This EASY chicken taco soup recipe is everything you look for in a weeknight dinner. I love creating soups with my favorite top-secret (not really) soup ingredient – marinara sauce! The marinara sauce imparts major flavor in a minimal amount of time, and that is one of my big shortcuts when it comes to weeknight dinners (and the weeknight dinner club for that matter!). So this taco chicken soup uses marinara? Yes. Same flavor, and have no fear, so long as you don’t use an overly Italian flavored marinara like basil or Italian sausage. It also works brilliantly in my turkey chili recipe, which has subtle chili flavors going on.
And before you serve this up for an easy weeknight dinner, want to know my top-secret-that-I’m-sure-you-know trick to get kids to eat and love this chicken taco soup? TORTILLA CHIPS. All of the tortilla chips. And I feel totally fine about that. 🙂
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
What You’ll Love About Chicken Taco Soup
- Rich and delicious flavors
- Light but satisfying
- Great source of protein
- Great source of fiber
- Made with simple ingredients
- Just 10 minutes prep time
- Just 30 minutes cook time
Ingredients
- Onion – I’ve used a white onion, but you could use a yellow onion or even a red onion if you prefer.
- Oil – Use a vegetable oil like avocado, canola, or olive oil.
- Chicken – I’ve used chicken breast tenders as an easy shortcut since we’re cutting them into small pieces. The tenders are already cut a bit which can help. You could also use chicken thighs if you prefer. If you have some slow cooker salsa chicken or sous vide shredded chicken, you could also stir that in with the beans and corn.
- Spices – Taco seasoning, sea salt, black pepper
- Marinara sauce – Yes, we’re putting marinara in this taco chicken soup recipe. Look for a very basic/plain marinara and not any with basil or heavy Italian flavors.
- Chicken broth – You can use chicken broth, bone broth, or even vegetable broth. If you want to use low sodium chicken broth, you may need to season with some extra salt.
- Black beans – We love black beans, but you could also use pinto beans or chili beans.
- Corn – I’ve used frozen corn for an easy shortcut, but you could also use fresh if you have it or canned whole kernel corn.
- Toppings – Green onions, cheddar cheese, lime wedges, cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips or tortilla strips
How to Make Taco Chicken Soup
This is an overview on how to make taco soup with chicken, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
FAQs
Why do you add marinara to chicken taco soup?
I know marinara sauce in a Mexican flavored soup sounds odd, but it’s a delicious way to easily add a deep flavor, without spending hours to let it simmer and let the flavors come together. Once I started doing this, I never looked back and I also discovered that I prefer the texture of the marinara over diced tomatoes as well. Give it a try! Just be sure to use a plain marinara and nothing too flavored.
Can I make this a creamy chicken taco soup?
Yes, it’s easy to make this a creamy chicken taco soup. When the soup is done cooking, turn off the heat and stir in 1/2-1 cup of heavy cream. Start with a 1/2 cup and then add more if desired.
Storage Instructions
Store this easy chicken taco soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
How to reheat
Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
Can you freeze this soup?
You can also freeze this Mexican chicken soup for 2-3 months. Store in a freezer container or plastic bag, thaw overnight, and reheat in the microwave or stovetop until hot
What to Serve with Chicken Taco Soup
I love to serve this one pot chicken taco soup with a ton of toppings! Really any type of Mexican toppings goes, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Shredded cheddar or Mexican-style cheese
- Sour cream
- Diced avocado
- Diced onion
- Diced bell peppers
- Lime wedges or fresh lime juice
- Sliced jalapenos
- Hot sauce or salsa
- Chopped cilantro
- Tortilla chips
- Quesadillas – Try ground beef, shrimp, steak, or chicken fajita quesadillas
How to Feed Chicken Taco Soup Recipe to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.
I would recommend serving the healthy chicken taco soup in a pinch bowl (taster bowl) if it’s a new or learning-to-like it food. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter if they don’t do tortilla chips or tortillas.
PRO TIP: Soup can be tough for young children, so serve up the bowl of soup with less broth so it’s thicker and chunkier and easier to keep on a spoon.
More Easy Soup Recipes
If you like this easy chicken taco soup recipe, you might also like some of these other easy soup recipes:
- Easy Dumpling Soup
- Mexican Lentil Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Creamy Chicken Ramen
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
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Easy Chicken Taco Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
This EASY chicken taco soup recipe utilizes my FAVORITE (secret) soup ingredient! Make in just over 30 mins + serve w/ fresh toppings.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 lb. chicken breast tenders
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
- 24 oz. marinara sauce (not Italian or basil)
- 4 cups chicken broth (or bone broth or vegetable broth)
- 15 oz. can black beans (rinsed)
- 2 cups frozen corn
- sliced green onions
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- lime wedges
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 avocado, diced
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Prep ingredients:
Dice onion.
Cut chicken into 1″ pieces. - Heat oil in soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan, saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chicken to pot, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning and stir to coat the chicken.
- Pour marinara sauce and chicken broth into the pot and bring to a boil.
- Stir in black beans and frozen corn and lower heat to low and gentle simmer for 20 minutes.
- While soup is simmering, prep toppings: slice green onions, cut lime into wedges, chop cilantro, dice avocado.
- Serve soup with toppings as desired.
Notes
- Estimated nutrition facts do not include toppings.
- Get your kids involved! They can: measure corn, arrange toppings on a platter.
Keywords: Mexican chicken soup, chicken taco soup recipe
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Julie
We love tacos (who doesn’t!) but this was a fun way to switch up our weekly taco meal!
★★★★★
Cathie Barcia
So simple to make, and very tasty!!
★★★★★
Emily
Thanks Cathie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!