Chicken Taco Soup
This chicken taco soup is loaded with bell peppers, jalapenos, and green chiles for amazing flavor! The creamy, cheesy broth makes this recipe for taco soup a family favorite.
It’s no secret, we absolutely love creamy, cheesy soups, and we love taco flavor! With football season starting, I wanted to make one of those loaded soups that are great for sharing with company (think chili vibes). I wanted something that worked for a variety of toppings so everyone can make their own special bowl. Since everyone loves taco night, I decided to go with a classic chicken taco soup recipe!
This one is perfect because it’s mild enough for kids and picky eaters, but you can easily spice it up several different ways if you prefer the heat. It gets even better as it sits, so it’s a great one for meal prepping, too. This is the ultimate fall party recipe because you never have to worry about wasting a bite. Make several batches and enjoy it for lunches all next week!
Want more like this? Try these gluten free soups or our favorite keto soup recipes!
Why you will love this recipe for chicken taco soup:
- Comforting flavors, versatile, and is great with toppings (perfect for families who love to customize!)
- Reheats easily, making it a great meal prep option for lunches and family dinners
- Gluten-free and low-carb, so it’s an easy one for the whole family
Chicken Taco Soup Ingredients
- Chicken – I used boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you could use thighs if you prefer.
- Fresh Vegetables: Onion, Red & Green Bell Peppers, Jalapenos, Garlic
- Pantry Staples: Olive Oil, Green Chiles, Rotel, and Taco Seasoning – I used mild rotel and green chiles, but you could use the hot versions if you like! I used homemade taco seasoning, but store-bought is easy, too.
- Chicken Broth, Cream Cheese, and Heavy Whipping Cream – Let your cream cheese soften ahead of time so that it melts smoothly into the soup. Using bone broth instead of regular broth is an easy way to increase the protein if you like!
- Cheddar Cheese – For the smoothest texture, manually shred your cheddar cheese from a block. Avoid the pre-shredded bags because the starch coating naturally prevents the cheese from melting properly.
- Optional Toppings: Sour Cream, Salsa, Sliced Avocado, Hot Sauce, Cheese
How to Make Creamy Chicken Taco Soup
- Start by warming a pot over medium high heat. Add in oil, then toss in the onion, bell peppers, and jalapenos. Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally for even cooking.
- Once veggies have softened a bit, add in the minced garlic, cooking until just fragrant.
- Add chicken, taco seasoning, green chiles, undrained Rotel, and chicken broth to the pot. Stir to combine and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the soup and shred it with two forks or a mixer. Set it aside for now.
- Stir the softened cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, and shredded cheddar cheese into the soup. Once it’s nice and smooth, add the chicken back in, stir well, and serve with toppings.
What to Serve with Chicken Taco Soup
- Tomatillo Salsa Recipe
- Keto Jalapeno Poppers
- Jalapeno Cheddar Waffles
- Spicy Gouda Twice Baked Potatoes
- Green Chile Fritters
Storage and Reheating
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: Allow to cool completely, then pour into freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Microwave at 50% power for 1-1/2 minutes, stirring between each blast. If reheating on the stove, warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Is there a trick to freezing and reheating creamy soup?
Sort of, yes! Sometimes things with a lot of cream can separate during the freezing and thawing process, and this can lead to a grainy, less appetizing texture. It’s still perfectly safe to eat, but here are some steps you can take to reduce this effect:
- Thaw slowly. This means you’ll want to move your soup to the fridge the night before to begin the defrosting process.
- Gently heat. If you’re using the microwave, use 50% power. When reheating on the stovetop, you’ll want the heat on medium-low.
- Add additional cream. Once it’s warm, if you notice that it has separated and there is a grittiness to it, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream. This should help bind it all back together, but you may need more if you’re reheating a lot at once.
Chicken Taco Soup Recipe FAQs
Yes, this soup tastes even better the next day! Store up to 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container, then reheat when you’re ready. If making ahead to freeze, leave out the cream, cream cheese, and cheese until reheating.
Yes, you can. I prefer to still sauté my onion and peppers, then toss them in the slow cooker with the chicken, broth, chilis, rotel, and taco seasoning, then cook for 6-8 hours on low. Remove the chicken and shred it, stir in your cream cheese, heavy cream, and shredded cheese, then add chicken back in. You can skip the sauteing step if you like, but you will miss out on some flavor.
No, this recipe is mild. The jalapenos are mellowed out by the cream cheese and heavy cream. Feel free to reduce the jalapenos if you are extremely spice averse and need it milder.
Variations and Substitutions for Chicken Soup
- Instead of chicken, you could use turkey breast. To make this vegetarian, you could use vegetable broth and plant-based chicken that you cook separately, then stir in after incorporating the cream and cheese.
- You could make this start to finish in the slow cooker (low 6-8 hours), but you will lose out on the deeper flavors you get from sauteing the onion, peppers, and garlic.
- Want to use up leftover rotisserie chicken or meal prepped shredded chicken? Forget the chicken breasts but make as written, then stir in shredded chicken after you mix in the cream and cheese.
- Prefer to make it spicy? Use a can of hot rotel, add more jalapenos, add a teaspoon of cayenne when you add the taco seasoning, or stir in a few tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce.
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Get the Recipe: Chicken Taco Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 4-ounce can green chiles
- 1 10-ounce can rotel, undrained
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1 1-ounce packet taco seasoning
- 32 ounce chicken broth, reduced sodium
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Equipment
Instructions
- In a pot on medium high heat, add oil. Toss in the onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño. Sauté 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add in the garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant.
- Place chicken breasts into the pot as well as the taco seasoning, green chiles, undrained Rotel and chicken broth. Stir and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the soup and shred on a plate.
- While the chicken has been removed from the pot add the cream cheese, heavy whipping cream and shredded cheddar cheese and stir until smooth.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the soup, stir, and serve.
