Chicken Taco Soup

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This easy Chicken Taco Soup recipe is hearty, creamy, and packed with tender chicken, beans, corn, and toppings for an easy family dinner!

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Total Cost: $14.23 recipe / $1.42 serving

Servings: servings (2 cups each)

Calories: 262kcal

Author: Jess Rice

Equipment

Large Pot

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts about 2 lbs., $4.76*
1 packet taco seasoning 1 oz. packet, $0.47**
1 Tbsp olive oil $0.19
1 yellow onion diced, $0.88
1 green bell pepper diced, $0.82
6 cups chicken broth $0.76***
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with chilies with juices, $2.72****
15.5 oz. can pinto beans drained & rinsed, $0.78
15.25 oz. can black beans drained & rinsed, $0.78
15 oz. can corn drained & rinsed, $0.98
4 oz. cream cheese $0.78
1 lime $0.50
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro minced, $0.16

Instructions

Gather your ingredients.
Seed and dice the bell pepper, dice the onion, and roughly chop the cilantro. Cut the lime in half; juice one half and reserve the other half to slice for serving.
Coat the chicken breasts evenly on all sides with taco seasoning and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened but still with a little bite. They will continue cooking in the soup.
Push the softened onions and peppers to the side so the bottom of your pot is visible. Sear breasts on both sides for 5 minutes per side, until lightly browned.
Pour in the chicken broth and canned diced tomatoes with chiles (with juices). Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Increase the heat to bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add drained and rinsed black beans, pinto beans, and canned corn.
Continue simmering until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it using two forks. Set aside.
Add the cream cheese to the soup and whisk until melted and fully incorporated. It may look a little chunky at first, but this is normal and does not mean it has curdled! Keep whisking, and it will smooth out as it melts. For easier mixing, you can whisk the cream cheese with a ladle of hot broth in a separate bowl, then stir it back into the pot.
Once the cream cheese has dissolved into the broth and the texture of the soup is nice and creamy, add the lime juice, fresh cilantro, and the shredded chicken back. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Enjoy!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*I found these gigantic chicken breasts at Walmart for $2.67 per lb. Mine were just shy of 2 lbs. You can also use chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in, remove bone when shredding).

**Taco packet seasoning is an easy way to pack this soup with a ton of flavor. You can also make a homemade taco seasoning if you've got a well stocked spice drawer (chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, oregano, salt, and black pepper). Use about 2 Tbsp homemade seasoning to replace the 1 oz. packet.

***We use Better Than Bouillon for its quality and to keep our broth costs low.

****I used Rotel, but any diced tomatoes with chilis will do. I went for mild so I could adjust the spice level on my own, as-needed! I didn't add any extra spice, but you may want to add more to taste at the end by stirring in some red pepper flakes or cayenne.

Try it in the slow cooker. This recipe uses similar ingredients to our slow cooker chicken tortilla soup, so I'm sure it would work well in the crockpot too! Add everything, minus the cream cheese, cilantro, and lime, to your slow cooker. Cook on high for ~4 hours or low for ~8 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through (165°F internally). Remove and shred the chicken, whisk in the cream cheese until smooth, then stir the chicken back in with the cilantro and lime.

Meal-prep note: This soup stores well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop, stirring well. I recommend freezing the soup before adding the cream cheese for the creamiest texture. Stir in the cream cheese after reheating (1 scant Tbsp cream cheese per bowl if reheating individual portions).

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