This healthy chicken taco soup gives you all the flavor of a taco in a quick and easy soup! Chicken breast, fresh veggies, and warming spices all come together to make a filling meal that only takes around thirty minutes to make. This delicious taco soup is perfect to meal prep for an easy lunch throughout the week or fast weeknight dinner. This soup is Whole30 compliant, Paleo-friendly, and naturally gluten-free. It’s a hearty meal the entire family will love.
A Healthy Weeknight Meal: Quick and Easy Chicken Taco Soup
It’s my opinion that we need all the easy weeknight dinners we can get and this easy chicken taco soup is a recipe that you need in your life, ok?
It is simple, quick (I’m talking thirty minutes of simmering and you’re done!), and absolutely packed with flavor from spices, garlic, and fresh veggies.
I love tacos, but let’s be honest, they are not always the easiest thing to pack for lunch the next day. Thankfully, this soup is a great way to get your taco fix for lunch. It is perfect for meal prep and you’ll love the leftovers.
Not only is this recipe delicious, it is also Whole30 compliant, Paleo-friendly, and naturally gluten free!
What Ingredients Do You Need for Taco Soup?
While simple and easy, this chicken taco soup is packed with flavor thanks to a few key spices and herbs.
Here’s What You Need to Make This Taco Soup:
Chicken breast (you could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs)
Red and green bell peppers
Onion
Fire roasted diced tomatoes (roasted tomatoes pack a little extra smoky flavor)
Green chilies
Chipotle powder and cumin (these gives the soup a little kick and that taco flavor)
Chicken broth
This soup also uses plenty of fresh garlic, dried herbs, and lime juice to kick up the flavor even more. The end result is a soup that tastes like it has been cooked all day when, in reality, it only takes around thirty minutes!
How to Make Chicken Taco Soup?
This chicken taco soup recipe can be broken down into three steps and really could not be easier.
Step 1: Saute the veggies and garlic in a large pot for a few minutes until they start to become tender.
Step 2: Next, add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. This includes the canned tomatoes and chilies, spices, and your chicken breast. No need to dice the chicken before adding it to the soup. Just add the whole chicken breast to the soup to cook for around thirty minutes until it is cooked through and tender and ready to shred.
Step 3: The last step is to transfer the chicken from the pot to a small bowl. Use two forks to shred the chicken breast and then add the meat back to the pot. Give the soup a stir until well combined and then, it’s time to serve it up with plenty of fresh herbs and your favorite toppings.
Can You Make This Soup in the Crockpot?
Yes! This chicken taco soup recipe is a great one to make in your slow cooker. Just add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker base and cook on high for 3-4 hours until the chicken is tender and ready to shred.
Once the chicken is done, remove it from the slow cooker, shred, and add it back to the soup. Then just serve it up with all of your favorite toppings.
The Best Toppings for Taco Soup
The topping ideas for this soup are really endless! You can really top the taco soup with whatever toppings you would use on your regular tacos.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the avocado or coconut oil. Next, add the peppers, onion, and garlic to the pot. Saute for 3-4 minutes until the onions start to become translucent.
Add the chicken breast, canned tomatoes, canned green chilies, spices, lime juice, and chicken broth to the pot. Stir until well combined. Bring the soup to a rolling boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and easy to shred.
Transfer the chicken breast from the soup to a small bowl. Use two forks to shred the meat. Add the chicken back to the soup and stir until well combined. Serve the soup with fresh cilantro, diced red onion, and fresh lime wedges. Enjoy!
This is so easy and delicious! I have made it many times. Recently I substituted the can of diced green chili with can of chipotle peppers because it’s what I had in hand. It worked beautifully in this soup!
Hey! I love this recipe, I just made it today and can’t wait to make it again. Although, I am only one person, can I freeze it? If so, for how long and what is the best way to reheat it?
Thanks!
Hi, Julie! You can definitely freeze it. When you are ready to reheat I recommend letting the soup thaw in the fridge before reheating on the stovetop. Hope that helps!
Yum! This was so delicious. Lime juice and fresh cilantro really brought it home for me. I couldn’t resist and topped with sour cream, fresh avocado and tortilla strips.
I’ve made this soup about 8 times and love it. It’s very versatile: I like to add black beans, corn and greens beans, skip the bell and canned peppers, doubled the recipe.I’ve also made it vegetarian by omitting the chicken and using vegetable stock. It’s always delicious.
Thank you so much for the beautiful photography and clearly written, delicious recipes. Love your blog – please write a cookbook! 🙂
This might be my new favorite Fall/Winter meal! This soup was super easy to make and turned out so delicious. It also made great leftovers in the days after!
This has become one of my go-to weeknight recipes! So easy, so delicious, and super adaptable to stuff that’s already in my pantry! I like to use store-bought rotisserie chicken to make it even easier! So good!
Great recipe, cooked mine in the instant pot as instructed, cane out perfect. I added some steam cauliflower rice to the bottom of my bowl before the soup.
Thank you 🙂
This recipe has become a staple for me! It’s easy and healthy and I can prep a big batch to keep in mason jars in the freezer to thaw out on busy days. I top it with sour cream and sometimes add some lentil pasta if I’m extra hungry. Thank you so much for this recipe!
This soup was delicious!! The spices make it so flavorful. We added avocado slices and jalapeños as toppings and it was amazing! Will be making again for sure!
Made this last night with leftover rotisserie chicken and the flavor was unbeatable, as with all your recipes!
i still dont have any chiptle powder so I ised fresh jalepeno inatead.
I made this for my husband and I last night and we loved it! I used chili powder because I didn’t have chipotle and topped mine with some cilantro + green onion. My husband had the same plus lots of shredded cheese + tortilla chips. I got this recipe from the @whole30recipe IG page but will be following this account now too!
I made this tonight and it was wonderful. The husband came in the kitchen at least three times scoping out the fresh goodness going in, and I caught him looking in the pot once it was simmering :). Stamp of approval: Before dinner he did not add his usual cheese and sour cream, and After dinner he asked where I got the recipe from.
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I made this in my Dutch oven and it was very good! Nice flavors. I will say it’s very spicy. Maybe I’ll just had one can green chili’s next time!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you liked it, Shanita!
This is so easy and delicious! I have made it many times. Recently I substituted the can of diced green chili with can of chipotle peppers because it’s what I had in hand. It worked beautifully in this soup!
★★★★★
Thank you for sharing, Ashley! I’m so glad you love it!
Hey! I love this recipe, I just made it today and can’t wait to make it again. Although, I am only one person, can I freeze it? If so, for how long and what is the best way to reheat it?
Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi, Julie! You can definitely freeze it. When you are ready to reheat I recommend letting the soup thaw in the fridge before reheating on the stovetop. Hope that helps!
Yum! This was so delicious. Lime juice and fresh cilantro really brought it home for me. I couldn’t resist and topped with sour cream, fresh avocado and tortilla strips.
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Allison!
I made this with our Thanksgiving leftover turkey! So easy and SO delicious! Hubby told me I could make it every night and he would be happy 😆
★★★★★
That’s the best compliment, Felicia! So glad y’all loved it!
So easy and so delicious, thank you! I added a 1/4 tsp of cayenne because we like really spicy and it was perfect!
★★★★★
I’ve made this soup about 8 times and love it. It’s very versatile: I like to add black beans, corn and greens beans, skip the bell and canned peppers, doubled the recipe.I’ve also made it vegetarian by omitting the chicken and using vegetable stock. It’s always delicious.
Thank you so much for the beautiful photography and clearly written, delicious recipes. Love your blog – please write a cookbook! 🙂
★★★★★
This might be my new favorite Fall/Winter meal! This soup was super easy to make and turned out so delicious. It also made great leftovers in the days after!
★★★★★
This has become one of my go-to weeknight recipes! So easy, so delicious, and super adaptable to stuff that’s already in my pantry! I like to use store-bought rotisserie chicken to make it even easier! So good!
Great recipe, cooked mine in the instant pot as instructed, cane out perfect. I added some steam cauliflower rice to the bottom of my bowl before the soup.
Thank you 🙂
★★★★★
Ashley does it again with easy and delicious recipes.
★★★★★
If using an instant pot do you know how long would be good to do, and do you think an instant pot would work fine for this? Looks amazing!!!
I used the Instant pot— first the sauté function and then cooked for 20 minutes. The chicken fell apart and barely needed shredding. Delicious!
★★★★★
Thank you for sharing! I want to make it in the instant pot too.
This recipe has become a staple for me! It’s easy and healthy and I can prep a big batch to keep in mason jars in the freezer to thaw out on busy days. I top it with sour cream and sometimes add some lentil pasta if I’m extra hungry. Thank you so much for this recipe!
★★★★★
This soup was delicious!! The spices make it so flavorful. We added avocado slices and jalapeños as toppings and it was amazing! Will be making again for sure!
Hi! I expect the chilies and tomatoes are undrained, correct? Thanks!
Made this last night with leftover rotisserie chicken and the flavor was unbeatable, as with all your recipes!
i still dont have any chiptle powder so I ised fresh jalepeno inatead.
A hug in a bowl! This soup is super flavorful, easy to prep, and the perfect comfort meal. This soup is perfect anytime of the year.
Love the simplicity of this recipe!!! So easy 👏🏻👏🏻
I made this for my husband and I last night and we loved it! I used chili powder because I didn’t have chipotle and topped mine with some cilantro + green onion. My husband had the same plus lots of shredded cheese + tortilla chips. I got this recipe from the @whole30recipe IG page but will be following this account now too!
I made this tonight and it was wonderful. The husband came in the kitchen at least three times scoping out the fresh goodness going in, and I caught him looking in the pot once it was simmering :). Stamp of approval: Before dinner he did not add his usual cheese and sour cream, and After dinner he asked where I got the recipe from.
Made this tonight and it was so good! Very flavorful, quick and whole30 to boot.
made this soup and LOVED it. such a good recipe. thank you for sharing it with all of us! <3