Chicken Taco Soup

I love recipes like my crockpot sweet potato and black bean chili and slow cooker coconut curry that let me start dinner in the morning and dig in at the end of the day. Like the others, this homemade chicken taco soup is a go-to crockpot recipe whenever I need an easy weeknight dinner. It's a cozy soup filled with all the flavors of chicken tacos, served up in bowls instead of tortillas (though my quinoa tortillas do work nicely for sopping up leftovers, just sayin'). And for those without slow cookers, I've since updated this post to include stovetop directions, too.

The richly spiced tomato broth is loaded with shredded chicken, two types of beans, sweet corn, and lots of vegetables. It's truly a satisfying one-pot meal. Especially when, just like tacos, this crock pot taco soup welcomes my favorite toppings, like avocado, shredded cheese, and sour cream!

Ingredients Needed

Here's a look at the ingredients you'll need for this Mexican chicken soup. See the recipe card below the post for the full recipe amounts.

• Onion – Yellow or white are both fine here.
• Garlic – I use four cloves for lots of garlic flavor in this recipe. Adapt the number of cloves to taste or replace each clove with ¼ to ½ teaspoon garlic powder if needed.
• Olive oil – Or your preferred cooking oil for sautéeing.
• Chicken breasts – You can substitute chicken thighs for breasts in a slow cooker if that’s what you prefer or have on hand. Use boneless, skinless chicken that's easy to shred. Alternatively, if you have leftover roasted, grilled, or baked chicken, you can shred it and add it at the end of cooking instead. And if you have shredded chicken in the freezer, that works, too!
• Beans – Canned black beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed. Alternatively, you can cook both types of beans in the Instant Pot using my in-depth guide.
• Corn – Use canned, frozen, or fresh.
• Tomato sauce – Any store-bought or homemade tomato sauce or marinara sauce is perfect.
• Green bell peppers – Green bell peppers have a little more bite than other varieties; for a milder, sweeter pepper, choose red, orange, or yellow.
• Jalapeño peppers – Scrape out the seeds and ribs to tame the heat.
• Chicken broth – I like to have chicken bone broth on hand in the freezer for soup recipes. You can also substitute low-sodium vegetable broth or vegan mushroom broth if needed.
• Taco seasoning – Use store-bought or homemade taco seasoning.

How to Make Chicken Taco Soup in the Slow Cooker

You'll need to sauté the aromatics first, but it’s totally worth it. No crunchy onions in this soup! If you want to get a head start (or don’t feel like cooking in the morning), sauté the onion and garlic the night before. Just combine everything in the slow cooker the next day.

• Sweat the aromatics. Sauté the garlic and onion with a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook just until the onion is softened and translucent.
• Combine. Afterward, add the onions and garlic to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients.
• Cook. Cover and cook the contents on High for 5 hours or on Low for 8 hours.

• Shred the chicken. Once cooked, remove the chicken breasts from the soup. Use two forks to shred the chicken, or break it into chunks.
• Finish. Lastly, stir the chicken back into the pot and season to taste before serving.

Stovetop Method

No crock pot? No worries. This remains a one-pot soup recipe, even on the stove. You can prepare it following similar directions to my stovetop chicken vegetable soup:

• Sauté. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook the onion and garlic as directed. Here, I suggest sautéing the diced bell peppers and jalapeño peppers, too. Once the veggies are softened, stir in the taco seasoning.
• Combine. Add the chicken breasts, tomato sauce, and broth. Bring the pot to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Shred the chicken. Afterward, shred the cooked chicken. Stir it back into the soup along with the canned beans and corn. Cook for a few more minutes to heat through, and serve.

Tips for the Best Taco Soup

• Don’t skip the sautéing. If you’ve ever made slow cooker soup and noticed that the onions are still a little bit crunchy even after 8 hours of cooking, you’ll appreciate this added step. 
• Be careful with adding salt. Between the taco seasoning and broth, this chicken taco soup will be pretty well-seasoned from the get-go. Don’t add more salt at the end until you give the soup a taste.
• Use gloves when handling the jalapeños. Some jalapeños are spicier than others, and if you get some that are extra hot, you’ll be glad you wore gloves. The oil from hot peppers is super hard to wash off!

Variations

Don’t be afraid to put your own spin on this cozy crock pot chicken taco soup with any of these ideas:

• Charred peppers. For another layer of flavor, char poblano peppers under the broiler, peel them, and add those to the soup instead of the jalapeños. 
• Leftover protein. Make this soup with leftover salsa chicken, taco meat, pork, or shrimp. Add any cooked proteins in at the end, before serving.
• Vegetarian. If you’re looking for a vegetarian taco soup, substitute vegan sofritas, drained canned chickpeas, or tempeh for the chicken. Since these are already cooked, add them at the end of the cooking time.
• More veggies. Add diced zucchini or yellow squash to up the veggie factor in this chicken taco soup.

Serving Chicken Taco Soup

There are so many serving options for this delicious Tex-Mex soup. These are some of my favorites:

• Serve bowlfuls with taco toppings, including avocado slices, sliced jalapeños, pickled red onions, cilantro, shredded cheese, crispy tortilla chips, or sour cream. I also like lime wedges on the side for squeezing on top.
• Pair this soup with Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes or Mexican stuffed peppers.
• Have a side of chips and dip, like this spicy mango salsa.
• Enjoy this soup as a starter for a Mexican-style dinner with taquitos or chicken enchiladas.

How to Store Leftover Soup

• Refrigerate. Store your chicken taco soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
• Reheat. Reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave until it’s warmed through.
• Freeze. This is a great make-ahead soup. Transfer the chicken taco soup to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

More Easy & Delicious Soup Recipes

• Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
• Tuscan Kale White Bean Soup
• Creamy Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
• Instant Pot Vegan Wild Rice Soup