Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

The One I Make Every Single Sunday

Every weeknight at 5 PM all families go through a certain kind of disorder: the children require assistance with their homework, there’s always someone asking what dinner will be, and you’re n front of the fridge with no desire whatever to cook. This Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup is the answer to all of that. I place all the ingredients into the slow cooker long before I think about the rest of my day, and by the time dinner is ready the whole house smells as though a taco truck has been parked in my kitchen.

There’s no need to stand beside the stove and no last-minute hurry – instead you just have a big, steaming bowl containing cheese, a few crunchy tortilla strips, and a scoop of sour cream which melts right into the centre. I started making this dish because I had been spending too many nights getting takeout since I “didn’t have the time” to cook; it turns out that all it requires is ten minutes of chopping in the morning, the slow cooker carries out most of the work, the chicken breaks down into these perfect little ribbons and the result is a soup which has the flavour of having simmered all day on the stove – even though, in fact, it does rather do that.

Why This Recipe Works

The most important part of this recipe is the method used. If you cook the chicken breasts whole directly in the broth and the tomatoes, they will stay juicy rather than drying out, and when you shred them at the end, they will take in all of that smoky, spiced liquid instead of ending up with a flat taste and being separate from the rest of the soup.

The black beans and the corn give the dish a certain texture as well as a little sweetness which balances the acidity of the tomatoes, and the packet of taco seasoning provides most of the flavouring so that you don’t have to measure out a dozen different spices. It is a recipe in which the ingredients basically cook themselves and become a well-balanced meal with no need for you to watch them

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup Recipe (Dump-and-Go, Serves 6)

Make slow cooker chicken taco soup with just 10 minutes of prep. A dump-and-go recipe that serves 6, with shredded chicken, beans, corn and toppings.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• INGREDIENTS
• What You’ll Need
• FOR THE SOUP
• 1.5 pounds of chicken breasts which have no bone
• in them and no skin on them (the thighs could be
• used just as well)
• 1 can 15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 ounces of sweet corn which has been drained
• or 1.5 cups of frozen
• two cans each containing 14.5 ounces of diced
• tomatoes and if they are available, fire-roasted
• ones
• 1 can 10 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies
• Rotel is the classic choice
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder in a
• pinch)
• 1 packet taco seasoning about 1 oz
• 2-3 cups chicken broth depending on how thick
• you like it
• Salt and pepper to taste
• FOR TOPPING
• Shredded cheddar or Mexican
• blend cheese
• Sour cream
• Crushed tortilla chips or strips
• Fresh cilantro chopped
• Lime wedges
• Diced avocado (optional but
• really good)
• FLEXIBLE BY DESIGN
• Chicken breasts or thighs both work and the broth amount can be adjusted to make the soup as thick or brothy as you like.

Method

 

FIVE SIMPLE STEPS

How to Make It

STEP 1

1. Place all the ingredients into the slow cooker.
2. Begin by putting the chicken breasts at the bottom of the slow cooker, then add the black
3. beans, the corn, both cans of diced tomatoes, the onion and the garlic; you need not saute
4. anything since all the ingredients are to be used raw.

STEP 2

1. Season it well.
2. Spread the taco seasoning evenly over the surface and then add the chicken broth. Mix all
3. the ingredients gently so that the seasoning doesn’t just stay on top in one lump.

STEP 3

1. Cook it at a low temperature and do so slowly.
2. Cook the dish by covering it and doing so on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours
3. until the chicken is fully cooked and can be easily dispersed with a fork.

STEP 4

1. Shred the chicken.
2. Put the chicken breasts onto a cutting board and then shred them using two forks (or, if
3. you’re as lazy as I am, put them into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and
4. mix for about 10 seconds – it works amazingly well).

STEP 5

1. Stir it back in.
2. Place the chopped chicken back into the slow cooker and mix it with the broth. At this stage,
3. taste the mixture and make any required adjustments to the salt, pepper, or seasoning – as
4. each taco seasoning packet is a little different.

LADLE, TOP, SERVE

1. Put the ladle in position, cover it and then serve. Put the soup into the bowls and add the
2. cheese, the sour cream, the crushed chips, the cilantro and any other items you’d like to
3. include. Serve it straight away since it’s still hot and the cheese is just starting to melt.
4. SLOW COOKER RECIPE CHICKEN TACO SOUP
5. A cozy, make-ahead weeknight favorite 4
6. COOK’S NOTES

A Few Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way

RINSE THE BEANS

1. There is no reason to leave out the rinsing of the black beans since the liquid they give off is
2. starchy and will make your broth turn cloudy and a bit too thick.

THICKEN WITHOUT CORNSTARCH

1. Should your soup end up thinner than you want after cooking, all you have to do is press a little
2. of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon and this will thicken it without the need
3. for cornstarch.

CONSIDER CHICKEN THIGHS

1. And if you are using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, you should know that they will
2. shred more easily and will give the broth a bit more flavour – in fact, I usually prefer them.
3. MAKE IT YOURS

Switch It Up

1. If you want a creamier soup, you can just add a block of softened cream cheese or a small amount of
2. heavy cream at the end – in this way the dish will become similar to white chicken taco soup. For people
3. who enjoy their food spicy, add some diced jalapeno or a spoonful of chipotle in adobo at the beginning to
4. give it a smoky taste. Even if you don’t have a slow cooker, the recipe will still work well in an Instant Pot
5. by cooking it on high pressure for 12 minutes, or by simmers it on the stovetop for about 30 minutes using
6. pre-cooked shredded rotisserie chicken.
7. SLOW COOKER RECIPE CHICKEN TACO SOUP
8. A cozy, make-ahead weeknight favorite 5
9. PLAN AHEAD

Storing Leftovers

1. The soup can be kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to four days and, in reality, tastes
2. even better the next day because the flavours have had time to mix together. It also freezes very well for a
3. period of three months, just make sure that you leave out the toppings when freezing it. To reheat it, use
4. medium-low heat on the stove and add a little broth if it has thickened too much while in the fridge.
5. FRIDGE FREEZER REHEAT
6. Up to 4 days Up to 3 months Medium-low heat
7. ROUND OUT THE MEAL

What to Serve Alongside

1. What you essentially need is either a warm basket of cornbread or a few more tortilla chips, but a simple
2. salad with lime vinaigrette is very effective since it offsets the richness. To feed a large number of people,
3. it is necessary to include quesadillas or a plate of elote (Mexican street corn) so that the meal becomes
4. more complete

Notes

I have discovered that this chicken taco soup is one of the recipes I keep coming back to, not because it is complicated, but since it can tolerate imprecision and is at the same time satisfying and simple enough to prepare even on the busiest of days; after you’ve  made it, you will most likely find that it ends up becoming a regular part of your household schedule as well.