Southwest Chicken Soup with jalapeno peppers, Anaheim peppers, and Monterey Jack cheese. It’s a little spicy and but light and nutritious!
You’ll love how easy this spicy Southwest Chicken Soup is! There is a bit of chopping with the vegetables, but you can knock that out in about 20 minutes. Then you just put it all together and cook the soup.
This Southwest Chicken Soup is great for your Super Bowl parties, game day parties, or holiday gatherings. It feeds a crowd, is a great make ahead dish, and also stores well in the freezer.
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Southern Style Cornbread – easy cornbread recipe that goes perfectly with this soup!
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Carrots
- Onions
- Celery
- Garlic
- Jalapeño
- Anaheim or poblano pepper
- Ground cumin
- Dried thyme
- Dried cilantro leaves
- Chicken stock
- Cooked, chopped chicken
- Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
- Heavy cream
To make the cooking process a little easier for the Southwest Chicken Soup, I like to plan out my menus and do most of my vegetable chopping early in the week. Then when it’s time to make the soup, everything is ready to go!
Pin this now to save it for laterHow to make southwest chicken soup:
Step 1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat, then add the carrots, onions, celery, peppers, and garlic and sauté for about 8 minutes.
Step 2. Add chicken stock, salt, pepper, cumin, thyme, cilantro, and chicken and cook for about twenty minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the grated cheese until melted and then stir in the cream.
Cook’s Tip: If you like a thicker soup, you can thicken with a cornstarch slurry.
Toppings
- Fresh, chopped cilantro
- Hot sauce – I am literally obsessed with this sauce.
- Sour cream
- Grated cheese
Can you freeze the soup?
This Southwest Chicken Soup is great for making ahead and freezing. Just portion your soup into freezer safe containers—I love these!—and then store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
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Southwest Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 5 cloves minced garlic
- 1 chopped jalapeno
- 1 chopped Anaheim or poblano pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried cilantro leaves
- 4 quarts chicken stock
- 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
- 2 cups grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, peppers, and garlic and sauté for about 8 minutes.
- Add the stock, salt, pepper, cumin, thyme and cilantro and chicken and cook for about twenty minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the grated cheese until melted and then add the cream.
- If you like a thicker soup, you can thicken with cornstarch or flour.
- Can also add fresh, chopped cilantro and hot sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Update Notes: This Southwest Chicken Soup post was originally published December 17, 2010, and on January 15, 2020, was updated with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, new tips.
More chicken soup recipes:
- Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Chicken Soup
- White Chicken Chili with Sausage
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Corn Chowder
Check out our whole Soup recipe section where you’re sure to find something that will make your life deliciously easier!
The husbands look very happy together. In what state did they marry each other?
Rebecca,
I love your post and your wisdom about how to take in the Christmas Season!
Love,
Joan
Rebecca,
I love your post and your wisdom about how to take in the Christmas Season!
Love,
Joan