Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup tastes like chicken enchiladas – but takes a lot less effort! Sensational slow cooker soup that’s quick to prepare yet loaded with flavour. 10 minutes prep with lots of can opening, and a good amount of spices for a hit of Mexican flavour.
Hearty, chunky, healthy, totally delicious!
Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup
This is a soup that is particularly fantastic to make in the slow cooker. Cooking it low and slow lets the chicken breast cook gently until it’s tender and shreddable, the beans and corn absorb the heavenly spice flavours in the Mexican flavoured soup broth, and the tomatoes break down to thicken the soup.
After tossing the shredded chicken back in, there’s nothing required to be done to finish it off before serving other than grabbing a few toppings. Shredded cheese, dollop of sour cream or yogurt plus a sprinkle of fresh coriander/cilantro at a minimum.
Bonus points if you add avocado and some crunchy corn chips for dunking!
What you need
Here’s what you need for this Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup. Lots of cans and lots of spices you probably already have!
In this particular recipe, chicken breast is the ideal cut. It takes 6 to 8 hours to cook until it’s easily shreddable, the same time the broth requires for the flavours to come together and thicken.
How to make Mexican Chicken Soup
This is a soup that’s ideal for making in the slow cooker. Sauté the garlic, onion and capsicum/bell peppers, then just put everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The chicken breast will be tender and easily shreddable, the beans will have soaked up all the flavour from the spices, and the soup thickened.
To finish it off, just shred the chicken, toss it back in then serve!
This soup is the chicken version of the popular Beef Taco Soup. Quick and easy, hearty and exploding with Taco flavours!
Mexican Chicken Soup Toppings!
Toppings are not optional – they’re essential! Toppings take a tasty soup over the top to OMG this is so delish!
In my world, the bare minimum is cheese, sour cream, coriander/cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.
But if you add a little bit of diced avocado and corn chips for dunking, it will catapult this into another stratosphere of deliciousness.
And to think it’s so quick and easy to make!!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion , diced (brown, white, yellow)
- 1 red capsicum/bell pepper , large, diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 cups (750ml) chicken broth/stock , low sodium
- 800g / 28 oz canned black beans, drained (2 cans, or other beans, Note 1)
- 800g / 28 oz canned corn, drained (2 cans, or 500g/1lb frozen or fresh corn)
- 800g / 28oz crushed canned tomato OR 700g tomato passata (Note 2)
- 500g / 1 lb chicken breast
Spices
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp each onion powder and garlic powder (or 2 tsp of one of them)
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, adjust spiciness)
- 1 tsp each salt + black pepper
Toppings
- Shredded cheese (recommended)
- Sour cream or yogurt (recommended)
- Coriander/cilantro (recommended)
- Lime wedges (recommended)
- Avocado, diced
- Corn chips or tortillas , for dunking
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet and sauté the onion, capsicum/bell pepper and garlic for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add a splash of chicken broth, bring to simmer then tip it all into the slow cooker. (Instant Pot: Do Step 1 & 2 on saute function).
- Add remaining chicken broth, Spices, corn, bean and tomato. Give it a good stir, then add chicken and push down to submerge.
- Slow cook for 6 to 8 hours on LOW. (Or pressure cooker 25 minutes on high, see Note for stove).
- Remove chicken onto plate, shred with 2 forks. Return into slow cooker, give it a good stir. Check if it needs more salt or pepper.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with Toppings of choice!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published May 2014. Updated January 2019 with new photos and new recipe video!
Hearty chunky soups – reader faves!
Cosy, chunky soups that readers love! Browse all Soup Recipes for more.
Life of Dozer
Dozer’s discovered his favourite room in our new home…the PANTRY! Lots of ideas for redesigning this storage space but Dozer doesn’t care – he’s just excited to be in such close proximity to so much FOOD.
(Actually, he is strictly prohibited from entering the pantry, I just let him in for a peek 😂)
I think this is even better the next day, so make enough to have plenty of leftovers! I use skinless chicken thighs in mine because I always have some in the freezer. Plenty of coriander on top is a must!
Hi Nagi! Do you have any suggestions on which slow cooker to buy. I’m thinking of getting one to expand our dinner options. Thank you!
This is one of our fave RecipeTin Eats!! So easy and full of flavour. Like nachos in a soup. Probably made it over 5 times now and we’re not going to stop. Thank you!
Made this last night in my slow cooker. Turned out really well. The only thing I did different was I used 2 chicken breasts (about 650-700g) one wasn’t enough.
Anybody making this, definitely use the sodium reduced stock, I added no extra salt, it wasn’t required.
This is delicious! Had for dinner tonight. Didn’t toggle serves however this makes a huge amount. Have frozen half for another time. Made on stovetop due to time constraints and it was great.
I feel like a broken record with my reviews because I LOVE every recipe I’ve tried. This one worked beautifully for a group of 10 and I can’t wait to make it for our next family birthday gathering!!
So good. As with all Nagi’s recipe’s this was so full of flavour and taste. It was easy to make and best of of all, I had everything other than chicken already on hand. I love recipes that doesn’t require me to buy a whole lot of things just for that recipe. I cooked on high for 4.5 hours, everything was cooked well, chicken was tender and juicy.
This was amazing. So good we had it 3 nights in a row until all gone!
Corn chips, cheese, sour cream, jalapeños & avocado made it even better ❤️ a keeper
Made this tonight and it was so good. And so easy to make. This is definitely a keeper. But I love everything that I’ve made from this site.
Love, love, love this recipe. I’ve done in slow cooker & pressure cooker. I find it very economical, it freezes well & so easy to prep. Don’t skip the sour cream, cheese, coriander & corn chips to scoop it. A meal in a bowl. Delish.
Love this recipe!! So easy, so fresh tasting, have tried it with a variety of the suggested toppings ( sometimes all of them!! ) also freezes so beautifully for a quick easy meal on a busy night ! Thanks Nagi !
I love, love, love this recipe. Its so easy to prep, economical & freezes well. It’s a meal in a bowl & the addition of sour cream, cheese, coriander & corn chips to scoop it up with, are a must. Whenever anyone on the Recipe Tin Eats appreciation site ask for fave recipes, this is always my number 1, as it ticks all my boxes.
Many thanks Nagi. As do thousands of others, I love & appreciate all your efforts. You’re an amazing ambassador for home cooking.
I’ve made this several times and it’s delicious!! I just saw it as part of your 5 meals prep ahead post (which is brilliant by the way, thank you!), where it says you can make a freezer bag version of it to defrost and then cook in the slow cooker. It says to see note 3, but I guess this recipe has been changed since then. To make a freezer bag version for cooking at a later date, would you follow the same steps, i.e. steps 1-3 but just put all into a ziplock bag instead of into the slow cooker? Or is it best to cook it first and then freeze? Thanks!
I made this into a dump bag for my in-laws after they had a baby. You can either sauté then pop it all into the bag to freeze or skip the sauté completely and pop into the bag. I’ve never noticed a huge difference sautéing vs not. I also omitted the stock when freezing as it would have been too much to freeze and it’s so easy to add later I just noted it on the bag. Defrost completely, dump in slow cooker and cook as per instructions. Top tip freeze the bag flat as it’ll defrost easier and I also double bag just in case. I actually didn’t realise Nagi had made dump bag instructions this is just what I did knowing the basics of a dump bag. 🙂
So easy to get the slow cooker going and come home to this fabulous meal. We had cheese, corn chips and a bit of yoghurt. Just so good!
The soup was delicious. Definitely added chopped avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheese toppings. Will make again.
This soup is so yummy and fun. I love the combination of flavours and textures. I made this for dinner tonight and after fighting over seconds my kids told me I need to make this on a regular basis. I did halve the cayenne pepper as I’ve had issues with too much cayenne before. It was the perfect amount of spice for us. Thanks Nagi x
Very tasty recipe
This is mouth-wateringly good. Yum!
Hi, I’m going to try making your wonderful Mexican Chicken Soup in a pressure cooker for the first time. Your recipe recommends 25 minutes on high, but a similar recipe I see on another site (I didn’t realize you had the recommended time in yours and was trying to convert it on my own) recommends only 8-12 minutes (depending on size of the breasts) and recommends the 25 minutes for thighs. Just want to confirm that it should be 25 for breasts. Thanks!! 😋
I was looking through comments for whether to quick, natural or timed release. FYI, I quick released, all good. Thought slow cooker was better, but not by much. Hope this helps!
I had just finished simmering and tasting this recipe and was looking on the phone at the instructions when an Ad popped up… advertising canned soup. These guys have no idea who they are competing against.
Nagi 100: Canned soup 0.
HA!