Mexican Chicken Soup

Name: Mexican Chicken Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoon olive oil; 1 onion (diced); 2 stalks celery (sliced); 2 carrots; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 teaspoon oregano; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 Tablespoon chili powder, ((or more) depending oh how spicy you like it); 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 28 ounce can Peeled diced tomatoes (with juice ); 6 cups chicken broth (homemade or canned); 2 cans pinto beans (drained and rinsed); 2 4 ounce cans mild green chiles ((or spicy green chilies)); 3 cups corn (fresh or frozen); 3 cups chicken breast ((or thigh meat, shredded or diced)); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

September 22, 2022 by Cynthia 39 Comments

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This Mexican chicken soup is a great way to stretch leftover chicken, easily feeding your family dinner or lunch for a second day. This is one of our favorite ways to use rotisserie chicken. Because, if I can, I like to make a rotisserie chicken last longer than one meal.

I used to call it “chicken tortilla soup”, but that’s a bit of misnomer, as I serve the tortilla strips on the side. This prevents them from becoming soggy, but also keeps it a bit lower in carbs if some prefer to eat just the soup on its own. (Originally published on August 14th, 2013. As an Amazon Affilliate, I receive commission on qualifying purchases.)

Great way to stretch a rotisserie chicken.

This budget friendly and healthy dish is a great way to feed a family. I love soup because it’s both filling and satisfying. You can serve it as is, or top it with “the works”; diced avocado, sour cream and shredded cheese. I like to serve tortilla strips and extras on the side and let everyone add their own.

Ingredients for Mexican chicken soup

Start with the trilogy of onions, celery and carrots.

Add the herbs, spices and garlic.

Then add tomatoes, broth, beans, and green chilies.

Next comes corn, either frozen or fresh (not canned) and chicken. Turkey can be substituted for the chicken if desired. Shred it, chop it or dice it.

How do you make Mexican chicken soup?

This is a dish that can be easily made in under 45 minutes from start to finish. If you don’t have leftover chicken (or turkey) already cooked, you can poach a couple of breasts while you’re cutting and preparing the rest of the ingredients. Once you’ve sautéed the onions, you just dump everything in a pot and heat it up.

First heat the oil until it’s shimmering in your favorite stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, carrots and celery cooking about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

Next come the spices and garlic, cook just another minute or two so they can “bloom”. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, chiles and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until veggies are tender about 20 minutes.

Add corn and chicken and cook another 5-10 minutes or until corn is cooked and chicken is hot.

Serve with an assortment of condiments which can include;

shredded cheese or crumbled cotija (fresh Mexican cheese)
cilantro
chopped onions
cilantro
diced avocado
tortilla strips or chips
sour cream

Can I freeze leftover soup?

Yes! This freezes well for up to 3 months.

Looking for other recipes to stretch the budget?

White chicken chili is another recipe I love to use with leftover chicken or turkey. It’s a great game day dish and is perfect for the crock-pot or slow-cooker.

Leek and potato soup is another delicious soup that is little more than potatoes, leeks and broth. Add shredded cheese and a hunk of bread and you’ve got a hearty meal!

Pappa al Pomodoro is Tuscan comfort food at it’s finest. It’s not exactly a “soup”, but more of a tomato and bread stew. Sort of.