This chicken taco soup recipe is an easy and delicious way to enjoy all of your favorite flavors of tacos in one hearty and filling soup. It's the perfect meal for a chilly day or any day you're in the mood for some comforting Mexican-inspired food.
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🌟 Why this taco soup recipe works
This easy chicken taco soup recipe is the perfect weeknight meal. It's easy to make, packed with protein and fiber, and full of flavor. The best part is that it's made in a slow cooker, so there's no supervision required.
Slow-cooking is one of life's cooking pleasures for busy moms that don't have time to spend in the kitchen cooking a delicious meal. And this easy chicken taco soup requires just a few minutes of prep time before layering all the ingredients in the slow cooker to do the rest of the cooking!
Set the crock pot to low and leave it to gently cook all those hearty, flavorful ingredients while you enjoy your day. After 4 hours, you'll have a delicious and healthy soup that's guaranteed to be a favorite with your family!
This soup gets its authentic flavor from the taco seasoning and canned diced tomatoes with green chiles, while the black beans, tender chicken, and chili beans provide heartiness and texture.
It's also a budget-friendly meal since it uses pantry staples like canned beans and tomatoes. Whether you're looking for an easy weeknight dinner or a comforting bowl of soup, this recipe is sure to please. Also check my cowboy stew recipe if you are in a mood for hearty stews.
🍽 Key Ingredients
There are just a few key ingredients you'll need for this delicious chicken taco soup recipe, and you'll likely already have most of them in your pantry, like canned beans and tomatoes.
Chicken - The protein of choice is skinless, boneless chicken breasts that are first slow-cooked and then shredded.
Tomato sauce - A can of tomato sauce forms the base of this soup and gives it a rich flavor.
Taco seasoning - A packet of taco seasoning is used to give the soup its taco flavor.
Black beans - Black beans are used for their color, texture, and nutritional value.
Chili beans - Chili beans add extra spice to the taco soup as well as texture.
Diced tomatoes with chiles - Look for canned diced tomatoes with green chiles to provide a deep flavor and spice.
Corn - A can of sweet corn adds color and sweetness to the dish. Frozen corn will work if you don't have canned.
Toppings - Fresh cilantro, tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese are some options.
Substitutions
Black beans
You could also use pinto beans as an equal substitute.
Chicken
If you don't have chicken breast, you could use chicken thighs instead or a rotisserie chicken. Using cooked chicken will reduce the cooking time (see variations sections for instructions).
Taco seasoning
Make your own homemade taco seasoning, or use a pre-made blend from the store.
Tomato sauce
You could also use a can of tomato soup as an equal substitute.
Diced tomatoes with chiles
Most grocery stores sell canned diced tomatoes with chiles, but if you're unable to find them, buy a can of diced tomatoes and chop 1 or 2 green chiles.
🔪 How to make chicken taco soup
Chicken taco soup is such an easy recipe to make in the crock pot! All you need to do is sauté the onion, layer the ingredients as shown below, and set the machine to low.
Preparations
Step 1
Finely dice the white onion.
Step 2
Open and drain the can of black beans, corn, and chili beans.
Cooking instructions
Step 3
Set a skillet over medium heat and sauté the diced onion for 2 to 3 minutes until soft.
Step 4
Add the sauteed onion, corn, black beans, diced tomatoes with chiles, tomato sauce (plus 1 can full of water), and taco seasoning to the slow cooker.
Step 5
Lay the chicken breasts on top and press down slightly so that they are submerged and covered by the mixture.
Step 6
Set the slow cooker to low heat, cover, and cook for 3-4 hours.
Step 7
Remove the chicken breasts from the taco soup and shred them with 2 forks.
Step 8
Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 9
Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
Serving suggestions: Top with shredded cheese, freshly chopped cilantro, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips/strips.
💭 Cooking tips
Frozen chicken.
If using frozen chicken, cook for 4 - 5 hours.
Extra chicken flavor.
Fill the empty tomato sauce can with chicken broth instead of water to give the taco chicken soup more flavor.
Thin consistency
You may need to add some more water at the end if you like your soup with a thinner consistency.
📖 Recipe Variations
Like all soup recipes, they are customizable! And this chicken taco soup is very versatile and can be easily customized to your liking.
Quick and easy chicken taco soup
If you want a quick and easy version of this soup, use rotisserie chicken instead of uncooked chicken breasts.
In a large pot, sauté the onion, then add all of the ingredients (except the chicken), and boil for 25 minutes until the beans are soft and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the shredded chicken and serve.
Smokey chicken taco soup
This variation is so good, and the addition of smoked paprika, chili powder, and chorizo adds a lovely spicy smokey flavor to the soup. Simply, slice and add 2 chorizos, 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika, and 1 teaspoon of chili powder to the slow cooker.
Creamy chicken taco soup
If you want a creamier version of taco soup, mix 1 room temperature (8 ounces) package of cream cheese into the soup at the end when adding the shredded cooked chicken. You could also use sour cream instead of cream cheese.
🥗 What to serve with
This easy chicken taco soup can be served as a main dish or an appetizer before the main course. Here are some easy and delicious ideas to serve with this Mexican soup:
Crispy chicken flautas
A great appetizer to start a Mexican dinner that is easy to make and perfect for sharing is chicken flautas with avocado crema. Flautas are flour tortillas filled with a spicy chicken mixture, rolled, and fried until crispy. They are served with a refreshing avocado dip.
Enchiladas
Serve the soup as an appetizer and make enchiladas for the main course. If you have leftover chicken breast, try these creamy recipes of enchiladas verdes & sour cream enchiladas. They are easy to make in less than an hour and combine similar ingredients from the soup.
Grilled cheese sandwich
The ultimate sandwich to pair with a delicious soup! This triple cheese sandwich with Mexican blend, gouda, and cheddar cheese is ridiculously good, and it's filled with bacon, avocado, and spicy chipotle mayo. 15 minutes is all it takes, and guaranteed to be a huge hit!
And why not my Mexican street corn dip or my tamale pie recipe to pair with this dish.
🙋 Frequently asked questions
Can I use other meats in this soup?
Yes, of course! You can use ground beef, roast beef, pork shoulder, or even shrimp.
How can I thicken my taco soup?
Yes, the easiest way to thicken your soup is by mixing a cornstarch slurry at the end, 10 minutes before serving. It will start to thicken instantly as it cooks.
🧊 Storing and ♨️ reheating
If you have leftover cooked chicken taco soup, you can easily store it in the freezer or fridge and eat it another day.
Fridge - Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container or small pot with a lid and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Freezer - To freeze chicken taco soup, store the leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using
Reheating - To reheat, heat it on the stove in a pan until steaming hot or in the microwave in a microwaveable bowl. You can also add a splash of water or chicken broth to thin it out if it's too thick.
When reheating, be sure to bring the soup to a boil until steaming hot all the way through to kill any bacteria.
🍳 Related soup recipes
If you love my chicken taco soup recipe. Try one of these fantastic soup recipes for your next lunch or dinner. Including my pizza soup recipe.
👪 Serving size
This easy chicken taco soup will give you enough servings to fill 10 to 12 large bowls. You could also scale it up or down to suit your guest's needs.
This slow-cooker chicken taco soup is hearty, filling, and packed with flavor. Whether you want a smokey, spicy soup or a creamy, milder version, this recipe is perfect for any occasion. Serve with your favorite toppings and sides, and enjoy!
If you want more slow-cooker Mexican soup recipes, check out the hearty Fajita chicken soup.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Try one of my comfort dinner recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
📋 Recipe
Chicken Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 White onion - Chopped finely
- 1 (16 ounce) can Chili beans - drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can Black beans - drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can Whole kernel corn - drained
- 1 (8 ounce) can Tomato sauce
- 1 can Water - fill the tomato sauce and dump in the pot
- 2 (14.5 ounce )can diced tomatoes with green chiles - undrained
- 1 (1.25 ounce )package Taco seasoning
- 3 whole Skinless ,boneless, chicken breasts - thawed
Instructions
Preparations
- Finely dice the white onion.
- Open and drain the can of black beans, corn, and chili beans.
Cooking instructions
- Set a skillet over medium heat and sauté the diced onion for 2 to 3 minutes until soft.
- Add the sauteed onion, corn, black beans, diced tomatoes with chiles, tomato sauce (plus 1 can full of water), and taco seasoning to the slow cooker.
- Lay the chicken breasts on top and press down slightly so that they are submerged and covered by the mixture.
- Set the slow cooker to low heat, cover, and cook for 3-4 hours.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the taco soup and shred them with 2 forks.
- Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
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