Chicken Soup—but make it green. As in green chili chicken soup. One of my favorite ingredients lends itself to this light and delicious flavor-packed soup. It also has quite the origin story—this recipe is dinner and entertainment.
If it’s just the soup you’re after, keto chicken soup is the original, rotisserie chicken soup wins best shortcut, and (shhhh!) chicken curry soup just might be my all-time favorite.
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The Most Expensive Soup I Ever Made
Trying out a new recipe can be a humbling experience, even if you cook full-time. The true and traumatic tale of how this soup came to be taught me a very important lesson.
Not all broilers are created equal.
My husband Doug and I were excited to be spending some time in a cute Air BnB when I was in the middle of developing this recipe. I had the method and most of the ingredients down. I was only tweaking the spices to give it a final taste test. I unpacked my gorgeous veggies in my beautiful vacation kitchen and set about consulting my page of handwritten notes.
Step 1—Broil veggies for maximum flavor.
And that’s when it happened. When I opened the broiler door, the sheet pan burst into flames. I quickly closed the door, turned off the oven, and let the fire burn out until all of my vegetable visions were reduced to inedible charcoal.
The real lesson here is that it serves you well to get to know the equipment that you cook with. And if a fire happens, don’t panic. And get to know some local take-out. Or get creative…
As you can see from the chicken chili soup recipe below, the “broil your veggies” step has been replaced with a simple jar of salsa verde. And now you know why. Enjoy! – Linds x
Ingredient Notes
- Jalapeño – ribs + seeds removed for less spice, or keep them in for extra heat.
- Spices – cumin + coriander.
- Low sodium chicken broth – so we can adjust the salt on our own.
- Salsa Verde – wayyy easier than broiling vegetables, but with all the same flavor.
- Chicken breasts – I love shucked rotisserie chicken for this (I usually use chicken thighs, breast and all) or leftover Peruvian chicken.
- Pinto beans – skip for a green chili chicken soup low carb variation. You can make healthy green chili chicken soup with white beans, cannellini beans, or whatever variety you prefer.
How to Make Green Chili Chicken Soup
- Saute the onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño in oil until soft.
- Add garlic and spices, and cook until fragrant.
- Add the chicken broth, salsa verde, salt, and pepper.
- Bring the soup to a low boil and cook for 30 minutes.
- Add the shredded chicken, beans, heavy cream, and stir to combine.
- Garnish with avocado, cilantro, and lime slices, and enjoy!
Freezing Tips
This easy green chili chicken soup is perfect to make ahead and freeze — I like to freeze servings in a large resealable bag by placing them flat on a baking sheet, one at a time. This will give you easy to stack baggies that don’t stick together.
Recipe Variations
- Mix in your chili faves – such as different beans, corn, hatch green chiles, fresh lime juice, etc.
- Make this spicier by adding hatch chiles, more jalapenos, or another spice you love to your green chicken chili.
- Use a different protein – check out my Colorado green chili recipe for a pork alternative.
More Soup Recipes
Green Chili Chicken Soup
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2 green bell peppers diced
- 1 jalapeño ribs + seeds removed, minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 4 cups chicken broth low-sodium
- 2 cups salsa verde
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken breasts cooked + shredded
- 1 can pinto beans drained + rinsed
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Toppings:
- cilantro
- lime slices
- avocado
- sour cream
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Saute. Heat olive oil (1 tablespoon) in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the onion (1 large), bell peppers (2 green), and jalapeño (1) -- cook until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic (2 cloves), cumin (1 teaspoon), and coriander (1 teaspoon), and toast until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Simmer. Add the chicken broth (4 cups), salsa verde (2 cups), salt (1 1/2 teaspoon), and pepper (1/2 teaspoon) and bring the soup to an aggressive simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Final touches. Add the shredded chicken (4 cups), beans (1 can), heavy cream (1/2 cup), and stir to combine. Ladle soup into bowls and top with avocado, cilantro, and lime slices. Serve with chips and enjoy!
This looks amazing! I’m going to make up a batch of this and serve it with corn chips. Yummo!
Yay! Hope you enjoy, Beth!
I love trying new soup! This sounds like a flavorful win!
Right, Dorothy?! Enjoy!
This soup is crazy delicious! Make it immediately <3
SO glad you liked it, Kathleen!
A recipe with some of my favourite ingredients. I cannot wait to try it because it looks beyond delicious. Thank you!
Yay! Can’t wait to hear what you think, Charla!
The soup was super hearty and delicious, just what I was looking for on a rainy day.
Yay! So glad you liked it, Tavo!
My family love spicy food and this soup is such a hearty meal and packed with flavour.
Yahoo! So glad all loved it, Amanda!
I had some salsa verde leftover from another meal, so decided to give this recipe a go! We all loved it here, and were fighting over the last ladleful! Brilliant recipe!
Awesome! That sounds really good, Ieva~
What a beautiful soup! Sorry to hear about the fire, but salsa verde works fine too! 🙂
Yay! Hope you enjoy, Dijana!
This Chicken Soup looks perfect! I need to add this to our menu soon!
Yay! Can’t wait to haer what you think, Erin!
This soup seems to be so flavorful! My husband will love it!
Yay! Hope you both enjoy it, Catalina!
This is such a satisfying meal! It is so perfect for weeknights!
So glad you liked it, Sandra!
This is really good! It quickly became a favorite at my house!!
SO glad to hear that, Sandra!
Fantastic soup!!! My husband ate all, but one bowl that I ate. I did substitute sour cream for heavy cream. A keeper, as my Mother would say…
Yay! SO glad you all enjoyed it, Camilla!
What about black soy beans (which are rarely seen in low carb recipes) instead of pinto beans?
Definitely a great low carb, high protein option. Throw them in if you love them!