Mexican Soup with Chicken
This Mexican soup is fresh, flavourful and perfect for lunch or dinner! Shredded chicken, corn, black beans and vegetables are simmered in a rich tomato base that is loaded with Mexican flavours. Top it with some crunchy tortilla chips, avocado and lime for the perfect meal.
Servings: 5
Calories: 291kcal
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts 500 grams. Or, add some leftover chicken at the end.
- 5 cups liquid chicken stock or use vegetable stock if preferred
- 1 brown onion chopped
- 2 small carrots finely diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1-2 potatoes finely diced
- 1 cup corn kernels frozen
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ cups black beans canned
- 1 ½ cups diced canned tomatoes or passata
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste heaped
- ½ teaspoon dried chilli or, to taste
- ½ tablespoon sweet paprika
- ½ tablespoon cumin ground
- juice of ½ a lime juice of half a lime
Optional Toppings (choose your favourite)
- sour cream
- chopped avocado
- fresh coriander (cilantro)
- Mexican cheese blend grated
- tortilla strips tortilla chips, crumbled
- lime wedges
- guacamole
- jalapenos
- crumbled tortilla chips plain, salted
Instructions
For stove top
- Slice the chicken breasts into 2-3 pieces each and place all of the ingredients into a large pot.
- Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer over medium heat for around 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
- Once cooked, carefully remove the chicken from the soup and place onto a board. Using two forks, shred the chicken into small pieces and stir back through the soup.
- Serve immediately in bowls and add your favourite toppings (sour cream, Mexican cheese, chopped avocado, guacamole, fresh coriander, lime wedges, jalapenos or crumbled tortilla chips). Enjoy!
For slow or pressure cooker
- Place all of the soup ingredients together in the slow or pressure cooker pot.
- For slow cooker, select either 'LOW' setting for 6-8 hours or 'HIGH' setting for 3-4 hours. For pressure cooker, select the 'SOUP' setting, or 'manual' setting and cook for 15 minutes (allow time for pressure to build as well).
- Once cooked, remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Return the chicken to the soup and stir through.
- Serve immediately in bowls and add your favourite toppings (sour cream, grated cheese, chopped avocado, guacamole, fresh coriander, lime wedges, jalapenos and crumbled tortilla strips). Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Chicken breast is poached in the soup, to be shredded and stirred through the soup at the end. Leftover roast chicken or a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket can be used instead, to save time. Just stir it through the soup at the end, until heated through.
- To make it vegetarian, skip the chicken and swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
- Add a tablespoon of chipotle sauce to add depth and smoky flavour.
- Adjust the spice – do you like it spicy? Add some jalapeños or adjust the chilli powder to taste.
- Taste and adjust. Depending on the tomatoes and stock you use, you may need to adjust the salt to taste at the end. Taste and add seasoning, lime juice or chilli, as needed.
- Additional toppings – the soup makes a complete and filling meal on its own, but it can also be topped with a selection of your favourite garnishes. Try some toasted tortilla strips, crumbled tortilla chips, coriander, diced avocado, sour cream, Mexican cheese, jalapeños or guacamole.
- Storage; Store the leftover soup (without toppings) in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for 3-4 days. Before eating, reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
- Reheating; Add the soup to a large soup pan or saucepan and cook on medium heat until simmering and steaming hot, all the way through.
- Freezing; This soup can be frozen to enjoy later. Before freezing, allow the soup to cool. Place it into an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature and reheat by bringing it to a boil in a soup/saucepan.
- Please note that the nutrition information is based on the soup being divided into 5 bowls, with one bowl being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the soup.
- This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Any reference to cups or spoons in this recipe is in Australian metric. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.
Nutrition
Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 498mg | Potassium: 1137mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4080IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 5mg