Bold with chipotle and jalapeno peppers, this Southwest Chicken Soup is a fresh take on classic bean soup. On the table in about 30 minutes, what’s not to love about this chicken and bean soup.
This recipe was first published November, 2011 and updated January 2021 with new photos.
About This Recipe and Why It Works
Wondering what to make for dinner tonight? Look no further.
Let me first start out by saying, one reason this recipe works is that it is incredibly easy a chock full of flavor.
It’s under 30 minutes easy, it’s packed with healthy proteins and the flavor will have your family asking for seconds.
This is a soup recipe that is so perfect it finds itself on our Winter weekly meal plans on a regular basis.
It’s one of those recipes that’s perfect when you don’t feel like cooking and most certainly don’t feel like sitting in the drive through lane at your favorite fast food restaurant.
Once you gather the ingredients it’s a cinch to make. It tastes delicious. Zesty and robust and loaded with chunky goodness. And it’s just right spicy.
Warm up with this hearty healthy Tex-Mex style soup. Let’s take a look.
Ingredients to make Southwest Chicken Soup
Mise en place. Always gather ingredients before starting any recipe. It will save you time and organize your mind.
- Red Kidney Beans: A very common bean that I love cooking with because of it’s deep red color. It simply adds color drama to any soup. Kidney beans are among the best source of plant based protein. They are rich in fiber which will help regulate blood sugar levels. (source healthline.com)
- Chicken Broth: Any brand will do.
- Cheddar Cheese or Sour Cream: Grated cheddar cheese or sour cream will serve as a topping for this chicken and bean soup.
- Chipotle Peppers: Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeno peppers. For this recipe, we’ll use the canned variety that is swimming in rich thick Adobo sauce. We’ll use both the pepper and the sauce.
- Sweet Onion
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Spices Used
These common Mexican herbs and spices are a great start in building a flavorful Southwestern-style soup.
- Mexican Organo
- Cumin
- Chile Powder: Use a pure ground chile powder such as Chimayo or Ancho, as opposed to Chili powder with an “i”. Chili powder is a blend of spices used to season dishes such as Chili Soup.
- Garlic Powder
Ingredient Swaps
- Beans: Even though the red kidney beans provide a deep rich color for this soup, you most certainly can use canned pinto beans, and black beans would be a good choice here.
- Garlic: Switch out fresh diced garlic for the garlic powder. 1 – 2 small to medium cloves, fine diced will bring that garlic flavor we all love.
- Chile Powder: If you don’t have New Mexico red chile powder, there are many options that will spice up this soup nicely. Cayenne pepper, Ancho chile powder, red pepper flakes, or even a couple dashes of Tabasco Sauce.
- Toppings: This recipe calls for cheddar cheese or sour cream for a topping. Try sliced radishes, thin sliced cabbage, chopped avocado, chopped raw sweet onion slightly broken tortilla chips or cilantro.
- Dried Kidney Beans: If you’d like to make this soup with dried kidney beans, soak 1 cup of red kidney beans in water overnight. Make sure there’s enough water to cover the beans by one inch. The next morning, drain the beans. Replace the water, add a tablespoon of lard or butter and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil and let cook on high for 10 minutes to destroy toxins. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook on low until beans are tender. Approximately 1-2 hours, depending on how fresh the beans are. Drain beans and proceed with the recipe.
- Oregano: If you don’t have Mexican oregano, you can use plain oregano in its place. Mexican oregano is preferred because of it’s citrus flavor notes, which pairs well with Mexican food.
How To Make This Soup
It’s so easy!
- Step 1: Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken pieces, chopped onion and diced jalapeno. Cook, stirring often until chicken is browned, but still a little pink and onion is tender. About 5 minutes.
- Step 2: Add remaining broth, beans and spices. Simmer for 20 minutes.
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.
Recipe for Southwest Chicken Soup with Chipotle and Kidney Beans
I hope you give this super-easy chipotle chicken soup recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
And if you have a favorite easy weeknight soup recipe, let me know, I’m always looking for ideas.
More Bean Soup Recipes
And if you’re looking for even more soup recipes, don’t miss my Soup Category. You’ll find lots of recipe ideas, including the most popular soup recipe on my site for Anthony Bourdain’s New Mexico Style Beef Chili.
Southwest Chicken Soup with Kidney Beans
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 pound Chicken Breast boneless, skinless, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 medium Sweet onion diced
- 1 large jalapeno pepper seeds and veins removed and fine chopped
- 2 14.5 ounce cans Chicken Broth
- 2 15 ounce cans Red Kidney Beans drained and rinsed
- 1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce seeds and veins removed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon Adobo Sauce from the can of chiles
- 2 teaspoon Mexican oregano crushed
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon Red chile powder preferrably New Mexico, or ancho chile powder
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Sour Cream for topping
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions, chicken pieces and chopped jalapeno.
- Stirring often, cook until chicken has started to brown and onions are tender. About 5 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients except for chicken and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
- Ladle into soup bowls and serve with toppings of your choice, tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream or chopped avocado. Or all.
Notes
Nutrition
Southwest Chicken Soup … It’s What’s for Dinner.
The soup looks delicious and great for low-carb diet
You 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.
Move to Colorado! 🙂
It is soup season and this looks like one, we will love.
Thanks Casey.
I 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!
It’s my job! 🙂
Mexican 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.
Barbara, 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.
I love soups like this any time of year! Looks just perfect 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Julie. Couldn’t agree more, that’s about all we’ve had for two weeks … soup…soup…soup.
I’m a big Chipotle fan. Soups like this make terrific week day lunches. They freeze so well!
Absolutely Kristi, I make a big batch on Sunday and have super easy and delicious lunches during the week. Ya gotta love that.
LOVE 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!
Those 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!
Couldn’t agree more Chris.
Love 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.
Oh 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 😉
The mountains are getting another big blast of snow today. Definitely Winter in the Rockies. As always thanks for stopping by and the comment.
Well 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.
Please, 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
I 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!
Thanks Andrea. Always appreciate you stopping by .. and the comment. I’ve been super busy, see you as soon as things calm down a bit. 🙂
Looks and sounds very good Lea Ann and it would have been good on a dreary day here today.
ah…Looks like Fall has finally reached Almost Heaven. 🙂
Would 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?
Ha…..ha……ha……. keep it up!
I may not be able to watch on Sunday, especially if it’s anything like last year. ohmyGAWDawful
Lovely! I prefer my soup more on the chunky side, so this looks right up my alley. Great flavors, too.
Having grown up in Texas, I just love a soup like yours…so warm and comforting.
Thanks 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! 🙂
Lovely recipe LeaAnn. For some reason I’m in the soup mood with 8″ of snow on the ground.
You and me both! 🙂
YES! 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!
You are preaching to the choir on that one! I love chipotle in adobo.