This chicken soup recipe is loaded with flavors of the Southwest with chunky chicken, fire roasted tomatoes, roasted poblanos, corn, black beans and warming spices. One of my favorites.
The Best Chicken Soup Recipe with Flavors of the Southwest!
Chicken soup is in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends! Only you know I can't make your typical chicken soup. Chicken soup is great, and everyone loves a good chicken noodle soup, but for people like us - we need some extra flavor.
Today we're giving our chicken soup a southwest spin with a combination of zesty southwest seasonings and roasted poblano peppers. Roasted poblano peppers deliver a huge flavor boost to this quick and easy hearty soup, and with the addition of the seasoning blend, this is going to be your new favorite chicken soup.
You'll never be able to go back to mom's boring chicken soup recipe again. We're talking Southwest Chicken Soup!
This chicken soup is much more rustic and hearty version with lots of chunky ingredients, perfect for the cooler weather to help you warm the bones and fill the bellies. We're talking awesome comfort food here, my friends, only it's very healthy and quite low calorie.
Let's talk about how to make southwest chicken soup, shall we?
Southwest Chicken Soup Ingredients
- Poblano Peppers.
- Olive Oil. For cooking.
- Chicken. Use chicken breast, chicken thighs, or a combination.
- Extra Vegetables. Onion, jalapeno, garlic, corn.
- Black Beans.
- Seasonings. Use your favorite southwest seasoning blend, or see the recipe notes for a homemade version and alternatives.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes.
- Chicken Broth.
- For Serving. Fresh chopped green onion, spicy chili flakes or red pepper flakes.
How to Make Southwest Chicken Soup - the Recipe Method
Roast the Poblano Peppers. You can learn how to roast chili peppers here, or How to Roast Poblano Peppers, but here is a simple broiler method.
ONE: First, set your oven to broil. Set the poblano peppers onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.
TWO: Broil them for 10-15 minutes, or until the skins puff up and char and loosen from the pepper flesh. Flip them halfway through the process to get both sides. Remove them from the oven and let them cool enough to handle.
THREE: Peel off the skins with your fingers, or use a paper towel to gently rub them off. They should remove easily. Chop up the roasted poblano peppers and set them aside.
MAKE THE SOUTHWEST CHICKEN SOUP:
Onion and Jalapenos. Heat the oil in a large pot and add the onion and jalapeno peppers. Cook them down for 5 minutes to soften.
Cook the Chicken. Rough chop the chicken so it is nice and chunky. You want bite sized pieces.
Season it with 1/2 tablespoon southwest seasoning blend, then cook the chicken in the pot at medium-high heat, stirring, until the chicken is mostly cooked through, 5-6 minutes.
Garlic and Seasonings. Stir in the garlic and remaining southwest seasonings and cook another minute, until you can smell that gorgeous garlic.
Remaining Ingredients. Stir in the roasted poblano peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn, chicken broth, and chopped chicken.
Simmer the Soup. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes to let the flavors develop. You can simmer longer if you'd like. I often simmer for 1 hour.
Serve the Chicken Soup. Serve the chunky chicken soup in bowls and garnish with fresh chopped green onions and red pepper flakes.
Boom! Easy enough, isn't it? This southwest chicken soup is different from other chicken soups because of all the wonderful seasonings we're using, and particularly the wonderful, earthy roasted poblano peppers, corn and black beans. You can't match the flavor of roasted poblanos.
So good! Such a great recipe.
Serve it up and garnish!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Soup. You can easily make this recipe in a slow cooker or crock pot. Simply roast the peppers and cook down the ingredients per the recipe instructions, then set everything into a slow cooker on low for 3-4 hours, or on high for 1-2 hours, until everything is cooked through and nice and hot.
- Southwest Seasonings. Use your favorite store bought blend, or use the following: 2 teaspoons chili powder (ancho powder is GREAT here, as is chipotle powder), 1 teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, salt and black pepper to taste. I also like to sometimes include bay leaves for additional flavor, as well as lemon peel.
- Fixings & Toppings. Try this with shredded cheese and/or a dollop of sour cream or Mexican crema.
- Additions. You can easily add more substance to this soup with other ingredients. Some ideas include white beans like great northern beans or kidney beans, extra chicken, cooked rice, or some pasta noodles for chicken noodle soup. Save time by using rotisserie chicken. Squeeze in fresh lime juice for a flavor pop.
Storage & Leftovers
Store any leftover chicken soup in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 5 days. You can easily rewarm it gently on the stovetop in a pot to enjoy again.
You can also freeze chicken soup for 3 months or longer in freezer containers.
Where Can I Buy Southwest Seasonings?
You can usually find a good blend at your local grocer, or make it easy and buy Southwest Seasonings from Amazon (affiliate link, my friends!).
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my southwest chicken soup recipe! Extra roasted poblano peppers for me, please!
Try Some of My Other Popular Soup Recipes
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Roasted Poblano Soup
- Loaded Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Cajun Carrot Soup
- Spicy Pumpkin Soup
- Creamy Roasted Hatch Chile Soup
- 30-Minute Sweet Potato Soup
- Cheesy Guajillo-Potato Soup
- Sweet Pepper-Sweet Corn Chowder
- Spicy Sausage Soup
- Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- See all of my Spicy Soup Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Southwest-Style Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 poblano peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breast or chicken thighs or both!, rough chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons southwest seasoning blend see the recipe notes for a homemade version and alternatives
- 28 ounces fire roasted tomatoes 2 14-ounce cans
- 1 can black beans
- 8 ounces corn
- 2 cups chicken broth or more as desired for a thinner soup
- FOR SERVING: Fresh chopped green onion, spicy chili flakes or red pepper flakes
Instructions
- First, roast the poblano peppers. Set your oven to broil. Set the poblano peppers onto a lightly oiled baking sheet. Broil them for 10-15 minutes, or until the skins puff up and char and loosen from the pepper flesh. Flip them halfway through the process to get both sides. Remove them from the oven and cool slightly. Peel off the skins, rough chop then set them aside.
- Next, heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and jalapeno pepper. Cook them down for 5 minutes to soften.
- Rough chop the chicken so it is nice and chunky. Season it with 1/2 tablespoon southwest seasoning blend, then cook the chicken in the pot, stirring, until it is mostly cooked through, 5-6 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and remaining southwest seasonings and cook another minute, until you can smell that gorgeous garlic.
- Stir in the roasted poblano peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn, chicken broth, and chopped chicken.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes to let the flavors develop. You can simmer longer if you'd like. I often simmer for 1 hour.
- Serve the chunky chicken soup in bowls and garnish with fresh chopped green onions and red pepper flakes.
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 11/29/21 to include new information and photos. It was originally published on 1/8/20.
Larry Sisson says
I made this for dinner and it was awsome..Ua gotta lime a little spice but hit the spot on a cool day.
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Glad you enjoyed it, Larry! Thanks for sharing this.
Barbara says
Hi …. Are we taking the seeds out of the peppers after roasting them ?
Thanks so much ,
Barbara
Mike Hultquist says
Barbara, yes, I remove excess seeds from the poblanos after roasting them.
Mikey says
This marks the first time for me to broiling chillis before utilising them. What I got to say after that is, why was I not doing this beforehand? There was something so satisfying about peeling of the skin before chopping the chillies up for the soup. Albeit instead of poblanos I used some sweet chillies which I found at the fruit barn; it is a little difficult to find poblanos so readily where I live.
While I do have a few already bookmarked, I have been looking to add some more soups to my repertoire. That is especially for the upcoming cold months and beyond, with this being one of the most worth jumping off points. It mixes the best parts of a southwestern style dish, with the balance of spices and freshness via the vegetables.
Plus dispite all of the chill that went into the dish, it was not to spicy after the first spoonful. In fact, the soup was pretty lovely and warming. That was especially so with some cheese sprinkled on top. Many times with a new recipe, I consider what tweaks I could make to it for next time. For once, I think the only thing is the help it stew longer - that is how good this soup was.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Mikey! Very happy you enjoyed it! I appreciate you sharing!
Erik Birkedal says
Oh my god!!
I can see with my own two eyes, that this is going to be my best soup experience that i've ever had!!!
I'm just going to smoodtalk somebody first
This is my kind of food, Mike.
Thanx a lot
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Enjoy, Erik. We love this recipe.
Bob says
We added another can of black beans. We got several servings of this great soup for the two of us. Sopped it up with flour tortillas.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Glad you enjoyed it, Bob! Thanks for sharing and the rating! I greatly appreciate it.
jeffrey palmer says
The perfect fuel for a two armed snow shoveler. Me:)
Its going to be the 1st meal in the crock-pot and simmering while I throwing snow.
Am sure you can freeze the leftovers (if any)
Great recipe!
Jeff
From Wis
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Jeff. Enjoy. Yep, you can definitely freeze the leftovers. I do and it works great. Enjoy!
Nicole says
Made this on a cold winter January weekend in Pennsylvania. Delish! Warmed me right up. I added some bell peppers for extra veggies and simmered about two hours in my Dutch oven to turn in into more of a stew, I also used chicken bone broth instead of chicken broth for a richer flavor and more protein. Added cilantro, scallions and avocado before serving, Can’t wait to make it again. Might experiment with pork cubes next time instead. Thanks, Mike. Your recipes are fabulous!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Wonderful! Thanks, Nicole! This would be SO GOOD with pork. YUM.
Paula Thompson says
Hey guys!! I have a suggestion for ya’ll that I think you will like. Take a dried chili and cut or rip it in small pieces after you take out the seeds. Then some oil to cover the bottom of a skillet by a couple inches, then fry them for a couple seconds(really like 3-5), drain, they will crisp salt like chips. Enjoy!! They are adictive(so make a lot) Use to garnish soup or just to snack!! Love your websight!!!! Thanks, Dan&Paula
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Perfect! Thanks, Paula! I think that would be great.
Jerry Frenza says
Am I missing something ? In the instructions I don’t see where you add the poblano peppers. Is it the same time as the jalapeño? Please help
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jerry, add them in when you add the fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth and chopped chicken. I amended the recipe to make that more clear. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Robert Hine says
Made it as stated...loved it as much....enough said
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed it, Robert! This is how I like my chicken soup!
Candie says
Oh poblanos! I have to make this. This looks like this could fit into a keto diet?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Candie! I love this recipe. My recipe calculator estimates 23 grams of carbs per serving, so might put it at the limit. Most of the carbs are from the fire roasted tomatoes, so you might sub in more poblano peppers and cut back on the tomatoes or use a lower carb brand for super keto friendly recipe.
Candie says
Great minds think alike! Thank you Michael! I was thinking of upping the poblanos to maybe 9, then roasting a tomato, dicing it and making a little mini "salsa" by mixing the green onion and red pepper flakes to serve as a garnish. My husband is on the keto diet, I am always on the lookout for anything keto-friendly.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Perfect! Let me know how it turns out for you! Enjoy.
Candie says
I made this last night. It started out being based on your recipe, but turned into something else.
I cooked this in my slow cooker, basically throwing all ingredients together. I did make changes though. I used 1 small can diced tomatoes, 2 medium yellow zucchini, peeled and cut into 1/2 moons, the entirety of the Southwest seasoning since I didn't cut up and cook the chicken breasts. It was done in 3 hours, at which point I shredded the chicken. Wow, it was great! Technically, it wasn't your recipe since I tried to make it more keto friendly, but it was deeply inspired by it!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds wonderful, Candie! I love the addition of all the veggies, and the shredding of the chicken. Save a bowl for me!
col says
hey Mike.
don't know what you changed (if you did) but the last couple of days the recipe emails have been coming in. previously i had to check the site daily (which i didn't, at all, mind doing) but now i can wait for them to come to me.
haven't done a soup in a while but it's the weather for it...this looks like it ticks all the hearty boxes.
cheers!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Col. I'm sure you'll like this one! I DID update my email template by simplifying the design, so hopefully that makes a difference in being delivered more properly. I appreciate the heads up!