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Chicken Taco Soup Recipe – This is hands-down the best, most creamy, and zesty taco soup loaded with your favorite toppings. It’s easy to make with leftover chicken on the stovetop in 30 minutes, or dump and go in the slow cooker!
Why We Love This Soup Recipe
If there was ever a crowd-pleasing soup it’s our Best Chicken Taco Soup recipe made with fresh sautéed peppers and onions, a few select canned ingredients, and chicken taco seasoning packets. For a delicious extra-tangy flavor we stir in cream cheese right before serving. The result is the creamiest, tastiest, and most irresistible taco soup!
This easy recipe can be made on the stovetop or slow cooker with leftover chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken. Or you can throw a couple of large chicken breasts in the pot and then shred them after they cook through. However you choose to make it, this no-fail recipe is simple to put together and fantastic for meal prep!
Ingredients You Need
- Butter – unsalted
- Onion – chopped
- Bell peppers – green and red, chopped
- Garlic – minced
- Black beans – drained and rinsed (or chili beans)
- Rotel tomatoes – your choice of mild or spicy (or canned diced tomatoes)
- Corn – frozen whole kernel corn, there’s no need to thaw
- Seasoning packets – choose your favorite brand and whether you like regular or chicken taco seasoning
- Chicken broth – low sodium chicken broth or bullion
- Cream cheese – regular or low-fat
- Chicken – precooked and shredded, or see notes for using raw chicken
Plus LOTS of tasty toppings! Keep reading for some of our favorite suggestions.
How to Make Chicken Taco Soup
Set a large 6-8 quart soup pot (or dutch oven) on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the butter. Once melted, add the chopped onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes to soften.
Add in the drained black beans, Rotel, frozen corn, taco seasoning packets, and broth.
Get the Complete (Printable) Chicken Taco Soup Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
Finally, add in the cream cheese and shredded chicken.
Pro Tip: Soften the cream cheese at room temperature, then cut it into small chunks before adding to the soup. This will make the cheese melt more smoothly into the broth.
Stir until the cream cheese melts into the soup base making it slightly creamy.
How to Make Chicken Taco Soup in Slow Cooker
To make this chicken taco soup recipe in a Crockpot, first sauté the chopped vegetables in a skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes to soften.
Transfer the veggies to the crock of your slow cooker. Place all of the remaining ingredients into the crock and cover. If using pre-cooked chicken, cook the soup on HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-5 hours.
However, you can use raw chicken breasts and cook the taco soup on HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 7-8 hours. After cooking, carefully remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred or chop it into small pieces. Stir the chicken back into the soup and serve.
Serving Suggestions
This soup is perfect for loading up with your favorite taco toppings! Here are a few of our favorite goodies:
- Shredded cheese – cheddar or a Mexican cheese blend
- Cilantro – freshly chopped
- Tortilla strips – or chips
- Sour cream – or Greek yogurt
- Avocado – see our handy tips for how to cut an avocado
- Pickled jalapenos – make them yourself for the most deliciously bold taste
- Green onion – thinly sliced
- White onion – diced or chopped
And you definitely want to have plenty of crunchy tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole on the side, too!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make this chicken taco soup recipe without cooked chicken?
Don’t have leftover cooked chicken? Place two raw chicken breasts into the soup pot with the chicken broth. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Then pull the chicken breast out with tongs and shred them into pieces. Stir the chicken back into the soup and serve.
How do you thicken chicken taco soup?
This soup gets its thickness from rich cream cheese. But the broth will still be smooth and on the thinner side vs a thick chowder. If your soup is a bit too thin, try crushing up tortilla chips and add them to the soup in the last minute or so of simmering time.
Is taco soup gluten-free?
Yes, this is a gluten-free recipe! Just be sure to check your taco seasoning packet for any hidden gluten.
Is chicken taco soup healthy?
Although hearty, this soup is on the “lighter” side with a fairly thin broth and no heavy starches (like potatoes, pasta, rice, etc.) The chicken and beans, plus cream cheese, pack the soup with protein and all kinds of nutrients. That being said, we typically don’t consider cream cheese to be a “healthy” food as it does contain a good amount of fat and calories.
How long do leftovers last?
Whether you cook on the stovetop or in the crockpot, chicken taco soup is fantastic to make in a large batch for meal prepping! Cool the leftovers completely before transferring them to an airtight container, and keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Can you freeze soup with cream cheese?
No, soups made with cream cheese tend to not hold up well to freezing and thawing.
Looking for More Family-Friendly Dinner Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Impossible Cheeseburger Pie
- One-Pot Sloppy Joe Noodle Skillet
- Easy Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Top 20 Recipes Under $20
Best Chicken Taco Soup Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
This is hands-down the best, most creamy and zesty taco soup loaded with your favorite toppings. It's easy to make with leftover chicken on the stovetop in 30 minutes, or dump and go in the slow cooker!
Servings: 8 – 10 servings
Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup green bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes and chiles with juices
- 1 cup frozen corn or drained canned corn
- 2 taco seasoning packets original or chicken taco packet
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- Optional Garnishes: shredded cheese cilantro, tortilla strips/chips, sour cream, avocado
Instructions
Set a large 6-8 quart soup pot on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the butter. Once melted, add the chopped onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes to soften.
Add in the drained black beans, Rotel, frozen corn, taco seasoning packets, and broth. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
Finally add in the cream cheese and shredded chicken. Stir until the cream cheese melts into the soup base making it slightly creamy.
Serve warm with your favorite taco toppings.
Notes
Don’t have leftover cooked chicken? Place two raw chicken breasts into the soup pot with the chicken broth. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Then pull the chicken breast out with tongs and shred them into pieces. Stir the chicken back into the soup and serve.
To make this chicken taco soup recipe in a Crockpot: First, sauté the chopped vegetables in a skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes to soften.
Transfer the veggies to the crock of your slow cooker. Place all of the remaining ingredients into the crock and cover. If using pre-cooked chicken, cook the soup on HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-5 hours.
However, you can use raw chicken breasts and cook the taco soup on HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 7-8 hours. After cooking, carefully remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred or chop it into small pieces. Stir the chicken back into the soup and serve.
This soup is fantastic to make in a large batch for meal prepping! Cool the leftovers completely before transferring them to an airtight container, and keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 155kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 741mg, Potassium: 459mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 1403IU, Vitamin C: 56mg, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 2mg
Course: Main, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican, Tex-Mex
Author: Sommer Collier
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