This Mexican chicken soup is chicken soup with a kick! A great use for left-over cooked chicken or start with rotisserie chicken for a quick, hearty, flavourful and soul-soothing soup!
1Tablespoonextra virgin olive oil, or other cooking oil
1/2cuponion, diced
1smalljalapeño pepper, cored, seeded and finely diced
1teaspooncumin
2teaspoonsdried coriander
1teaspoonchilli powder, **the kind of chili powder you'd put in a pot of chili, NOT red pepper powder
3clovesgarlic, finely chopped
4cupschicken broth, plus more broth or water to thin, if needed
18oz(540ml)can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
9oz(284ml)can Original Ro-Tel Tomatoes with Green Chilies
28oz(596ml)can diced tomatoes, Fire roasted recommended
1/2cupfrozen corn, optional
2cupscooked chicken, *see Note 1 below
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1/2 lime
hot sauce, to taste
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
Heat oil in a large pot on the stovetop, over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander and chili powder and stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes, Ro-Tel tomatoes, chicken broth and cilantro. Stir together and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the chicken, beans and frozen corn, if using and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes. *If soup is too thick after adding all the additions, add additional broth or water to thin to desired level.
Tip! Salt is maybe the most important ingredient in any soup. The amount you will need will depend on the saltiness of your broth, tomatoes and beans, so it will be a bit different for every cook. Be sure to taste at the end of cooking and add as much salt as your soup needs. If the taste seems a bit flat or you find yourself thinking "it needs something", what it needs is more salt! Add some more :)
Taste the soup and add salt, as needed. Add some freshly ground black pepper. Add the juice of 1/2 of a lime and a few drops of hot sauce (or more, to taste).
Serve with any or all of the suggested garnishes. (My favourite way to enjoy this soup is with chopped cilantro, green onion, sour cream and grated cheddar cheese. You could also add jalapeño slices, avocado slices and/or tortilla strips.
This soup can be made ahead and reheated to serve as it holds in the fridge well. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This soup will also freeze well.
Notes
Note 1: You can cook some chicken from 1 large chicken breast (poach or microwave). You can also use left-over cooked chicken or chicken from a rotisserie chicken.Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, where you'll find tips, substitution recommendations, step-by-step photos and a Recipe Video that you might find helpful.