Tex-Mex is absolutely a favorite meal theme at our table, and nothing makes my family happier than when they smell my Chicken Taco Soup Recipe bubbling away in the slow cooker all afternoon long.
The soup is perfectly seasoned with my homemade taco seasoning and full of tender chicken, black beans, pinto beans, and green chilis. It’s a hearty recipe that fills bellies. Served along with tortilla chips and salsa or warm tortillas, it’s a family favorite you’ll make again and again.
My taco soup recipe is a super easy dinner recipe that can be made in the morning and simmered all day. That’s one of the reasons why it’s great for entertaining!
When you’re having guests for dinner or a party, it’s so helpful to serve simple food that makes the night easy for you, but you don’t want to order pizza! You want guest to feel special by taking the time to make something homemade! I totally understand.
Chicken Taco Soup For Easy Entertaining 🙌🏼
- Feed A Crowd: I go for Mexican-inspired dishes whenever I’m having teenagers over. They just seem to love the Mexican flavors! Chicken tortilla soup is a hit every time, with almost no leftovers.
- Everyone Loves Mexican Food: I also love to serve Mexican-style food to guests I don’t know very well because it seems to be a universally loved cuisine. Very few people are upset to see tacos or anything that tastes like them, on the table.
- Customizable Recipe: In this post, I’m going to give you plenty of ideas for how to customize this recipe, optional toppings and sides for serving, and even a way to make this on the stovetop instead of in a slow cooker. This recipe is completely fail-proof, so let’s give it a try!
If you like homemade Tex-Mex, try these.
- Hosting a big crowd? Check out How Much Taco Meat Per Person to learn how to portion properly for Taco Tuesday!
- Create the perfect Cinco de Mayo Party! Recipes, tips and decor ideas.
- Mexican Tomato Soup is a family favorite soup.
- Simple Authentic Mexican restaurant-style salsa.
- How to Make Taco Bell Baja Sauce
- Next, you will want to be sure and try my Mexican Coleslaw, Nacho Casserole, copycat Taco Bell Red Sauce, and Mexican Caviar recipe.
Crock Pot Chicken Taco Soup Recipe
Why I love serving this easy recipe for Chicken Taco Soup to guests:
- 7 can chicken taco soup is so easy to make. Open seven cans, chop your veggies, and add everything to your crock pot. It is simple to make and serve when guests arrive for dinner.
- This recipe is full of flavor. It’s not too spicy and definitely not bland. It’s really a perfectly seasoned soup that everyone at the table will enjoy. Plus, it’s full of protein, so it’s very filling. If you’re serving a hungry crowd, this recipe will fill bellies (and hearts).
- Crockpot taco soup is inexpensive, too. Beans, a can of sweet corn, some taco seasoning, and a bit of chicken go a long way with this recipe. Even though the recipe calls for chicken breast, this can be a very affordable dinner option for your family.
Chicken Taco Soup Ingredients
To make this easy slow cooker taco soup recipe, you’ll need:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – I like to buy chicken breast in a club pack and separate it into portions before I freeze it. It seems to be the most economical way to buy white meat chicken.
- Pinto beans – A can will work fine. Just drain them well and give them a rinse.
- Black beans – You can use a can here too!
- Whole kernel corn – Simply drain a can of corn for this recipe.
- Tomato sauce – Don’t confuse tomato sauce with pasta sauce!
- Diced tomatoes with green chilis – A can of Rotel or a similar product is perfect. Don’t drain it!
- Mild green chilis – These add that classic Mexican flavor without making the soup spicy.
- Chicken broth – Store-bought will work fine.
- Taco seasoning – No need to measure out a bunch of seasonings for this recipe. A bit of taco seasoning will do. Use store-bought packet of taco seasoning, or make your own.
How to Make Homemade Taco Seasoning
If you’d like, you can use taco seasoning packets to make this soup, but I’m a seasoning-addict, and I love to make my own blends! Instead of a grocery store brand, you can mix up your own Mexican seasoning blend to use in this recipe, and so many others.
To make your own homemade taco spice, you’ll need chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cumin, oregano, paprika, pepper, and cayenne pepper. I mix a big batch and keep on hand in my pantry.
How to Make this Easy Chicken Taco Soup Recipe: Step-By-Step
- Prepare your chicken breasts. Make sure they’re fully thawed. If they were frozen, allow them to sit in the fridge overnight to thaw or use your microwave’s defrost setting.
- Chop the onion and green peppers into small pieces. Drain and rinse your beans. Then, grab your slow cooker and dump in all your ingredients: veggies, beans, corn, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with chilies, mild green chilies, chicken broth, and taco seasoning.
- Give the mixture a good stir, and then add the chicken breasts to the mixture. Gently press them down into the liquid to ensure they’re fully covered.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and set it to low heat. Cook for 4-5 hours until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C) and is fully cooked.
- Remove the cooked chicken breasts from the soup. Place them on a large cutting board and let them rest for about 5 minutes. Shred them using two forks, then return the chicken back into the soup. Give everything another stir. Replace the lid.
- Allow the soup to cook for an additional 15 minutes to reheat the shredded chicken.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve with your favorite toppings.
Helpful Hints
- You can make this soup on the stovetop if you prefer. Grab a large pot or a Dutch oven and pour in the ingredients. Bring the soup to a boil while stirring. Then, cover it with a lid and let it simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. When the chicken is cooked through and the beans are a soft, chewable consistency, shred the chicken. Stir it back into the pot and serve.
- You can omit many of the ingredients in this soup if you aren’t a fan. (We have bean haters in our family) Feel free to replace the veggies with ones you enjoy if you don’t like onions and peppers. The tomatoes with chilies can be replaced by diced tomatoes (with a slightly different flavor).
- You can replace chicken with cooked ground beef. I suggest precooking it and drain off extra grease. Then, add it in the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- You can also use skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead of breast meat, or toss in any leftover chicken you have in your fridge or freezer.
- If you want to make this recipe ahead of time, you can cook it the day before and store it in the fridge overnight. Heat it up in the slow cooker on high for about 1-2 hours. You might have to add a touch more chicken stock to thin it out.
Tips and Taco Soup Questions
Is chicken taco soup spicy?
This soup isn’t very spicy, but the green chilies do give it that ‘chili’ flavor everyone will enjoy. The chilies can be omitted from this recipe. You can replace them with plain diced green bell peppers. You might want to add a touch more taco seasoning to give the soup a bit more flavor if you omit the green chilis.
Can I turn this into chicken tortilla soup?
Yes! You can add baked or fried tortilla strips to the soup just before serving for flavor and crunch!
Shortcut for Easy Soup Recipes
One of my favorite things to do to make life easier when it comes to making homemade soups is to use rotisserie chicken. Instead of raw chicken breasts, you can easily replace them with a store-bought rotisserie chicken. You can use both the white and dark meat to make soup.
If you want to use a rotisserie chicken, I recommend pulling the meat off the bones while the chicken is still warm. (You can freeze the pulled chicken in Ziploc bags, too!) Add it to the soup in the last hour of cooking. Don’t shred it too thin, or it can get dried out.
How to Store Leftovers
In the fridge – Let your leftover soup come to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container or cover it tightly with plastic wrap. It will stay fresh for 3 days.
In the freezer – Pour the leftover soup into a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag and place it in the freezer. Use it up within 2 months.
How to reheat – Place the soup in a stock pot and heat over medium until hot through. You can also use the microwave. If your soup gets a bit thick, add a touch more chicken broth to thin it out.
What to Serve With Chicken Taco Soup
Taco night gets a refresh with this easy chicken taco soup recipe, but I think the best thing is the toppings and sides. You can serve this soup as-is, but it’s definitely made even yummier with a few extras.
What to Serve With Chicken Taco Soup
Taco night gets a refresh with this easy chicken taco soup recipe, but I think the best thing is the toppings and sides. You can serve this soup as-is, but it’s definitely made even yummier with a few extras.
Here are some ideas:
Sprinkle some chopped fresh cilantro and some Cowboy Candy over the soup before serving.
Make it a creamy chicken taco soup by adding in a block of chopped up cream cheese about 1 hour before the soup is done. Stir well after it melts to incorporate it into the soup.
Serve sour cream and shredded cheddar on the side to sprinkle in as desired.
Chop up some green onion to sprinkle on the finished soup.
To help this meal fill even more hungry stomachs, serve with this flavorful, colorful Mexican Rice Salad.
Make a pretty bowl of fresh lime wedges. Squeeze a little bit of lime juice into your bowl before you eat it for a fresh, zesty flavor.
Stir in a touch of enchilada sauce for just the right amount of kick.
Make some homemade tortilla strips by slicing flour tortillas into thin strips and lightly frying them in vegetable oil.
Serve with a side of chips and homemade salsa or a big bowl of Mexican caviar for an extra special touch.
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Tex-Mex Chicken Taco Soup Recipe (Crock Pot Make-Ahead)
Note: Be sure to read through the recipe’s post for tips and details about this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast, boneless, skinless
- 1/2 cup onion, white or yellow, finely chopped
- ½ cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 16 oz pinto beans, can, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz black beans, can, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz corn, can, whole kernel, drained
- 8 oz tomato sauce, can
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes with green chiles , can, (mild), undrained
- 4.5 oz mild green chilies, can
- 14 oz chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 1/2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning , or two 1.25 oz. packages taco seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper, powder, optional if you like a little heat in your taco soup
Instructions
- If using frozen chicken breasts, defrost them overnight in the fridge or use the microwave according to the microwave’s defrost settings.2 lbs chicken breast
- In a slow cooker, combine the chopped onion, pinto beans, black beans, whole kernel corn, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with green chiles, mild green chilies, chicken broth, and taco seasoning.
- Gently press the chicken breasts into the mixture to ensure they are covered by the soup ingredients.
- Set the slow cooker to low heat, cover it, and cook for 4-5 hours until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C) and is fully cooked.
- Remove the cooked chicken breasts from the soup and shred them using two forks.
- Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup.
- Allow the soup to cook for an additional 15 minutes to reheat the shredded chicken.
Equipment
Notes
- Sprinkle some chopped fresh cilantro and some Cowboy Candy over the soup before serving.
- Serve sour cream and a variety of shredded cheeses on the side to sprinkle in as desired.
- Chop up some green onion to sprinkle on the finished soup.
- Make a pretty bowl of fresh lime wedges. Squeeze a little bit of lime juice into your bowl before you eat it for a fresh, zesty flavor.
- Top with slices of avocado and hot sauce.
- Serve with a side of chips and homemade salsa or a big bowl of Mexican caviar for an extra special touch.