Spicy Chicken Soup with Beans and Corn
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Spicy chicken soup is a hearty dinner with shredded chicken, black beans and corn in a tomato broth. Chili beans and chunky salsa give it a Mexican-inspired flavor, and sour cream stirred in at the end adds creaminess.
There’s no need to commit the whole pot to a fierce level of heat either. Pick your salsa and chili beans to match your taste, then add chili powder until you’re happy with how it tastes. A topping of fresh tomatoes and chopped onion is good with the warm soup.
Spicy Chicken Soup at a Glance
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: About 1 hour 30 minutes
Total: About 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: About 12
Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
Main ingredients: Chicken, beans, corn, tomatoes and sour cream
Cooking method: Stovetop
Storage: Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days; freeze without sour cream
Why You’ll Love It
- You choose the heat: The salsa and chili powder let you adjust how spicy dinner will be.
- It makes a generous batch: There’s enough soup to feed a group or portion out for later.
- Pantry ingredients do much of the work: Canned beans and tomatoes save preparation without requiring a separate sauce.
Spicy Chicken Soup Ingredients
The complete ingredients list and quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Chicken: Choose boneless, skinless breasts. You’ll poach them gently and shred them before adding them to the tomato mixture.
- Beans: You’ll need black beans and chili beans. Drain and rinse the black beans, but add the chili beans with their seasoned sauce. These are canned beans in chili sauce, not canned beef chili.
- Tomatoes and salsa: Whole peeled tomatoes, diced tomatoes and condensed tomato soup form the base. Choose chunky tomato salsa at your preferred heat level. Add the condensed soup straight from the can without diluting it.
- Corn: Drain canned whole kernel corn before adding it.
- Broth: Start with prepared chicken broth [stock], either from a carton or made with bouillon according to the package directions. Reserve the specified amount of poaching broth for the soup.
- Seasonings: Fresh onion and garlic go into the tomato base. Garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley season the poaching broth. Use US-style chili powder, a seasoning blend, and adjust it to taste. UK chili powder may be much hotter.
- Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream is my choice. Stir it into the finished soup off the heat, with extra available for topping.
How to Make Spicy Chicken Soup
The full instructions with weights and measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Poach the chicken: Gently cook the chicken in seasoned broth, checking the thickest part of each breast with a thermometer.
- Shred and reserve: Lift out the cooked chicken, shred it and measure out the broth you need.
- Cook the onion: Cook it in olive oil, then stir in the garlic.
- Simmer the soup: Add the tomatoes, beans, corn and salsa with the shredded chicken and measured broth. Break up the whole tomatoes and simmer gently.
- Finish with sour cream: Take the pot off the heat. Whisk some hot broth into the sour cream, then gradually stir that mixture into the soup. Garnish and serve!
Substitutions and Variations
- Milder soup: Choose mild salsa and mild chili beans. Leave out the chili powder initially, then taste before adding any.
- More heat: Add extra chili powder gradually. You can also offer hot sauce at the table so everyone can adjust their own portion.
- Gluten-free: Choose gluten-free condensed tomato soup, broth, salsa and chili beans, and check the seasoning labels.
- Dairy-free: Leave out the sour cream or choose an unsweetened dairy-free sour cream alternative. Check the condensed soup and other packaged ingredients for dairy.
- Different beans: You can use pinto beans or kidney beans instead of black beans. Drain and rinse them before adding them. You can also use a can of mixed beans, if you like.
What to Serve with Mexican-Inspired Chicken Soup
Cornbread is a good choice for a filling dinner. A piece of crusty bread works too, or you can serve the soup on its own or with a salad.
Set out chopped cherry tomatoes, white onion and cilantro [fresh coriander] with extra sour cream. I always add the toppings to individual portions just before serving so the fresh ingredients don’t cook in the pot.
Handy Equipment for Homemade Soup
- Large stockpot: Choose a pot with plenty of room for this generous batch.
- Large heatproof bowl or jug: Hold the reserved poaching broth while you cook the onion in the emptied pot.
- Measuring cups and spoons: Measure the broth, sour cream and seasonings.
- Sharp knife and cutting board: Chop the onion, garlic and fresh toppings.
- Meat thermometer: Check each chicken breast for doneness.
- Kitchen tongs: Lift the chicken out of the broth.
- Wooden spoon: Stir the soup and break up the whole tomatoes.
- Colander: Drain and rinse the black beans and drain the corn.
- Small bowl and whisk: Combine the sour cream with a little hot broth before adding it to the pot.
How to Store Spicy Chicken Soup
- Refrigerate: Divide the soup among shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Keep it covered and eat within 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat: Warm individual portions on the stove or in the microwave, stirring regularly, until they reach 165°F (74°C). Avoid prolonged boiling once the sour cream is in the soup.
- Freeze: For the best texture, freeze the soup before adding sour cream or fresh toppings. Use within 2 to 3 months for best quality. Sour cream may separate after freezing.
- Thaw and finish: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat thoroughly and stir in the sour cream off the heat.
- Make ahead: Prepare the soup base ahead and refrigerate it promptly. Keep the sour cream and fresh toppings separate until you’re ready to finish and serve it.
Spicy Chicken Soup FAQs
Yes. Skip the poaching step and use cooked shredded chicken. Add 5 cups (1.2 liters) prepared chicken broth with the tomato mixture, and add the garlic powder, onion powder, parsley and black pepper to the soup. Stir in the cooked chicken toward the end and heat it through to 165°F (74°C).
Yes, you can use boneless, skinless thighs instead of breasts. Check them individually with a thermometer and cook them to at least 165°F (74°C) before shredding.
Reserve any broth beyond the amount needed for the soup for another recipe. Cool it promptly in a shallow container, refrigerate and use within 3 to 4 days, or freeze it.
It often does separate if it goes straight into boiling soup. Take the pot off the heat, whisk a little hot broth into the sour cream, then gradually stir it into the soup.
Spicy Chicken Soup with Beans and Corn
Ingredients
- 4 pounds (1.8kg) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 8 cups (1.9 liters) prepared chicken broth [stock], divided
- Water, only if needed to cover the chicken while poaching
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (10 ¾-ounce/305g) can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
- 1 (15-ounce/425g) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (16-ounce/454g) can chili beans, undrained
- 1 pound (454g) chunky tomato salsa
- 1 (14-ounce/400g) can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
- 2 (14-ounce/400g) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (14-ounce/400g) can whole kernel corn, drained
- US-style chili powder, to taste
- 1 cup (225g) full-fat sour cream
- Salt, to taste
- Chopped cherry tomatoes (as needed, to serve)
- Chopped white onion (as needed, to serve)
- Chopped cilantro [fresh coriander] (as needed, to serve)
- Extra sour cream (as needed, to serve)
Equipment
- Large stockpot
- Large heatproof bowl or jug
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Meat thermometer
- Kitchen tongs
- Wooden spoon
- Colander
- Small bowl
- Whisk
Method
- Put the chicken in a large stockpot with the prepared broth, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley and black pepper. Add only enough water to cover the chicken if needed. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce the heat and cook gently until each breast reaches 165°F (74°C) in its thickest part.
- Use tongs to lift the chicken onto a clean cutting board. Shred it when cool enough to handle. Pour the poaching broth into a large heatproof bowl or jug, reserving 5 cups (1.2 liters) for the soup initially. Keep any remaining broth separate.
- Heat the olive oil in the emptied stockpot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
- Stir in the condensed tomato soup, black beans, undrained chili beans, salsa, whole tomatoes with their juices, diced tomatoes with their juices, drained corn and the reserved 5 cups (1.2 liters) broth. Break up the whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
- Add the shredded chicken and chili powder to taste. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the salt and chili powder.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Put the sour cream in a small bowl and gradually whisk in a little hot broth from the pot until smooth and warm. Slowly stir this mixture into the soup. Serve with the optional toppings.
Notes
- Chili powder here means the US seasoning blend; some UK chili powders are much hotter, so add them cautiously.
- Freeze the soup before adding sour cream for the best texture.
A Hearty Chicken Soup with Some Heat
Chicken soup doesn’t have to be a light broth with noodles, although that kind is pretty good too! This chunky, tomato-based soup has enough beans and chicken to make it a hearty lunch or dinner. And of course you can adjust the heat to your taste.
Other Recipes to Try
- My chicken taco soup is another option if you fancy Mexican-inspired flavors.
- A lighter choice is Japanese onion soup.
- Three-ingredient potato soup is an easy lunch for a cold day.
- You might enjoy my seafood chowder if you fancy fish instead of chicken.
- For a meat-free lunch, I like carrot and chestnut soup.
- And here are more winter soup recipes you might enjoy.
Images: JeffreyW / Flickr · CC BY 2.0
