This Easy Chicken Taco Soup Recipe is so delicious! Make it in your instant pot, crock pot or on the stove for a quick, healthy dinner!
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We are obviously obsessed with healthy soup recipes and because everyone loved our traditional taco soup, we knew we needed to make it with chicken too!
This chicken taco soup is incredibly quick and easy to make and loaded with veggies and protein (33g)!
In less than an hour, you can have this delicious soup on your table and you probably have most of these ingredients in your freezer or pantry!
We have so many other delicious chicken recipes to make in your crockpot. Check them out here Healthy Crockpot Chicken Recipes!
Why we love this Taco Soup Recipe with Chicken
There is so much to like about this recipe! Here’s why it is one of our favorites:
- Quick and Easy to Make – This soup only requires dumping all the ingredients together. It couldn’t be easier!
- Made with Pantry Staples – This recipe is made with only 8 ingredients and some spices and you probably already have most, if not all, of them in your pantry! (see green box below for any substitutions)
- Hearty & Delicious – This soup has 33g of protein from the chicken and the black beans and will definitely leave you feeling cozy and full!
Chicken Taco Soup Ingredients
To make this quick and easy chicken taco soup you’ll need:
- olive oil
- onion, garlic
- chicken breasts
- canned tomato sauce
- chicken broth
- paprika, pepper, chili powder, cumin (you can also use taco seasoning!)
- black beans drained and rinsed
- frozen corn
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
How to make Easy Chicken Taco Soup
- Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil for 4-5 minutes.
- Add in raw chicken breasts, tomato sauce, chicken broth, taco seasoning, black beans, and corn.
- Stir together. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Remove chicken, shred, then add back to the pot and stir.
How do you know when the soup is done? If you cook the soup for the recommended time (stovetop: at least 30 minutes, slow cooker: low for 6-8hrs or high for 3-4hrs, instant pot: 10 minutes), the chicken will be fully cooked, but if you would like to ensure it’s fully cooked, the internal cooking temperature should be 165°.
How to make Crock Pot Chicken Taco Soup
We love making dinner in the slow cooker and if you need more recipe ideas, check out these Healthy Crockpot Chicken Recipes!
- (Optional but recommended) Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil for 4-5 minutes.
- Add onion/garlic mixture to the slow cooker base with raw chicken breasts, tomato sauce, chicken broth, taco seasoning, black beans, and corn and stir together.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Remove chicken, shred, then add back to the pot and stir.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup
- Set the instant pot to Sauté for 4 minutes and sauté onions and garlic in olive oil.
- Add in raw chicken breasts, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and taco seasoning and stir together. Do not add black beans or corn because they will over cook.
- Cover and set the instant pot to sealing, Manual Pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, quick release the pressure.
- Remove chicken, shred, then add back to the pot and stir.
Chicken Taco Soup Recipe Substitutions
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil, butter, or ghee.
Chicken Breasts: You can substitute with boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenders.You can also make this recipe with ground beef.
Cooked Chicken: You can substitute cooked shredded chicken in place of raw chicken. Use 2-3 cups cooked shredded chicken. You can also use a rotisserie chicken. Pull all of the meat off of a rotisserie chicken and add it to the pot in place of raw chicken. If you use cooked chicken, cut the cook time in half.
Veggies: Feel free to add in more or fewer veggies.
Tomato: You can substitute any brand of canned tomato sauce in this recipe. Crushed tomatoes or petite diced tomatoes will also work. You can also add in a can of green chilies
Chicken Broth: Any broth or stock (broth and stock are the same) can be used in any soup recipe. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. I always use low sodium chicken broth or no salt chicken broth.
Black Beans: Any beans will work in this recipe. Just make sure they are fully cooked, rinsed & drained. We like to use low/no salt added black beans drained. In place of black beans you can use navy beans or pinto beans.
Corn: You can omit the corn in this recipe and it will still taste delicious!
Spices: You can use 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning in place of the seasonings.
How to thicken Taco Chicken Soup
To thicken quick and easy chicken taco soup, you can add a corn starch slurry. Mix together 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 2-3 tablespoons of broth/water.
Stream into your pot while the soup is over low heat. The soup should thicken as you cook.
We don’t recommend trying to thicken this soup. It’s great as is!
Chicken Taco Soup Topping Ideas
This soup is delicious on its own, but it is so versatile with the number of toppings you can use, so go crazy! These are some of our favorite toppings:
- Shredded Cheese
- Lime
- Sour cream or plain Greek Yogurt
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Green or red onions
- Tomatoes
- Crushed Tortilla chips
- Add a little extra taco seasoning
Taco Soup Recipe Chicken Serving Suggestions
There are lots of different ways you can serve this quick and easy chicken taco soup. Here are some of our favorites.
If you’re looking for lower carbs: You can serve this over steamed cauliflower rice. With a baked potato, Crispy Sheet Pan Roasted Potatoes, or with your own homemade roasted plantains are other great ideas.
Over a salad: We love to serve our soup with a salad to get extra greens in! If you want to load up with taco flavors, pair it with our Taco Salads!
Toppings: Go crazy with the toppings here! See above for our favorite topping ideas. Sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, and limes are our favorites!
How to store Chicken Taco Soup
Refrigerating- How long is chicken taco soup good in the fridge? This soup will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing- Can you freeze chicken taco soup? This soup freezes very well! You can freeze in airtight containers and store for up to 3 months.
We like these containers for freezing! Check out this post on How to Freeze Soup.
Reheating- Best way to reheat this recipe: You can reheat this soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. It should heat through in about 2-3 minutes.
There are about 400 calories in 2 cups of taco soup. Different taco soup recipe shave different calories. This is a low calorie chicken taco soup recipe.
Chicken Taco Soup will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
Other healthy chicken soup recipes:
We love healthy soup recipes. You can get our free Healthy Soup Ebook here or check out these 35+ Healthy Soups for Dinner. Here are some other healthy chicken soup recipes you may like:
Easy Chicken Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion chopped (1 medium onion
- ½ tablespoon garlic minced (about 4 cloves)
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 14 oz can tomato sauce low or no salt
- 1 quart chicken broth low or no salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained & rinsed – low or no salt
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- In a soup pot, heat olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes until cooked.
- Add in raw chicken breasts, tomato sauce, broth, spices, beans and corn.
- Stir together. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Remove cooked chicken from the pot. Shred chicken with two forks (tip: shred chicken using paddle attachment in stand mixer!) Add shredded chicken back to the pot.
- Stir to combine & enjoy!
Crockpot Instructions:
- Optional but recommended: In a sauté pan, heat olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes until cooked.
- Add onion/garlic mixture to the crockpot base with raw chicken breasts, tomato sauce, broth, spices, beans and corn.
- Stir together. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Remove cooked chicken from the pot. Shred chicken with two forks (tip: shred chicken using paddle attachment in stand mixer!) Add shredded chicken back to the pot.
- Stir to combine & enjoy!
Instant Pot Instructions.
- Set the instant pot to Sauté for 4 minutes. Sauté onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes until cooked. Make sure to scrape up any browned bits to avoid a burn notice.
- Add in raw chicken breasts, tomato sauce, broth and spices. Do not add beans or corn because they will over cook.
- Stir together. Cover and set the instant pot to sealing, Manual Pressure for 10 minutes.
- It will take about 10 minutes for the instant pot to come to pressure.
- Once cooked, quick release the pressure.
- Remove cooked chicken from the pot. Shred chicken with two forks (tip: shred chicken using paddle attachment in stand mixer!) Add shredded chicken back to the pot along with cooked beans and defrosted corn.
- Stir to combine & enjoy!
Carol Merica says
Hello!!The Chicken Taco Soup was delicious!!
I have two comments:
(1). There wasn’t enough broth , can I double the ingredients for the broth without harming the recipe?
(2). The actual ingredients list is almost hidden. It takes way too long to access. The list of amounts of the ingredients need to be relocated closer. It takes way too long to find it.
Other than those two issues, the recipe is very tasty and the right amount of spicy.
Thank you for the delicious chicken taco soup recipe!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Carol- Feel free to add more broth. It will dilute the flavor, so you may need to add more seasoning to taste. The ingredients list is not hidden. Click the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the blog post and it will take you directly to the recipe with the ingredients.
Lauren says
I really enjoyed this! I mostly made as written. After it finished cooking I squeezed in some lime juice and added fresh chopped cilantro. I did not have a can of plain tomato sauce so I used my immersion blender and blended a can of chopped tomatoes to add in instead.
Kjerstin says
Very good soup. It was a little thick and the consistency reminded me a bit of chili rather than soup, but still tasty and I’m enjoying the leftovers.
I didn’t read my spices before putting them in and I used chipotle chili powder instead of regular chili powder. Of course I didn’t notice until after I dumped it in. So I’m looking forward to making this again but with regular chili powder 🥵
Chris says
This recipe is fantastic. It’s a staple in my house now and takes part of my weekend meek prep. The flavor is great and my family asks for it if it’s been too long since I’ve made it. It freezes great in my souper cubes too.
Amy says
I made this tonight for dinner. It was super easy to make and so yum!! Can’t wait to have it again tomorrow for my work lunch. ❣️❣️❣️
Tammy says
This looks like a great recipe and I can’t wait to try it this weekend….do you know if leftovers can be canned? I am short in freezer space
The Clean Eating Couple says
I have no idea! Sorry! I don’t know anything about canning, especially things with meat in them.
Vanessa Trammel says
Oh my goodness this is so good 😊
Kelley says
Amazing! and this website was so helpful and had lots of great information!
Denise says
Delicious!! Another keeper!! Wouldn’t change a thing!!
We used chicken and topped with simple mills gluten free pita crackers.
Warmed us right up on this cold winter night.
Christy says
Made this for our house and also my mother’s house. It was amazing! I used the Hot Rotel tomatoes that really kicked it up a notch. Mom had the mild.
Game changer that will definitely be in my rotation!
🤌🤌
Beth says
This was very good. I’m doing Weight Watchers and 1 serving was only 1 point by my calculation.
Jenn says
I’m not much of a cook… this recipe was easy to follow and DELICIOUS. It will definitely be a stamped in my household, moving forward!!!
Karen Kear says
Do you know if you could home can this soup?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m sorry but I don’t know anything about canning soup so I can’t offer advice on that!
Jan M says
This Taco Soup was so good. My whole family loved it. I made it again but this time I doubled the recipe!
Terrie Bonner says
Delicious!! Thank you for sharing the recipe. I added a little sour cream and sharp cheddar cheese. Served with a slice of lime!! We had fresh, hot tortillas too!! If I had avocado and fresh jalapeños I would have added that too!! a slice Granted it added a few calories, but that is how we make it in Texas!!
Sheila says
Can you put frozen chicken in the instapot or does it have to be defrosted?
The Clean Eating Couple says
That would change the cook time and I haven’t tested that to be sure. You could use my instant pot shredded chicken recipe, then cook the soup and add the shredded chicken to the soup at the end. 🙂
Donna Hewlett says
great soup !
Janet Warner says
I added diced sweet potatoes. It was fantastic and EASY!!
Carol F. says
Very good,the flavor reminds me of Pazole. I add a tsp of coriander. I also put 6 cups of broth &serve it over rice. Then top with a little cilantro & squeeze of lime. It’s delicious!
Chris says
This soup is fantastic. It’s in my regular meal prep rotation and my family loves it. I always have some frozen for lunches too!