Southwest Chicken Soup is the quickest way to feed a crowd! This hearty soup is loaded with flavor from the tender chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes with green chilies, and Southwestern seasonings.
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When you make this quick Southwest chicken soup, the whole house smells amazing. My secret ingredient? Leftover crockpot BBQ chicken! While this recipe can be made with any sort of shredded chicken, I love the extra flavor the BBQ chicken adds.
Versatile recipes like this, where it's easy to make substitutions to suit my family, are my favorite to make and eat.
Ingredients
This is meant to be a brief overview of this great recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
- Black Beans - Rinse and drain before using. You can substitute other canned beans like pinto, white, navy, or cannellini beans if you like.
- Corn Kernels - Canned or frozen both work. Be sure to drain canned corn before using.
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies - My choice is mild, but other varieties work well, too.
- Shredded Chicken - Rotisserie or pulled chicken both work in this recipe. My choice is leftover barbecue chicken.
- Chicken Broth - Chicken broth or chicken stock will both work as the base for the soup.
- BBQ Sauce - This versatile condiment adds tons of flavor. I like to use a mild BBQ sauce.
- Seasonings & Spices: garlic powder, ground cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper (you can substitute chili powder for the cayenne if desired).
- Optional Toppings - shredded cheese, sliced jalapeno peppers, tortilla strips or chips, sour cream, chopped cilantro
Variation: To make creamy Southwest chicken soup, stir in 4 ounces of cream cheese and simmer 5 minutes before serving.
Storage
To Store: Leftover Southwest chicken soup should be cooled and then stored in an airtight container. (These are my favorite airtight containers.)
To Reheat: Microwave individual portions in 30-second intervals until heated throughout.
To Freeze: Once the soup has cooled completely, transfer it to a freezer-safe bag or container. Be sure to label it!
To Thaw: Place the soup in the fridge overnight to thaw. Alternatively, reheat the soup from frozen in a slow cooker on high for 1 hour.
Serving Suggestions
I love that this one-pot meal takes hardly any effort! Place out toppings for everyone to add themselves to their dish. My husband loves pepper jack cheese, but I prefer a milder Colby jack cheese on top. Sour cream, jalapeno pepper slices, tortilla chips, and tortilla strips are also delicious.
With all the time you're saving in making this meal, you can whip up a batch of cheesy cornbread or cheddar bacon scones to serve alongside the soup.
Similar Recipes
If you like this Southwestern chicken soup and our chicken tortilla soup, then next time, you'll also want to try our flavorful chicken sausage soup or simple busy day soup.
I know you'll also enjoy these delicious soup recipes:
Related: slow cooker sausage stew
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Southwest Chicken Soup
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Ingredients
Soup Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles such as Rotel
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce optional
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 2 cups shredded chicken
Optional Toppings
- shredded cheese
- sliced jalapeno peppers
- tortilla strips
- sour cream
- chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a large pot over high heat, combine all the soup ingredients except the chicken. Bring to a boil.2 cups frozen corn kernels, 1 15 oz can black beans, 1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles, 4 cups chicken stock, ¼ cup BBQ sauce, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Reduce the heat to medium-high, and add in the chicken.2 cups shredded chicken
- Cook for 5-8 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Serve hot with desired toppings.shredded cheese, sliced jalapeno peppers, tortilla strips, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro
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