Description
This Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup is a hearty, flavorful dish packed with tender chicken, black beans, corn, and rich tomato base infused with traditional Mexican spices. Perfect for a comforting meal that requires minimal effort, it is slow-cooked to develop deep flavors and served with customizable toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, and avocado.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced (brown, white, or yellow)
- 1 large red capsicum/bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups (750 ml) low sodium chicken broth/stock
- 800 g (28 oz) canned black beans, drained (about 2 cans) or substitute with other beans
- 800 g (28 oz) canned corn, drained (about 2 cans) or 500 g (1 lb) frozen or fresh corn
- 800 g (28 oz) crushed canned tomatoes OR 700 g tomato passata
- 500 g (1 lb) chicken breast
Spices
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, adjust to desired spiciness)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Toppings (Optional)
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream or yogurt
- Coriander/cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
- Diced avocado
- Corn chips or tortillas for dipping
Instructions
- Sauté vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion, red capsicum (bell pepper), and minced garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the vegetables become translucent and fragrant.
- Deglaze and transfer: Pour a splash of chicken broth into the skillet and bring it to a simmer to lift any browned bits from the pan. Then transfer the entire contents into the slow cooker. (If using an Instant Pot, complete steps 1 and 2 using the sauté function.)
- Add remaining ingredients: Pour in the rest of the chicken broth, add the dried oregano, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (if using), salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Add the drained corn, black beans, and crushed tomatoes or passata. Finally, place the chicken breasts into the slow cooker and gently push them down to submerge in the liquid.
- Slow cook: Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 6 to 8 hours, allowing flavors to meld and chicken to become tender.
- Shred chicken: Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and place onto a plate. Using two forks, shred the chicken finely. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker, stir well, and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper if needed.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with your choice of toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh coriander, lime wedges, diced avocado, and corn chips or tortillas for dipping.
Notes
- You can substitute black beans with red kidney beans or use 1/2 cup dried beans if preferred.
- Tomato passata is a smooth, pureed tomato product commonly available in supermarkets; it has a consistency thicker than liquid tomatoes but not as thick as paste.
- If cooking on stove instead of slow cooker, simmer the soup on medium-low heat for 40 minutes, remove chicken to shred, then simmer soup an additional 20 minutes before returning chicken to pot.
- Cooked soup can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze soup without any toppings for best results.
- Nutritional values are per serving (approximately 800 g or 3 cups), excluding toppings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 800 g (about 3 cups)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
