Description
This creamy chicken taco soup combines tender chicken, taco spices, and melty cream cheese for a cozy, comforting meal perfect for fall dinners. Quick to prepare and packed with flavor, it’s a family-friendly soup that’s easy to adapt for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or neutral oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted optional)
- 1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen or canned corn kernels, drained
- 4 cups chicken broth (low-sodium preferred)
- 1 packet (about 1 oz) taco seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half (optional)
- Chopped fresh cilantro (for garnish)
- Sliced jalapeños or pickled jalapeños (for garnish)
- Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese (for garnish)
- Crushed tortilla chips (for garnish)
- Avocado slices or diced (for garnish)
- Lime wedges (for garnish)
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
- Add diced onion and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened and translucent.
- Stir in minced garlic and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Place chicken breasts or thighs in the pot.
- Sprinkle in taco seasoning, salt, and pepper; stir to coat chicken.
- Pour in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, Rotel, corn, and black beans.
- Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the pot.
- Bring soup to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Cover and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken from the pot and shred with two forks; return shredded chicken to the soup.
- Add cubed cream cheese to the hot soup and stir constantly until melted and smooth (about 5–7 minutes).
- Pour in heavy cream or half-and-half if desired; stir to combine.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with extra salt, pepper, or taco seasoning as needed.
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with tortilla chips, cheese, cilantro, lime, avocado, and sour cream.
- Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
Use room temperature cream cheese for best results. For a gluten-free soup, ensure your taco seasoning is labeled gluten-free. Rotisserie chicken can be substituted for faster prep. Adjust spice level by adding jalapeños or cayenne. Soup thickens as it sits; add broth when reheating. Freezes well for up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 1.5 cups
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 900
- Fat: 17
- Saturated Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 21
- Fiber: 6
- Protein: 28
Keywords: chicken taco soup, creamy taco soup, fall dinner, comfort food, easy soup recipe, Mexican soup, weeknight dinner, high protein soup, gluten-free option