The Best Tex Mex Chicken Soup Recipe

This Tex Mex Chicken Soup is a warm, satisfying meal that’s perfect for fall.

It includes a secret ingredient that lends a wonderful creaminess and mild sweetness to offset the spices. Read on to find out what it is!

As the weather gets cooler a lot of people crave warm, hearty meals. Although, if you’re like me, you probably try to avoid really heavy foods that will add on a winter layer you will have to shed once warmer weather arrives.

That’s why many of my favorite cool weather recipes are soups and stews, like this Tex-Mex chicken soup. I use a recipe that I adapted from one I found at Budget Bytes that is a chicken and pumpkin soup.

The pumpkin puree (the secret ingredient mentioned earlier) creates a beautifully creamy texture and has just a hint of sweetness which blends deliciously with the chipotle peppers. If you want to try another creamy soup, try tomato bisque basil soup.

Why Use Pumpkin Puree?

Lots of people look forward to fall because it’s a chance to get to eat everything pumpkin. Pumpkin puree can be the highlight of a recipe if you’re aiming for a strong pumpkin flavor, or used in smaller amounts to add creaminess and a touch of sweetness (like in this recipe).

We all know that pumpkin tastes great in sweet dishes like pumpkin pie, but it can also be used in savory dishes, where it pairs well with spices, beans, and grains. 

Since pumpkin is a squash it has great health benefits, which is definitely something moms want for their families.

It contains fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin A, and beta-carotene. These nutrients can help with gut health, vision, eye health, blood pressure, and cholesterol. 

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Your family will look forward to eating this Tex Mex Chicken Soup that’s perfect for fall:

• Fills the house with a delicious aroma: The combination of flavorful ingredients will smell so delicious as the soup simmers — it will be hard to wait for it to finish cooking.
• Easy to make: You only have to dice a couple of ingredients and shred the chicken, other than that, the rest of the ingredients are just dumped in the pot.
• Takes less than an hour to make: When you hear “homemade soup,” you might be worried that you’ll have to spend all day cooking. Thankfully, this soup will be ready to eat in under an hour.

If you like the flavor in this recipe, you should also try this healthy chicken tortilla soup.

🥘 Ingredients

The ingredients are pretty basic so you should be able to find everything you need at your average grocery store.

• Chicken stock: You can either use already made chicken stock sold in cartons in the soup aisle of the grocery store or you can make your own chicken stock.
• Pumpkin puree: This is also sold as pure pumpkin or 100% pure pumpkin. It’s usually in the baking aisle of the grocery store.
• Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: These peppers are sold in a can and should be in the Mexican/Latin food aisle.

See recipe card for complete list of ingredients and quantities

🔀 Substitutions

Chicken breasts: You can use chicken thighs or even pre-cooked shredded chicken instead of chicken breasts. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Pumpkin puree: If you don’t have pumpkin puree, you can use butternut squash puree or sweet potato puree. Both will give a similar texture and subtle sweetness.

Fresh cilantro sprigs: In case you don’t have cilantro, you can use chopped green onions, parsley, or a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt as a garnish.

🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins

There are lots of different ways you can change up this recipe to meet your family’s preferences.

• Enhance the flavor: You can use roasted chicken, add a splash of lime juice, and incorporate fresh herbs like cilantro.
• Spicier or milder: Adjust the level of heat by varying the amount of chili powder, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce. For a milder version, use less spicy peppers and omit or reduce the hot sauce.
• Add toppings: Common toppings include shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced jalapeños, diced avocado, and crushed tortilla chips.
• Vegetarian: To make it vegetarian, you can omit the chicken and replace it with additional beans or vegetables. Vegetable broth should be used instead of chicken stock.
• Additional vegetables: Feel free to add vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini, or carrots for extra nutrition and flavor. Just chop them into bite-sized pieces and add them to the soup along with the other ingredients.

If you want a similar tasting soup, but are following a keto diet, try this keto chicken enchilada soup.

🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools

Here are the tools you need to make this flavorful Tex Mex soup.

• Large stock pot: This soup is cooked all in one big pot, so clean up won’t take very long.
• Shredding fork: It will be much easier to shred the chicken with a shredding fork.
• Knife and cutting board: You’ll need this for chopping the onion, garlic, tomato and cilantro.

🔪 How to Make the Best Tex Mex Chicken Soup

This recipe is very simple but does have a few steps. You could just dump everything in at once, but you’ll get a better result if you take the time to saute and simmer as directed.

Step 1: Saute the Onions and Garlic

First, we’re going to pull all that yummy flavor out of the fresh onions and garlic by sauteing them in olive oil for a few minutes.

Step 2: Add Chicken and Stock

Once the onions are translucent, add your chicken breasts and chicken stock to the pot.

Increase the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and simmer for half an hour to cook the chicken.

Step 3: Shred the Chicken

Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with two forks.

Then, add the chicken back to the broth.

Step 4: Add Pumpkin and Tomatoes

Next, add the secret ingredient — the pumpkin puree.

Follow the pumpkin puree with fresh diced tomatoes.

Step 5: Add Chipotle Peppers

Mince one or two chipotle peppers (depending on whether you want mild or medium spice) and add to the soup. Also add one to two teaspoons of the adobo sauce.

Give the soup a good stir to combine the ingredients.

Step 6: Add Remaining Ingredients

Rinse the black beans and add them to the soup.

Then corn kernels.

And we finish with traditional Tex Mex spices. Add some cumin.

And finally, some chili powder.

Give it another good stir to combine the ingredients.

Step 7: Simmer

We need to let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes to make sure all of the ingredients are heated through.

Step 8: Serve and Enjoy

Once the soup is nice and hot, spoon out servings into bowls and top with cilantro.

You can also sprinkle on cheese and a dollop of sour cream if you want.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🙏 Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Tex Mex Chicken Soup:

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📋 Recipe

The Best Tex Mex Chicken Soup

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Corinne Schmitt

This Tex Mex Chicken Soup is a warm, satisfying meal that’s perfect for fall.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 301 kcal

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Equipment

• ▢
  Large stock pot
• ▢
  Shredding fork
• ▢
  Knife and cutting board

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion diced
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 5 cups chicken stock
• ▢ 1 pound chicken breasts
• ▢ 16 ounce carton pumpkin puree
• ▢ 1 tomato diced
• ▢ 15 ounce can black beans
• ▢ 1/2 cup frozen corn
• ▢ 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish (optional)

Get ingredients with

Instructions

 

• Heat olive oil in large stock pot. Add onions and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onions are translucent.
  1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 2 garlic cloves
• Add the chicken breasts to the pot and pour in chicken stock. Cover. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Then, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
  5 cups chicken stock, 1 pound chicken breasts
• Remove chicken from pot and shred. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
• Add the pumpkin puree and diced tomatoes and mix well.
  16 ounce carton pumpkin puree, 1 tomato
• Mince one or two chipotle peppers (depending on whether you want mild or medium spice) and add to the soup. Also add one to two teaspoons of the adobo sauce.
  1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• Rinse the black beans and add them to the soup. Add the corn. Add the cumin and chili powder.
  15 ounce can black beans, 1/2 cup frozen corn, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Simmer for 10 minutes, then serve.
• Garnish with cilantro if desired.
  fresh cilantro sprigs

Notes

Recipe FAQs

Can I use a slow cooker or Instant Pot for this recipe?

Yes, both slow cookers and Instant Pots work well for Tex-Mex chicken soup. In a slow cooker, cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. In an Instant Pot, you can use the “Soup” or “Manual” setting for about 15-20 minutes.

 

Can I freeze Tex-Mex chicken soup?

Yes, this soup freezes well. Let it cool completely before transferring it to airtight containers. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat thoroughly before serving.

 

How do I thicken Tex-Mex chicken soup?

To thicken the soup, you can mash some of the beans, add a cornstarch slurry, or stir in a bit of cream or cheese. Another option is to let the soup simmer longer to reduce and thicken naturally.

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 27gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 659mgPotassium: 1008mgFiber: 9gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 12080IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 4mg

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