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 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 taco soup with chicken recipe! Here’s why it is one of our favorites:
- 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 beans and will definitely leave you feeling cozy and full!
Chicken Taco Soup Ingredients
To make this 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
- 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, spices, 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 to combine.
How do you know when taco soup with chicken is done? If you cook the soup for the recommended time (stovetop: at least 30 minutes, crockpot: 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 crockpot and if you need more recipe ideas, check out these 45 Healthy Crockpot Chicken Recipes!
- (Optional but recommended) Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil for 4-5 minutes.
- Add onion/garlic mixture to the crockpot base with raw chicken breasts, tomato sauce, broth, spices, 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 to combine.
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, broth, and spices and stir together. Do not add 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 to combine.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR CHICKEN TACO SOUP
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 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 beans. 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.
WW Points: Will vary depending on the plan you follow. The points for this recipe were calculated as follows: Olive Oil: 3 SP. ¾ is less than 1 point per serving so we counted it as Zero points per serving.
How to thicken Chicken Taco Soup
To thicken 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!
How to serve Easy Chicken Taco Soup and Topping Ideas
This taco 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
What to serve with this Chicken Taco Soup Recipe
There are lots of different ways you can serve this 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!
Toppings: Go crazy with the toppings here! See above for our favorite topping ideas. Sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, and limes are our favorites!
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Taco Soup with Chicken
Refrigerating- How long is chicken taco soup good in the fridge? Chicken Taco 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 Souper Cubes containers for freezing – code CLEANEATING10 works to save $$ on our favorite silicone molds! Check out this post on How to Freeze Soup.
Reheating- Best way to reheat this Taco Soup Recipe with Chicken: You can reheat this soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. It should heat through in about 2-3 minutes.
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:
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.
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 🥵