Southwest Chicken and Bean Soup is one of our go-to easy soup recipes. Easy recipe that doesn’t skimp on flavor.
A combination of two teaspoons Mexican oregano, one teaspoon cumin and one teaspoon garlic powder is a great start in building a flavorful Southwestern-style soup.
Just add your choices of broth, vegetables, beans and meat and you’ve got a quick meal. Top with a dollop of sour cream or grated cheese, some cilantro and you’ll be dancing around that sombrero in no time.
For this soup, I kicked things up a notch by slicing and dicing a seeded Chipotle pepper in Adobo Sauce and adding about a teaspoon of the sauce from the can.
The dark read color and spicy heat turned this into a sultry bowl of soup and a nice compliment for those dark red kidney beans.
And did I mention a warming comfort while watching our latest snow fall of ten inches on our back deck?
Let’s take a look:
Super easy weeknight dinner chicken and bean soup
- 1 Sweet onion chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 3 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1 15-ounce can can Red Kidney Beans
- 1 Large jalapeno pepper seeds and veins removed and fine chopped
- 1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce seeds and veins removed and chopped
- 1 teaspoon Adobo Sauce from the can of chiles
- 2 teaspoon Dried Mexican oregano crushed
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
- 2 Boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite sized pieces and sauteed until almost done
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Sour Cream for topping
- In a Dutch oven cook onion in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add remaining ingredients except for chicken and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
- Add in cooked chicken and let steep until heated through. About 5 minutes.
- Ladle into soup bowls and serve with toppings of your choice, tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream or chopped avocado. Or all.
Southwest Chicken and Bean Soup … It’s What’s for Dinner.
Care's Kitchen says
November 3, 2011 at 9:50 amYES! This is my kind of soup! And the time of year that it’s acceptable to add chipotle to just about anything and everything! Beautiful!
Lea Ann says
November 3, 2011 at 4:14 pmYou are preaching to the choir on that one! I love chipotle in adobo.
Karen Harris says
November 3, 2011 at 9:56 amLovely recipe LeaAnn. For some reason I’m in the soup mood with 8″ of snow on the ground.
Lea Ann says
November 3, 2011 at 4:15 pmYou and me both! 🙂
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
November 3, 2011 at 11:16 amHaving grown up in Texas, I just love a soup like yours…so warm and comforting.
Lea Ann says
November 3, 2011 at 4:17 pmThanks Karen, I didn’t know you were from Texas … guess I haven’t been following your blog long enough. And yes, warm, comforting and yummy! 🙂
Fresh and Foodie says
November 3, 2011 at 1:00 pmLovely! I prefer my soup more on the chunky side, so this looks right up my alley. Great flavors, too.
Chilebrown says
November 3, 2011 at 3:50 pmWould this be a good soup for Sunday to watch your local team beat the visiting team that used to have a beaver-toothed now car salesman and furniture designer?
Lea Ann says
November 3, 2011 at 4:19 pmHa…..ha……ha……. keep it up!
I may not be able to watch on Sunday, especially if it’s anything like last year. ohmyGAWDawful
Larry says
November 3, 2011 at 6:00 pmLooks and sounds very good Lea Ann and it would have been good on a dreary day here today.
Lea Ann says
November 3, 2011 at 7:23 pmah…Looks like Fall has finally reached Almost Heaven. 🙂
Andrea @ Fork Fingers Chopsticks says
November 3, 2011 at 9:29 pmI agree – Mexican oregano, cumin and garlic are the flavors of many a great Mexican dish. Great photo, by the way. Hope to see you soon!
Lea Ann says
November 4, 2011 at 6:12 amThanks Andrea. Always appreciate you stopping by .. and the comment. I’ve been super busy, see you as soon as things calm down a bit. 🙂
Sam@My Carolina Kitchen says
November 4, 2011 at 4:37 amPlease, please tell me I don’t have to have ten inches of snow to make this soup (smile). My bags are packed and I’m heading south the minute the temperatures fall below flip-flop wearing weather. In my book snow is only pretty when it’s at someone else’s house.
Love chipotle. I keep a jar in my refrig just for occasions such as this. Great soup Lea Ann.
Sam
Lea Ann says
November 4, 2011 at 6:14 amWell then Sam, you’d think my house is pretty most of the Winter. I’m the same way about heat and humidity, it looks better on your house.
Susan says
November 4, 2011 at 7:15 amOh boy! I heard about the snow in Denver on the news. Good knew for skiers anyway.
This sounds like a delicious, warm bowl of chili. I love the sound of the chipotle and adobo too. Just a little something extra to get the blood circulating 😉
Lea Ann says
November 5, 2011 at 8:28 amThe mountains are getting another big blast of snow today. Definitely Winter in the Rockies. As always thanks for stopping by and the comment.
Chris says
November 4, 2011 at 12:03 pmLove it. I like my soups like this to have “just enough burn” to not be unpleasant but leaves me sniffling afterwards. The trio of oregano, garlic, and cumin is one of my favorites.
Lea Ann says
November 4, 2011 at 1:21 pmCouldn’t agree more Chris.
Vickie says
November 5, 2011 at 8:13 amLOVE this combination of flavors and the addition of Adobo in this sounds perfect. But what I’m loving most about this soup are those bowls . . . so cute! Please forget to hide them when I come for a visit. ;P
p.s. gorgeous photo!
Lea Ann says
November 5, 2011 at 8:25 amThose bowls are Frankoma. After years and years of hinting I’ve just now brought those into my kitchen from my mom’s house. Must I remind you about my ankle biting terriers that will protect them from you! 🙂
Just come for a visit darnit!
Kristi Rimkus says
November 5, 2011 at 12:30 pmI’m a big Chipotle fan. Soups like this make terrific week day lunches. They freeze so well!
Lea Ann says
November 6, 2011 at 1:30 pmAbsolutely Kristi, I make a big batch on Sunday and have super easy and delicious lunches during the week. Ya gotta love that.
Julie says
November 5, 2011 at 1:35 pmI love soups like this any time of year! Looks just perfect 🙂
Lea Ann says
November 6, 2011 at 1:29 pmThanks for stopping by Julie. Couldn’t agree more, that’s about all we’ve had for two weeks … soup…soup…soup.
Barbara says
November 6, 2011 at 9:54 amMexican oregano? Is that something new, Lea Ann? Do I find it where the regular dried oregano is? Or is it a Whole Foods kind of thing?
Not to take away from this fabulous soup but I am mad for your bowls. I have mats similar, but made in Thailand and square. I love them.
Lea Ann says
November 6, 2011 at 1:28 pmBarbara, I find Mexican Oregano at my spice store. I’ve never seen it at main stream markets. Regular Oregano will do, however, Mexican Oregano is a milder and slightly sweeter herb. I just got those bowls from my mother. They are Frankoma and she’s probably had them 30 years. These mats came from Ikea. As always, thanks for stopping by and the comment.
Joanne says
November 7, 2011 at 4:23 pmI love that I can always count on you to kick things up a notch. Chipotles are the best way to do so! This soup sounds fabulous!
Lea Ann says
November 7, 2011 at 8:38 pmIt’s my job! 🙂
Casey says
November 8, 2011 at 12:27 pmIt is soup season and this looks like one, we will love.
Lea Ann says
November 11, 2011 at 5:43 amThanks Casey.
Greg says
November 14, 2011 at 7:19 pmYou had me at adobe and cumin! This is so warming and perfect for fall. Now if it’d just dip back down to the 60s. That’s soup weather here.
Lea Ann says
November 14, 2011 at 7:37 pmMove to Colorado! 🙂