Creamy Chicken Taco Soup
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This is the chicken taco soup my family asks for all the time. I’ve perfected this recipe so that it is easy to make and full of flavor.
If you’ve spent time on my blog, you know I’m all about bold Mexican flavors AND that I have a serious soup obsession. So when it comes to deciding between a taco night or a comforting bowl of soup, why not enjoy the best of both worlds?
Enter my beloved creamy chicken taco soup. It’s full of tender, shredded chicken, sweet corn, black beans, and fire-roasted tomatoes. And the flavorful broth is incredible, thanks to poaching the chicken breasts in the stock, those amazing fire-roasted tomatoes, and some delicious cream cheese. Let me show you how to make a soup you’ll dream about for days!
You might also enjoy my taco soup with ground beef.
Key creamy chicken taco soup ingredients
- Taco seasoning: I use my homemade taco seasoning, which has a bit of heat and lots of flavor, but you can also use store-bought.
- Chicken broth: Homemade chicken bone broth will give this chicken taco soup recipe the best flavor. If you use store-bought stock, you may want to add a little more salt and pepper.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes: I love the slightly smoky flavor of these tomatoes, but regular diced tomatoes can be used if that’s what you have in your pantry.
- Chicken breasts: You can also use boneless chicken thighs. If you use thighs, use four.
- Cream cheese: This is what makes the soup creamy and unbelievably delicious. Cream cheese doesn’t melt well, which is why I cut it into small cubes before adding it to the pot. Let it sit in the pot to soften for a few minutes before stirring it.
Slow cooker version
Follow step one: heat the onion, garlic, and red bell pepper. Then, add the taco seasoning, salt, and pepper. Once the spices have toasted, transfer everything to your slow cooker and add the chicken stock, fire-roasted tomatoes, and chicken breasts. Cover it and leave on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Then, remove the chicken and shred it with two forks on a chopping board. Stir in the cream cheese, frozen corn, and black beans, and add the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker. Come back in 15-30 minutes when the corn and beans are heated through, and the cream cheese has melted.
My favorite chicken taco soup toppings
I’m a big fan of adding toppings to soup; it just makes dinner more fun. Here are a few of my favorites that go great with this soup:
- Sour cream (works to dial down the heat)
- Cilantro
- A little lime juice
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Tortilla chips
- Avocado
- Sliced jalapeños
Variations to try
There are so many ways to make this chicken taco soup recipe your own!
- Switch up the beans. White beans or kidney beans work great, too.
- Use ground chicken and cook it with the onion and garlic.
- Make it spicy by adding chili flakes.
- Omit the cream cheese for a non-creamy version.
- Or make it extra creamy by adding a cup of grated cheddar cheese.
- Use leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken.
Storing and freezing
Store: If you’re lucky enough to have leftover taco chicken soup, let it cool to room temperature, then transfer it to storage containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheat: I like to reheat this soup in a pot over medium heat, but a microwave works just as well.
Freeze: This soup freezes very well. Let it cool completely before transferring it to freezer-safe bags. I’ve found that the best way to store soup is in these reusable Stasher freezer bags.
Chicken Taco Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 medium onion (minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (diced)
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning (use our homemade taco seasoning for the best flavor!)
- 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 28 ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 8 ounces cream cheese (cut into cubes)
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 15 ounce can black beans (drained and rinsed)
- Toppings: cilantro, avocado, cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, and/or lime juice
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper and cook until the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes.1 tablespoon cooking oil, 1 medium onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 medium red bell pepper
- Add the taco seasoning, salt, and pepper and stir them into the veggies. Add the chicken stock, fire-roasted tomatoes, and chicken breasts and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.3 tablespoons taco seasoning, 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper, 6 cups chicken stock, 28 ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes, 2 large chicken breasts
- Remove the chicken from the pot then add the cream cheese. Shred the chicken using 2 forks (or dice it, if you prefer.) Add the shredded chicken to the pot then stir until the cream cheese melts into the broth.8 ounces cream cheese
- Add the corn and black beans and let them warm. Serve the soup topped with any or all of the toppings.2 cups frozen corn, 15 ounce can black beans, Toppings: cilantro, avocado, cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, and/or lime juice
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Made this last night and GOODNESS it was yummy! Super easy and super quick. All week, I’d had it in my mind for some reason that this was a crock pot meal. When I opened the recipe link and started to make it, I realized it was made in a pot. But I’d already lugged out the crock pot and figured “what the heck?” so I dumped all the ingredients in together. Therefore, I only used 4 cups of water because 6 seemed like way too much. Eventually, I realized I was hungrier than I thought and couldn’t wait so I dumped everything into a pot and let it simmer for about an hour. It still didn’t need more water. So I think I’d recommend starting with 4 cups and adding more as needed, but this was seriously so good that I recommended it to my whole family.
Aw, I love this — what a great kitchen adventure! 😄 I’m so glad it turned out delicious even with the crock pot detour. Starting with less water and adjusting as needed is such a smart tip, and I really appreciate you sharing what worked for you. Thank you for recommending it to your family — that means so much to me! 💛
I am Sheri’s mom and I’m making it for the third time. I used less taco seasoning….delicious
I love that you’ve made it three times!! 🫶
I love this soup. Ive made it a few times now and I love when I get to the bottom and use rice to make it a little different… it’s amazing both ways! Thanks for the recipe
I bet it’s delicious with rice! Great idea!
Can Greek yogurt be used instead of cream cheese?
It won’t hurt to add a little, but it won’t have the same effect as cream cheese. If you want to use Greek yogurt, I would simply omit the cream cheese and add a dollop of yogurt to your soup bowl.
I made this recipe twice it is delicious & my family loved it!
Thanks so much for letting me know, Valerie!!
I like this soup but every time I make it I have trouble melting the cream cheese even though it’s cubed. I end up with small pieces of cream cheese that I can’t seem to melt or break up with a whisk. Any suggestions?
Cream cheese is tricky to melt. I find that if you leave it for 5 minutes or so it will incorporate easier into the soup. You could stir the whole time, or just let it simmer and come back to stir it in. I hope that helps!
I used an immersion blender briefly. It worked well to emulsify the cream cheese. It does blend a few beans and such, but use it just in the very top and it’ll be fine!
That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing!!
Perhaps a blender, or better yet, an immersion blender?
This sounds yummmmy. I’m going to try leaving out the corn and black beans.
Delicious and tasty! Also, easy to make.
I am concerned about freezing soups with heavy cream or cream cheese. Seems like the texture might change. What do you think?
I’m usually leery of that too. But I have frozen this soup several times (it’s my daughter’s favorite) and it’s always been fine. If you want to play it safe, you could add the cream cheese to it when you warm it up.
This looks delicious! Suggestions to make this vegetarian? Would it be good just without chicken and using veggie stock?
Using bone broth adds a ton of flavor to the recipe. While you can use veggie stock, you will likely need to add more salt and perhaps more seasonings to boost the flavor. The chicken really does bulk it up and make it filling. You could try adding more beans. Or even using a ground beef replacement might work.
Yes, try veggie stock but also try subbing lentils for the meat. I use lentils alone or with a small amount of meat as a stretcher. I even carry dishes with lentils to pot luck meals and no one notices the difference!
I’m a huge fan of soy chunks in place of meat. I’m not vegetarian, but sometimes I make vegetarian meals and soy chunks are my go-to for replacing meat.