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Put leftover chicken to work in this easy Mexican Chicken Soup recipe. It comes together fast, and it’s good for whatever ails you, even if it’s just a case of the Monday blues.
Similar to Chicken Tortilla Soup and Caldo de Pollo (Chicken Soup), this is among the most common Mexican soup recipes. But in the USA, it feels like a classic “put your leftover Rotisserie Chicken to work” recipe. Remove the skin and bones, shred the meat, and you’re halfway to dinner. But it’s so easy to make, you’ll wish you had made it sooner!
I like this recipe because it’s light and full of fresh flavors but also very satisfying for the whole family. It’s an easy recipe to double, too. If you don’t have enough shredded chicken for double chicken, you can always stretch it with something else. Pile in black beans or extra veggies like corn, potatoes, or zucchini. Leftover cooked rice, especially Mexican rice, is a nice touch too.
And don’t forget the toppings! Sour cream, cheese, sliced avocado, more cilantro, fresh lime juice, hot sauce, a sprinkle of chili powder, sliced fresh chiles, tortilla strips, it’s all good. And honestly, I love a handful of crisp shredded lettuce on top, too.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: If you don’t have any leftover chicken on hand, learn how to poach chicken breasts (it’ll be ready by the time you need to add the chicken to the soup).
- Cilantro: If you’re not a fan of cilantro, just leave this out entirely. Maybe sub a pinch of Mexican oregano.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, tomatoes and juice, jalapeño, cumin, and coriander.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir in chicken and cilantro (if using). Season to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). Serve, offering, cheese, sour cream, avocado, and tortilla chips or your favorite toppings.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 6 hearty servings of about 1 ½ cups of soup per person.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cool and freeze leftover soup in freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Mexican vegetable soup: Follow the recipe as written but leave out the chicken and add way more veggies! Zucchini, cubed potatoes, and corn are a good place to start. Want to make it like they do in Mexico? Add your corn still on the cob! Cut each cob into 3 or 4 chunks and add them to the pot. Or you can buy them in the freezer that size sometimes, too.
- Albondigas soup (meatball soup): Add turkey meatballs to the soup instead of shredded chicken, it’s absolutely delicious!
- Taco Soup: Made with ground beef, canned veggies, and taco seasoning, this Tex-Mex favorite is another delicious, hearty meal option.
Frequently Asked Questions
This Mexican beef soup is made with a bone-in beef shank.
This classic soup is made with chunks of pork or chicken, hominy (dried corn), chiles, and spices. Sometimes, you add a green salsa made with tomatillos and poblano peppers on top.
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Mexican Chicken Soup
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 ribs celery chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes undrained
- 1 jalapeño pepper stemmed, seeded, and minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro optional (see note 2)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- avocado peeled, pitted, and diced
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, tomatoes and juice, jalapeño, cumin, and coriander.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir in chicken and cilantro (if using). Season to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). Serve, offering, cheese, sour cream, avocado, and tortilla chips or your favorite toppings.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chicken: If you don’t have any leftover chicken on hand, learn how to poach chicken breasts (it’ll be ready by the time you need to add the chicken to the soup).
- Cilantro: If you’re not a fan of cilantro, just leave this out entirely.
- Yield: This recipe makes 6 hearty servings of about 1 ½ cups of soup per person.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I just fixed this and ate three bowls! It’s excellent. I added avocado but it was good by itself. The only changes I made were: I added red potatoes and substituted basil for coriander because I didn’t have it. And I did not add cilantro (which was optional) and I added 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. I think the biggest compliment was when my husband, who does not care for chicken soups, said it was really good. I will definitely be fixing this again and often. I love that it is healthy, too!
I’m so glad you loved it, MaryAnn! Thank you! – Meggan
I maรฐe a huge pot of veggie soup they we got sick of eating. Changed it up by combining this recipe. Chicken , rice, celentro, cumin, fresh avacodo, lime. and of course torn up tortillas. We usually order this from our local restaurant restaurant. 15 dollars a bowl. This was tons better.
So glad you loved it, Kristen! – Meggan
Made this out of thr blue with the stuff I had in fridge. It was WONDERFUL!!! I DOUBLED THE RECIPE ANDFROZE WELL. THANX FOR SARING
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you! -Meggan
10/10!!!! We top ours with a dollop of Greek yogurt (sour cream works too) and itโs our FAVORITE soup!! We make an extra chicken breast and have some corn tortilla tacos on the side. Once a week meal in our house during the chilly monthsโฆ Tastes just like our favorite Mexican restaurant chicken soup!
So glad you and your family enjoy it, Kaitlyn! Thanks for writing, take care! – Meggan
Hola!!!! I have made this several times and always double it because hubby and I love it!!!! Great recipe!
Thank you, Antoinette! I’m glad you both love it! – Meggan
This is a great recipe, but I made some substitutions. First of all, I am allergic to carrots, so I replaced them with water chestnuts as a good crunchy alternative.
Second, I hatee onions so I used sliced bamboo shoots since they are typically served in strips similar to onions. Don’t judge me, this is just what I had around the house. I couldn’t find crushed
tomatoes at the store so I figured a can of sliced beets would make the same texture as undrained canned tomato. It came out odd, but to be fair I made a lot of bold choices, so a high rating for the original recipe! Let me know if anyone tries this
Interesting substitutions, Lyndsay! Thank you for taking the time to share. – Meggan