Mexican Chicken Soup (Sopa de Pollo Mexicana)

This Mexican Chicken Soup comes together quickly with rotisserie or leftover chicken and is loaded with fabulous South-of-the-Border flavor!

We’ve had this Mexican Chicken Soup several times over the past few weeks but I’m making another pot tonight for dinner. Why? Well, first of all, because it’s crazy delicious and secondly because it makes wonderful leftovers to warm up for lunch or quick dinners on the run. And honestly, it seems like we’ve been on the run a LOT lately. I thought you might be in the same boat and need a recipe that comes together quickly and is a fabulous lifesaver on those busy days!

And if you know someone who needs a little TLC, this is the perfect thing to drop off with a sweet note of encouragement. They will think fondly of you with each delicious bite while being nourished inside and out!

Healthy and Tasty

I love that this Mexican Chicken Soup, in addition to being so tasty, is also loaded with veggies and lean chicken so it’s a healthy soup that I feel good about eating and serving to family and friends. The ingredient list includes onion, bell pepper, celery, carrots, corn and lots of tomatoes.

I keep things simple in this recipe by utilizing rotisserie or leftover chicken, canned tomatoes and green chilies. And if, fresh corn is out of season, sweet, tender canned corn will also work (see Café Tips below for suggestions.

Flavor bombs

I love using, what I call, flavor bombs when making soups, stews and other one-pot meals. For this Mexican Chicken Soup, there’s a whole line-up of flavor bombs:

• Canned fire-roasted tomatoes – if you’re not familiar with fire-roasted tomatoes, you’re missing out! Fire-roasted tomatoes are available in most larger grocery stores in the same area as other canned tomatoes. The difference is that these tomatoes are charred over an open fire before being diced and canned. The charring adds a delicious depth of flavor and a deep, beautiful red hue. I’ve tried lots of different brands of fire-roasted tomatoes and my favorites are _______ (kind of pricey) and the Happy Harvest brand at Aldi (super reasonable). If you live outside the U.S. or in an area where fire-roasted tomatoes are not available, regular diced canned tomatoes will also work for this recipe.
• Dried oregano – this is one of my favorite seasonings and the one herb which I actually prefer the dried version vs. fresh. Dried oregano adds a ton of delicious flavor to this soup and blends beautifully with other spices and herbs. Sometimes oregano is thought of as solely an Italian seasoning but it actually works well in many cuisines.
• Ground coriander – another spice I love! Coriander is citrusy, mildly sweet, yet savory at the same time. It’s often paired with cumin in recipes for wonderful flavor. It’s the seed of the cilantro plant, but no worries, if you’re not a cilantro lover. It tastes nothing like fresh cilantro.
• Ground cumin – cumin adds a warm, rich, earthly flavor. It’s used in lots of Southwestern and Mexican recipes.
• Smoked paprika – there are two varieties of smoked paprika, sweet and hot. If it’s not labeled “hot” you can be assured that it’s the sweet variety. Smoked paprika is made from peppers that are smoked over wood fires so, as the name indicates, it has a warm smoky flavor and aroma. I really like Frontier Smoked Paprika.
• Chili powder – just one teaspoon in this Mexican Chicken Soup recipe brings a bit of zip and a touch of heat – if you like things spicier, you can add more. I really like Ancho Chili Powder which is moderately hot with a bit of both heat and smokiness.
• Cilantro – even if you are cilantro-adverse, I recommend adding this as you will never know it’s cilantro after this soup is simmered. However, it does add a wonderful depth of flavor. Another portion of cilantro is added at the end, after cooking and before blending. If you want to skip this, it’s okay.
• Corn tortillas – although we show a bowl of crispy tortilla strips to serve as a garnish for this soup, there are also 6 small corn tortillas that are chopped and then added before the soup is simmered. The tortillas melt into the soup as it cooks and any remaining bits are pureed at the end. The corn tortillas add classic Mexican flavor but they also act as a thickener for the soup.
• Canned green chilies – an easy way to add another delicious layer of flavor.
• Brown sugar – might sound odd in a soup recipe but it rounds out the flavor. It’s just two teaspoons in this big pot of soup so it doesn’t make the soup sweet, just cuts down on the acidity of the tomatoes and balances the all-around flavor.

What to serve with this Mexican Chicken Soup

I love to serve this soup with lots of optional toppings and allow family and friends to help themselves. Here are some options:

• Crispy, oven-roasted (not fried) tortilla strips, recipe included below.
• Tortilla chips, if you’re running short on time, purchased tortilla chips are delicious with this Mexican Chicken Soup.
• Chopped tomatoes
• Fresh cilantro
• Diced avocado
• Sour cream
• Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• Crumbled Cotija cheese
• Finely sliced green onions
• Sliced jalapenos

Although this soup is fabulous on its own, our favorite side to serve with this soup is warm cornbread with honey butter. A simple green salad is also nice and, if you have a bit of extra time, this Mexican Chopped Salad is AMAZING (and one of our most popular recipes!).

This is the PERFECT soup to enjoy with family and/or friends on a crisp cool evening. It makes entertaining super easy as it can be prepared in the morning or even a day or two in advance. The crispy corn tortilla stro[s also can be prepared ahead of time. So invite some friends, put together a pot of this Mexican Chicken Soup, gather some fun toppings and it’s South-of-the-Border party time! Enjoy!

Café Tips for making this Mexican Chicken Soup

• This makes a big pot of soup. Feel free to half the recipe but, as I mentioned above, it does reheat beautifully and also freezes well.
• I love that there’s no fussy chopping for this Mexican Chicken Soup. Because everything gets blended before the chicken and corn are added at the end, you can just coarsely chop the veggies and throw them in the pot.
• Regarding the corn in this recipe. If it’s corn season and you can get fresh corn on the cob, by all means, use it. During the off-season (or if you’re pressed for time), there are some really good canned corn options available. I really like the tiny Green Giant Steam Crisp Corn. It comes in 11-ounce cans and the corn is sweet and slightly crisp. You could also use frozen corn although I’ve found that many brands of frozen corn are not great, they’re either mushy or the kernels are tough.
• If you use fresh corn, I love this super easy way to cook and cut the corn from the cob. It eliminates all the mess and fuss!

• As mentioned above, don’t be afraid of the cilantro in this recipe that’s added before the soup is simmered. If you have any cilantro-adverse family members or friends, I promise they will enjoy this soup. You can’t taste the cilantro as “cilantro” but it does add a wonderful layer of flavor.
• You’ll note in the recipe that this soup is blended before adding the chicken and corn. You can blend it until nice and smooth if you like but I like to leave it a bit chunky. I use my immersion blender to make things really easy. The soup can be blended right in the pot and the blender attachment goes into the dishwasher. If you don’t have an immersion blender, they are wonderful kitchen workhorses and can be used for so many things. An immersion blender also makes a great gift for new cooks.

Thought for the day:

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him;
 for He knows how we are formed,
He remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:13-14

What we’re listening to for inspiration:

You Know Everything

 

If you enjoy this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.