Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup tastes like chicken enchiladas – but takes a lot less effort! Sensational slow cooker soup that’s quick to prepare yet loaded with flavour. 10 minutes prep with lots of can opening, and a good amount of spices for a hit of Mexican flavour.
Hearty, chunky, healthy, totally delicious!
Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup
This is a soup that is particularly fantastic to make in the slow cooker. Cooking it low and slow lets the chicken breast cook gently until it’s tender and shreddable, the beans and corn absorb the heavenly spice flavours in the Mexican flavoured soup broth, and the tomatoes break down to thicken the soup.
After tossing the shredded chicken back in, there’s nothing required to be done to finish it off before serving other than grabbing a few toppings. Shredded cheese, dollop of sour cream or yogurt plus a sprinkle of fresh coriander/cilantro at a minimum.
Bonus points if you add avocado and some crunchy corn chips for dunking!
What you need
Here’s what you need for this Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup. Lots of cans and lots of spices you probably already have!
In this particular recipe, chicken breast is the ideal cut. It takes 6 to 8 hours to cook until it’s easily shreddable, the same time the broth requires for the flavours to come together and thicken.
How to make Mexican Chicken Soup
This is a soup that’s ideal for making in the slow cooker. Sauté the garlic, onion and capsicum/bell peppers, then just put everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The chicken breast will be tender and easily shreddable, the beans will have soaked up all the flavour from the spices, and the soup thickened.
To finish it off, just shred the chicken, toss it back in then serve!
This soup is the chicken version of the popular Beef Taco Soup. Quick and easy, hearty and exploding with Taco flavours!
Mexican Chicken Soup Toppings!
Toppings are not optional – they’re essential! Toppings take a tasty soup over the top to OMG this is so delish!
In my world, the bare minimum is cheese, sour cream, coriander/cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.
But if you add a little bit of diced avocado and corn chips for dunking, it will catapult this into another stratosphere of deliciousness.
And to think it’s so quick and easy to make!!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion , diced (brown, white, yellow)
- 1 red capsicum/bell pepper , large, diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 cups (750ml) chicken broth/stock , low sodium
- 800g / 28 oz canned black beans, drained (2 cans, or other beans, Note 1)
- 800g / 28 oz canned corn, drained (2 cans, or 500g/1lb frozen or fresh corn)
- 800g / 28oz crushed canned tomato OR 700g tomato passata (Note 2)
- 500g / 1 lb chicken breast
Spices
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp each onion powder and garlic powder (or 2 tsp of one of them)
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, adjust spiciness)
- 1 tsp each salt + black pepper
Toppings
- Shredded cheese (recommended)
- Sour cream or yogurt (recommended)
- Coriander/cilantro (recommended)
- Lime wedges (recommended)
- Avocado, diced
- Corn chips or tortillas , for dunking
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet and sauté the onion, capsicum/bell pepper and garlic for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add a splash of chicken broth, bring to simmer then tip it all into the slow cooker. (Instant Pot: Do Step 1 & 2 on saute function).
- Add remaining chicken broth, Spices, corn, bean and tomato. Give it a good stir, then add chicken and push down to submerge.
- Slow cook for 6 to 8 hours on LOW. (Or pressure cooker 25 minutes on high, see Note for stove).
- Remove chicken onto plate, shred with 2 forks. Return into slow cooker, give it a good stir. Check if it needs more salt or pepper.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with Toppings of choice!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published May 2014. Updated January 2019 with new photos and new recipe video!
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Life of Dozer
Dozer’s discovered his favourite room in our new home…the PANTRY! Lots of ideas for redesigning this storage space but Dozer doesn’t care – he’s just excited to be in such close proximity to so much FOOD.
(Actually, he is strictly prohibited from entering the pantry, I just let him in for a peek 😂)
Absolut delicious this soup.
Thank you Nagi for another wonderful recipe!
I made this as per recipe. I also had corn chips, avo, sour cream, grated cheese. Loved it and will make again. Thank you Nagi!!
Sounds like you nailed it Colette! N X
Can’t wait to try this! If I use a roast chicken from the store can I just shred and add it in during the last hour? If so, do I still add all the other soup ingredients and let them cook for 6 hours?
I made this last night as I had people over for dinner. Had all the extras…avo..sour cream…coriander..cheese. Oh wow it was the bomb. So good. Thanks Nagi!
This soup is everything! So easy and so delicious!
Delicious soup. This is my second time me making it, always a hit even with 3 picky kids. I served it with cilantro, shredded cheese, avocado and corn tortilla chips. Amazing. Seasoning is just right.
By accident, using a 1/2 tablespoon measuring spoon instead of a teaspoon, I ended up using almost 1 tbsp of cumin and paprika, and 1/2 tbsp each of onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, s&p — the soup still turned out delicious!
Just a note, my slow-cooker was at the brim by the time I added all of the ingredients. Next time I might use exactly 1 lb of chicken (I had 1.3 lbs on hand this time), and about 1/2 cup less broth to prevent running over.
Gorgeous soup. Everyone in the family loved it.
So easy to make but very tasty, this lasted us 2 nights and a full tub too for a friend. I have been given strict orders to make this again very soon. I love meals like this, throw it all together and then forget about it for ages and carry on with other things.. You are a genius Nagi, Dozer is too, can´t leave him out x
This was amazing and I actually didn’t screw it up. So easy and even better the second day.
Fantastic dish as always. Added some rice to make it a thicken it up. Xxxxx
Haven’t made a recipe of Nagi’s yet that wasn’t great! This one is so easy to throw together. I have made it a couple of times now, without meat/with meat- always delicious. I have an electric stove top and find the lowest setting works perfectly for slow cooker recipes. If you haven’t tried that on your stove I really recommend. I gave away my slow cooker 🙂
Great tip, thank you! I have a non- electric slow cooked that’s basically an insulated bag, I might try it in that next time, it’s called a wonderbag. My soup is currently bubbling away in my instant pot while I wait for it to seal. Smells good anyway!
Hi there,
Can this be made using a pressure cooker?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Tess, yes it can – it’s all noted in the instructions. N x
Easy, and really tasty! Loved it. Was about to donate my slow cooker… now will keep 😂
Yesterday I had to cook a meal on a tight budget for a dozen hungry uni students – this recipe was perfect! I usually test run recipes at home before making them for others but I’ve enjoyed so many of your recipes, I didn’t bother and it was a hit. Thanks for sharing such easy, delicious, budget friendly recipes 🙂
Made this for dinner last night…by which I mean it sat in the slow cooker all day until the chicken fell apart just by stirring the soup. Served with cheese, sour cream, corn chips and your cornbread muffins which were so easy. Just delicious.
YES! Toppings are not optional here! N x
Nagi, This is fantastic! It is soooo full of flavour. We had it minus the chicken (but with chicken stock cubes) and it blew us away! So tasty! Thx.
That’s great to hear John! N x
Hi! Wondering if you can do this with tenders, & if so, what adjustment is needed.
Hi Mary, sure can – they’ll just cook quicker! Check at 6 hours 🙂 N x
absolutely delicious! I don’t have a slow cooker so I followed the recipe notes and cooked it on the stove. Unfortunately, by the end of the 40 minutes + 20 mins, the dish was more of a stew than a soup as some of the beans had start to stick to the bottom of the pan and there was not a lot of liquid left. Still delicious, but maybe next time I’ll go out and get a slow cooker first. Really handy to keep in the freezer too! 🙂
Hi Lucky, sorry you had issues here, sounds like the stove may of been a little too hot and the sauce has simmered away! N x
Yum! Made this with both black beans and red kidney on stovetop and it was super easy. The lime juice gave it a real zing as well. My husband declared it the new favourite.
Made a batch of this soup and we have it for lunch with a slice of your cheesy bread. The soup has a lovely warming spicy taste and is delicious. Just right for our Irish weather!
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Trudy!