Description
This Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Taco Soup is a comforting and flavorful dish perfect for an easy weeknight meal. Featuring tender chicken breasts simmered with chili-style beans, corn, salsa, and taco seasoning, this soup is finished with rich heavy cream for a smooth and creamy texture. It’s a versatile recipe that can be customized with different types of beans or proteins, and requires minimal hands-on time.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
Soup Base
- 1 can chili-style beans (398 ml or 14 oz)
- 1 can corn with juice (341 ml or 12 oz)
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup jarred tomato salsa
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
Finishing
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients in Slow Cooker: Place chicken breasts, chili-style beans with their sauce, canned corn along with its juice, water, jarred tomato salsa, and taco seasoning into a 3-4 quart slow cooker. Stir gently to mix ingredients evenly.
- Cook the Soup: Set the slow cooker to low heat and cook for 3-4 hours. The chicken will be fully cooked in about 3 hours, but it can stay longer if needed without losing texture.
- Shred the Chicken: Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker carefully and shred them with two forks.
- Incorporate the Chicken and Cream: Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker, add the heavy cream, and stir well to combine, creating a creamy texture for the soup.
- Adjust Seasonings and Heat Through: Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Cover the slow cooker and allow the soup to heat through for a few more minutes before serving.
Notes
- Chicken Substitutions: You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs or cooked ground beef instead of chicken breasts. Leftover taco meat works well, too.
- Beans: Any unflavored beans like black beans can replace chili-style beans, but you might need to increase taco seasoning if using unseasoned beans.
- Corn: Canned corn is preferred for its sweet juice that balances the spice. Frozen corn is a suitable alternative if needed.
- Salsa: Salsa adds flavor, tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Alternatively, use chopped tomatoes with sautéed peppers and onions, but add extra seasoning accordingly.
- Cream: Heavy cream is recommended as it won’t curdle when heated or combined with acidic ingredients. If using light cream, add it only at the end of cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 80mg
