Creamy Chicken Taco Soup
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This creamy chicken taco soup recipe is loaded with tender shredded chicken, sweet corn, black beans, and smoky fire-roasted tomatoes in a rich, cozy broth. Cream cheese makes it luxuriously creamy, and it all comes together in one pot on a busy weeknight.
If you’ve spent any time on my blog, you know I’m all about bold Mexican flavors, and that I have a serious soup obsession. So when I can’t decide between taco night and a cozy bowl of soup, this creamy chicken taco soup recipe lets me have both at once. It’s loaded with tender shredded chicken, sweet corn, black beans, and smoky fire-roasted tomatoes in a broth that tastes like it took far more effort than it did.
Two small details are what make this chicken taco soup with cream cheese better than any other I’ve tried. First, I poach the chicken breasts right in the broth instead of cooking them separately. As they gently simmer, they flavor the stock and stay juicy enough to shred, so nothing gets wasted, and the broth turns rich and savory. Second, the cream cheese. It’s what makes the soup creamy and gives it that luxurious body, but cream cheese doesn’t melt easily, so I cut it into small cubes and let them sit in the hot pot for a few minutes to soften before stirring. Skip that step, and you’ll be chasing lumps around the pot. Give it those few minutes, and it melts smoothly into the broth.
The fire-roasted tomatoes pull the whole thing together, adding a gentle smokiness that makes the soup taste like it simmered all afternoon. It comes together in one pot on a busy weeknight, but it’s cozy and satisfying enough that no one will guess how simple it was. Ladle it into bowls with all your favorite taco toppings and dig in.
You might also enjoy my taco soup with ground beef.
Slow cooker version
If you’d rather use your slow cooker, here’s how. Start by cooking the onion, garlic, and red bell pepper in a pan until softened, then stir in the taco seasoning, salt, and pepper. Once the spices are fragrant and lightly toasted, transfer everything to your slow cooker along with the chicken stock, fire-roasted tomatoes, and chicken breasts. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
When the chicken is done, lift it out and shred it with two forks, then stir the cream cheese, frozen corn, and black beans into the slow cooker and return the shredded chicken to the pot. Cover and give it another 15 to 30 minutes, until the corn and beans are heated through and the cream cheese has melted smoothly into the broth.
My favorite chicken taco soup toppings
I’m a big fan of piling toppings onto soup; it just makes dinner more fun. A dollop of sour cream is the one I never skip, since it turns the soup extra creamy and dials down the heat. From there, I love a shower of grated cheddar, a handful of crushed tortilla chips for crunch, and plenty of fresh cilantro. Creamy avocado slices are lovely too, and a squeeze of lime right before eating brightens the whole bowl. If you like a little more heat, sliced jalapeños are the way to go.
If you want to add some more veggies to dinner, my Mexican cucumber salad makes a great side!
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.
Creamy Chicken Taco Soup (made in 35 minutes!)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 medium onion (minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (diced)
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning (use my 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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New favorite!
I swapped fire roasted peppers and used plain crushed tomatoes and 2C less broth and added little turmeric but flavors are so good together! Thank you for great recipe!
How do I get it golden as in the photo when you use red tomatoes?
It turns that color after you add the cream cheese. 🙂
This soup was exceptional. So full of flavour. The corn gave it a hint of sweetness. I added 2 tbsps of cornstarch like another reviewer did and it made it the perfect consistency. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly as written. Delectable. Thank you.
Came out so tasty! I made a few changes though: I don’t like black beans, so I swapped them out for kidney beans, I used half the cream cheese suggested, and added two heaping tablespoons of corn starch to thicken it up. Served over rice and topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro. So good!
Super good!! Modified for kids and used petite diced tomatoes instead of the other but loved it so much!
Can you freeze this? It’s amazing! But we have a lot of leftovers!
Yes! This soup freezes very well.
Can you make this in a crock pot?
Yes! Cook the veggies first. Then wait to add the cream cheese and corn until you take the chicken out to shred. 🙂
This was delish. I used a hand mixer to shred the chicken before adding back to the soup. So much easier.
Can you make this in a crockpot?
Yes! Cook the veggies first. The soup can be cooked on high for 4 hours or low for 8. Add the cream cheese and corn when you take out the chicken to shred it. 🙂
I’m cooking this now. Messed up steps tho. I put the corn in with the chicken. As soon as the chicken is done I will take it out and shredd it after putting the cream cheese in. I hope it is still good. It sure smells good
Very delicious
I liked the flavors, but it was a very thin soup which disappointed me a bit. Maybe less chicken stick?? Also the color wasn’t the same as pictured. Ugh – maybe I messed up.
Very easy to make and so tasty.
This soup is delicious. I opted to make some of the” homemade taco seasoning “ from your site. I used 1/2 smoked and 1/2 sweet paprika. I also used low fat cream cheese. I think the soup is so full of flavours that no toppings are necessary but about 1/2 way through my bowl, I crunched up some tortilla chips for a bit of different texture. Absolutely delicious
Just made this! Very tasty. Shredding the chicken took longer than I expected, but worth it – the texture is better than the few pieces I diced. Yum!
Hi could we use any type of canned tomatoes if we can’t find fire roasted ones
Yes! Regular canned diced tomatoes will work, too. 🙂
I made it with ground turkey instead of chicken- SO good! love the flavors!
Great idea to use turkey!