Packed with shredded chicken, two types of beans, and plenty of veggies, this creamy southwest chicken soup is hearty and filling and makes a great weeknight dinner. Ready in under an hour! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Great for weeknights! This southwest chicken soup takes just 40 minutes to make from start to finish with minimal prep work. And it can feed the whole family with leftovers to spare!
- Hearty and filling, thanks to shredded chicken and two types of beans. It’s great any tie of year, but especially comforting on a chilly winter night!
- One pot meal. The meat cooks in the soup, so there’s no need to pre-cook chicken or pick through a rotisserie chicken.
- Incredible depth of flavor with the perfect amount of kick and spice (and you can certainly modify it to make it more spicy or more mild, if needed).
Rich, creamy, and satisfying, this southwest chicken soup is my latest (and current favorite) weeknight dinner recipe. It has a great southwest flavor with key ingredients like pinto and black beans, corn, and smoky ancho chili powder. The flavor is restaurant-quality, yet it is truly so easy to make in your home kitchen.
This is a thick and hearty soup, so it’s perfect for this time of year when we are still hunkering down but ready for some zestier recipes. I contemplated making it thinner, but in the end I went with a richer, more stew-like consistency (similar to my white chicken chili). I can’t wait for you to try it!
Ingredients
There are quite a few ingredients in the photo below, but most require very little prep on your part. Let’s review the most important ones before we get started!
- Spices. Including ancho chili powder (a slightly sweet and smoky favorite from my potato soup and chili recipe), oregano, smoked paprika (love this in my chicken and rice soup!), cumin, and black pepper. We’ll also add some fresh minced garlic.
- Chicken. Personally, I like to use a mix of halved chicken breasts and chicken thighs, but you could use all of just one type. If you have pre-cooked chicken you’re looking to use, check out the FAQ section below for instructions on adding that.
- Beans. I like to use black beans and pinto beans, but if you don’t like those (or don’t have them in your pantry and aren’t up for a trip to the store), an equal amount of your favorite canned beans should work just fine.
- Veggies. We’ll add onion, red bell pepper, jalapeño, frozen corn, and two cans of Rotel (diced tomatoes and chiles). If you don’t like spicy food, you can omit or reduce the jalapeño.
- Cream cheese. I use block-style full-fat cream cheese here; however, I suspect you could probably get away with a lighter or spreadable cream cheese in this recipe (unlike most of my other recipes that use cream cheese, like my cheesecake or cream cheese frosting).
SAM’S TIP: I like using Rotel because of its flavor and because the tomatoes and chilis are conveniently already combined. However, if you don’t have or can’t find Rotel, regular diced tomatoes and chilis will work. You would use a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes and a 7 oz can of diced chiles instead.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Southwest Chicken Soup
- Sauté the peppers and onions in butter until softened, then add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or so. Don’t let the garlic burn!
- Add the spices and stir to incorporate, then add the beans, rotel, and corn.
- Drizzle in the chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen up any browned bits.
- Add the chicken to the pot and let the soup come to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Shred the chicken once cooked (I remove it to a plate and shred it there with a pair of forks — if it doesn’t shred super easily for you then it just needs more time to cook!), then return it to the pot.
- Stir in the cream cheese until melted and fully incorporated. Taste test for additional seasonings, then enjoy!
SAM’S TIP: If you are using chicken breasts, you can cut them in half (or quarters, if they are especially large) before adding them to the pot. This will help them cook faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
This soup is great on its own but level things up with some toppings! A squeeze of fresh lime, tortilla strips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and cilantro are all great options.
For sides, try my cornbread, jalapeno cornbread, corn muffins, garlic cheese biscuits, or my easy homemade biscuits.
Sure! If you’d like to do this, you can simply stir in your cooked and shredded chicken with the cream cheese after the soup has simmered for about 30 minutes or so. Let it warm through before serving. My slow cooker shredded chicken would work nicely for this!
Yes, I’ve frozen it with no issue and with no separation (I was concerned the cream cheese could cause the broth to separate or become grainy, but that’s never happened!). I place a piece of parchment directly against the surface of the soup (inside an airtight container) when freezing to minimize the risk of freezer burn happening. Thaw the soup overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying or reheat from frozen in a saucepan over low heat (heat it too fast and the texture could suffer).
Enjoy!
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Creamy Southwest Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons (28 g) salted butter
- 1 cup (140 g) yellow onion chopped
- 1 (125 g) red bell pepper chopped (about a cup)
- 2-4 Tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno seeds and ribs removed see note
- 1 Tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon ancho chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 10 oz (283 g) cans original Rotel (see note for substitute)
- 1 15 oz (425 g) can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 15.5 oz (439 g) can pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 1 ¼ cup (175 g) frozen corn
- 3 cups (720 ml) chicken broth
- 1 lb (453 g) chicken mix of breast and thighs
- 6 oz (170 g) cream cheese cut into cubes, softened
- Preferred toppings: limes, sour cream, corn chips and cilantro are all great options!
Recommended Equipment
- Dutch oven or large soup pot
Instructions
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat.2 Tablespoons (28 g) salted butter
- Add onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.1 cup (140 g) yellow onion, 1 (125 g) red bell pepper, 2-4 Tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.1 Tablespoon garlic
- Sprinkle spices overtop (ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper) and stir until combined.1 Tablespoon ancho chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add Rotel, black beans, pinto beans, and corn and stir together. Drizzle in chicken broth and stir to combine.2 10 oz (283 g) cans original Rotel, 1 15 oz (425 g) can black beans, 1 15.5 oz (439 g) can pinto beans, 1 ¼ cup (175 g) frozen corn, 3 cups (720 ml) chicken broth
- Add chicken (I usually cut the breasts in half so that they cook faster) and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once chicken is cooked through, remove, shred or cut into bite-sized pieces, and return to the pot.1 lb (453 g) chicken
- Add cream cheese and stir until melted and thoroughly combined and smooth.6 oz (170 g) cream cheese
- Taste-test and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm, topped with your favorite toppings (a squeeze of lime is great in this soup!).Preferred toppings:
Notes
Yield
This recipe makes 9 cups of soup.Jalapeno
This adds a nice kick, but spiciness will vary depending on your specific jalapeno (some are simply hotter than others!). For a milder soup, reduce the jalapeno to just 2 Tablespoons (or omit it entirely).Rotel substitute
You could substitute 1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes and 1 7-oz can of diced chilis for the Rotel.Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Betty Weist
Very flavorful and absolutely delicious. Spices used results in greater depth of flavor
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for the review, Betty! We’re so glad you loved it! 🙂
Becky
I’m not much of a soup lover, so I rarely make it. This one is exceptional, IMO. Thanks!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Becky! 🙂
Cat
I absolutely love your savory recipes! I would love to have even more of them!
Sam
Thank you so much, Cat! 🙂
Laura Rallios
Absolutely delicious!! I knew it was going to be good just by the ingredients, but I had no idea it was going to be that good!!! My husband loved it and it’s going on my regular meal rotation. Thanks, Sam!!
Sam
I’m so happy to hear everyone enjoyed it so much, Laura! 🙂
Catherine
I really appreciate the way Sam writes her recipes–clear, simple, and well thought out. Also delicious. I’ve enjoyed many of the baking recipes she offers, and thought I’d try this latest soup. Two thumbs up–this was a hit. Complex flavor, which is what I aim for in a soup like this. I used a rotisserie chicken because I live near a Costco, and I never pass up an excuse to buy corn chips as a soup garnish! Thank you for another reliable tasty meal.
Sam
You’re welcome, Catherine! I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Mark A Ninete
I just finished making this and once again, your recipe never fails! Simply delicious!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Mark! 🙂