Description
This Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup is a flavorful, hearty, and comforting dish perfect for a cozy meal. Combining tender shredded chicken, black beans, corn, and crushed tomatoes with traditional Mexican spices, it’s easy to prepare in a slow cooker, making it ideal for busy days. Serve it with your favorite toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, and crunchy corn chips for a deliciously satisfying experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced (brown, white, or yellow)
- 1 large red capsicum/bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups (750ml) low sodium chicken broth/stock
- 800g / 28 oz canned black beans, drained (approx. 2 cans)
- 800g / 28 oz canned corn, drained (approx. 2 cans or alternatively 500g fresh or frozen corn)
- 800g / 28 oz crushed canned tomatoes (or 700g tomato passata)
- 500g / 1 lb chicken breast
Spices and Seasonings
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, adjust to spiciness preference)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Optional Toppings
- Shredded cheese (recommended)
- Sour cream or yogurt (recommended)
- Fresh coriander/cilantro (recommended)
- Lime wedges (recommended)
- Diced avocado
- Corn chips or tortillas, for dunking
Instructions
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the diced onion, red capsicum/bell pepper, and minced garlic, sautéing for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are translucent and fragrant.
- Deglaze and Transfer: Add a splash of chicken broth to the skillet to deglaze and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Then transfer everything into your slow cooker (if using an Instant Pot, complete steps 1 and 2 using the sauté function).
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Pour in the remaining chicken broth, followed by the dried oregano, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (if using), salt, and black pepper. Add the drained corn, black beans, and crushed tomatoes. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients. Nestle the chicken breasts into the mixture to ensure they are submerged.
- Slow Cook the Soup: Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, allowing the flavors to meld and the chicken to become tender. For faster cooking, use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
- Shred Chicken: Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker onto a plate. Use two forks to shred the meat finely, then return the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker. Stir well to incorporate and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper if needed.
- Serve and Garnish: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with your preferred garnishes such as shredded cheese, sour cream or yogurt, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, diced avocado, and serve with corn chips or tortillas for dipping.
Notes
- You can substitute black beans with other beans such as pinto or kidney beans according to preference.
- If using tomato passata instead of crushed canned tomatoes, the soup will have a slightly smoother texture.
- For stovetop cooking, after sautéing vegetables and adding all ingredients, simmer covered on low for about 1 to 1.5 hours until chicken is cooked and tender.
- Adjust cayenne pepper depending on your heat tolerance. Omit if you prefer a milder soup.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Mexican chicken soup, slow cooker soup, shredded chicken soup, black bean soup, corn soup, easy slow cooker recipes, healthy chicken soup
