This chicken taco soup is a hearty and flavorful meal that’s perfect for meal prep and freezer meals. Made with pantry staple ingredients, this one pot Mexican soup comes together easily and is one that the whole family will love.
I don’t know about you, but I always have some soup in my fridge or freezer. It’s so easy to grab for a quick meal. This soup is loaded with flavor and made from easy to find pantry ingredients.
Be sure to check out my slow cooker chicken tortilla soup if you like this recipe!
How to Make Chicken Taco Soup
Be sure to scroll down to get the full recipe!
Prep: If you are not using cooked chicken, cook the chicken in the oven or a skillet. Dice the onion, jalapeno and garlic. Heat a dutch oven or large pot on the stove top.
Make: Soften the onion, jalapeno and garlic in the pot and then add the rest of the soup ingredients. Simmer.
Season: Add in the taco seasoning and ranch seasoning along with a little salt and pepper.
Finish: Simmer for another 15 minutes before serving with your favorite toppings.
What’s the best chicken to use?
I like to use shredded chicken in this recipe but you can also use cubed. Rotisserie chicken is perfect to use in this recipe, but you can also cook chicken breasts in the oven, skillet or Instant Pot and then shred them with a fork.
Just make sure that the chicken is fully cooked before adding it to the soup.
Try this Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe.
What do you serve with the soup?
This soup is wonderfully hearty and is a great well balanced meal. You can serve it as a dinner, or in smaller portions for a lunch. Personally, taco soup is all about the toppings!
I like to add tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheese. Try it with guacamole, sliced jalapenos, pico de gallo, or drizzle some taco sauce on top!
Can you make this ahead of time?
Soup is perfect for freezer meals and easy make ahead lunches throughout the week. Cook the chicken taco soup and then let it cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container. The soup will keep well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.
Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight before reheating on the stove top. Take care to only reheat the soup once as it contains chicken.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- The flavors in this soup get stronger the more it sets – I always like to make it the day before!
- Make the chicken taco soup in a dutch oven or heavy bottom pan. They will distribute the heat more evenly so that the bottom is less likely to burn.
- Be sure to check out my homemade taco seasoning and ranch seasoning recipes for this recipe.
More Soup Recipes
- Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
- Philly Cheese Steak Soup
- Chicken Fajita Soup
- 7 Can Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup with Gnocchi
- Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Cheesy Chicken Parmesan Soup
Chicken Taco Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 jalapeno peppers seeds and ribs removed, diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3-4 cups cubed or shredded chicken meat rotisserie chicken meat works well
- 1 15 ounce can red beans
- 1 15 ounce can black beans
- 1 15 ounce can pinto beans
- 2 15 ounce cans corn
- 4 14.5 ounce cans petite-diced tomatoes
- 2 1.25 ounce packets taco seasoning or 2-3 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning
- 1 1 ounce packet Ranch Seasoning or 1-2 tablespoons Homemade Ranch Seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed
- Chopped fresh cilantro optional
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or very large saucepan, add oil, diced onion and jalapeno; cook over medium heat , stirring often, until onion is translucent and vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds, stirring continuously.
- Add all other soup ingredients, stir well and bring to a low boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes.
- Taste the soup and season with taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, salt and pepper, if needed.
- Simmer an additional 15 minutes over low heat.
- Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with tortilla chips, crackers or toasty bread.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- The flavors in this soup get stronger the more it sets – I always like to make it the day before!
- Make the easy taco soup in a dutch oven or heavy bottom pan. They will distribute the heat more evenly so that the bottom is less likely to burn.
- Be sure to check out my homemade taco seasoning and ranch seasoning recipes for this recipe.
Nutrition Information
