Description
This Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup is a hearty and flavorful dish perfect for a comforting meal. Packed with tender shredded chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and a blend of spices, it offers a rich and satisfying taste with minimal prep. Cooked low and slow for 6 to 8 hours, the ingredients meld together beautifully to create a deliciously warming soup. Serve with your favorite toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and lime wedges for a customizable experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced (brown, white, yellow)
- 1 large red capsicum/bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups (750ml) low sodium chicken broth/stock
- 800g / 28 oz canned black beans, drained (2 cans, or other beans)
- 800g / 28 oz canned corn, drained (2 cans, or 500g/1lb frozen or fresh corn)
- 800g / 28 oz crushed canned tomato OR 700g tomato passata
- 500g / 1 lb chicken breast
Spices
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, adjust spiciness)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Toppings (Optional)
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream or yogurt
- Coriander/cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Avocado, diced
- Corn chips or tortillas for dunking
Instructions
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the diced onion, red capsicum/bell pepper, and minced garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are translucent and fragrant.
- Transfer to Slow Cooker: Add a splash of chicken broth to the skillet, bring to a simmer, then transfer everything into the slow cooker. (If using an Instant Pot, perform this step on the sauté function.)
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Pour in the remaining chicken broth, then add the dried oregano, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (if using), salt, and black pepper. Stir in the drained corn, black beans, and crushed tomatoes or passata. Place the chicken breasts on top, pushing them down so they are submerged in the liquid.
- Slow Cook: Cover and cook on LOW heat for 6 to 8 hours, allowing the flavors to meld and the chicken to become tender. (Alternatively, if using a pressure cooker, cook on high for 25 minutes.)
- Shred Chicken: Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and shred using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper if needed.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with your choice of shredded cheese, sour cream or yogurt, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, diced avocado, and corn chips or tortillas for dipping.
Notes
- Beans: You can substitute black beans with red kidney beans or use 1/2 cup dried beans (pre-cooked).
- Tomato Passata: Tomato passata is pureed plain tomatoes with a smooth, thick liquid consistency. It can be found in the pasta section of supermarkets and is interchangeable with crushed canned tomatoes.
- Stove Cooking Option: Simmer the soup on the stove over medium-low heat for 40 minutes. Remove chicken to shred, then simmer soup for an additional 20 minutes before returning shredded chicken to the pot and serving.
- Storage: Cooked soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months (freeze soup only, without toppings).
- Nutrition: Nutritional values are calculated per serving (approximately 800g or 3 cups) excluding toppings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 800g (3 cups)
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 520mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 40g
- Cholesterol: 80mg
