummy!
You can store this soup in the freezer for up to three months.
To thaw, let it sit in the fridge overnight then reheat!
Make Ahead Tips
This recipe is a make-ahead friendly to the MAX! Most of the ingredients are already pre-made or canned.
But if you really want to make it easy on yourself, you can follow Step 1 below, which will make your soup base, and refrigerate it for up to four days.
Serving Recommendations
The best way to serve chicken taco soup is with a whole delicious taco spread!
Whip up some easy calico beans to either eat on the side or scooped on top — they make a great soup addition! Round it off with my fluffy, flavorful Mexican rice. Both of these are so easy to make and will add those finishing touches of WOW to your soup!
Recipe Variations
We know the toppings bring all kinds of variations to your soup, but what about the soup itself? What kinds of shake-ups can we have? Let’s see!
- Lean into the taco side by adding plenty of tortillas for my favorite tortilla soup.
- Not feeling soup? You can use these same ingredients + rice to whip up arroz con pollo Peruano!
- Or maybe you’re missing the actual taco part of taco soup — grab some beef to make carne picada.
- Cut down on the liquid in this soup recipe to get the best crockpot chicken tacos you’ve ever had!
- Swap the chicken for your other favorite poultry to whip up my turkey tacos recipe.
More Taco Recipes
Looking for more ways to bring some zest to your dinners? Tacos are the way to go! Check these out:
Chicken Taco Soup
Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper ribs and seeds removed, and chopped
- 1 jalapeno ribs and seeds removed, and minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 envelope taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 (14.5- ounce) can petite diced tomatoes with the juice
- 1 (16-ounce) jar salsa with the juice
- 1 (11-ounce) can corn drained
- 1 (16-ounce) can ranch style beans chili beans with the juice
- 1 (14-ounce) carton chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
Optional Toppings:
- tortilla chips crumbled
- jack or cheddar cheese shredded
- sour cream
- sliced avocado
- fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. When the oil is warm saute onion, red pepper, and jalapeno over medium heat until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute about 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the rest of the soup ingredients, except chicken, to the pot. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered for 30-40 minutes.
- Add chicken and continue to simmer until heated through. Taste soup and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Garnish individual soup bowls as desired with tortillas chips, cheese, sour cream, avocado, and or cilantro.
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Conclusion
As the weather starts to get chillier, soup is the order of the day — and nothing fills you up while warming you up like chicken taco soup!
What toppings do you love putting on your soup? Let me know in the comments!
Made this today on typical Montana chilly afternoon. This recipe is hearty and tasty with just the right amount of spicy. My family enjoyed it.
I’m so happy you enjoyed Deb! <3
Comfort food! Yum
I could not find ranch style beans so I picked up pinto, is that OK?
Hi Laurie. Well, the Ranch Style Chili Beans are canned with a sauce and the sauce is a component of the recipe. So, subbing them out will alter the taste a bit. Hope that info helps <3
I made this soup for overnight guests. I doubled the recipe. It was so good! And…with leftovers it gets better and better everyday. Easy and delicious….the perfect combination!
I’m so happy you and your guests enjoyed the soup. <3
This is my kind of soup recipe!! Can’t wait to give it a try !
I enjoy reading your recipes, but most are very high in sodium, fat and calories. But you do have some very good ideas. Some I am able to make healthier
Hi, Debbie. Thanks for asking. Maybe use low sodium version of those canned ingredients. <3 <3