Southwestern Chicken Quinoa Soup
Need a healthy chicken soup recipe? This Southwestern Chicken Quinoa Soup is full of flavor with a bit of heat. The recipe takes advantage of a few canned and frozen convenience items to make a southwestern chicken soup the whole family will love.
During the space between my daughter’s college graduation and landing her first “real job” Emily lived with Scott and I. Her stay didn’t last that long — less than 6 months, but while she was here, she enjoyed free wi-fi, cable tv and lots of homemade cooking. This taste of boomerang parenting both delighted and scared us. Happy to have her back after 4 years away at school, but also afraid that she’d get too comfortable back at the ranch — and I admit that when she had a food request, I was always happy to oblige… Like this Southwestern chicken quinoa soup.
She wanted a healthy chicken soup recipe with a little heat to satisfy her hunger without sabotaging her gym membership efforts (I can relate). For the chicken and heat, we started with boneless skinless chicken breasts and a chile-cumin spice rub blend, to give it a little nose-tickle and smoky quality . It’s not a Southwestern chicken soup without it. Sear the chicken in a dutch oven — not to cook it all the way through, but to warm the spices and release their flavor as well as to add flavor to the pot for the next set of ingredients — the veg.
Ingredients for soup
- Chicken
- Hand-Blended Spice Rub
- Celery
- Carrots
- Onion
- Garlic
- Jalapenos
- Hatch Chiles
- Ro-Tel Original (not the habanero)
- Canned Black Beans
- Frozen Corn
- Quinoa
- Chicken Stock from Rotisserie Chicken or low-sodium broth
- Cilantro
- Limes
Celery, carrots, garlic and onion are a familiar starting point for many soups and this one is no different. Sauté the vegetables until they’re just tender and slightly translucent, then add the diced jalapeño and hatch chiles. I had fire roasted hatch chiles in my freezer, courtesy of my friend Nola, but you can buy real fire roasted hatch chiles in a can. {shameless affiliate link}. Let the peppers snuggle up with the other vegetables until they’re warm and fragrant.
Then add the chicken stock with the canned black beans, quinoa, frozen corn, and a can of Ro-Tel (a blend of tomatoes, chile peppers, garlic and onions).
Here’s an easy chicken stock from rotisserie chicken, a tasty homemade vegetable broth, and a homemade turkey stock — any of those would be very good in this healthy chicken soup recipe, but don’t fret if you don’t have any on hand.
The store-bought broth or stock will work too. Just watch the sodium content — some brands have a ridiculous amount of salt added to them. Consequently, I always buy low-sodium broth or stock for a healthier option.
Bring the Southwestern chicken soup up to a simmer. While it’s heating, cut the chicken breasts into bite sized chunks.
The chicken shouldn’t be fully cooked yet, however it will quickly finish cooking when re-added to the hot stock.
I love healthy chicken soups like this because even though they’re healthy, that’s not the first thing you notice. Instead, it’s the flavors and chunkiness of the soup that makes it special.
It’s got spice, but it’s not overly spiced. There’s loads of vegetables and hearty chunks of diced chicken. The quinoa adds even more protein and mouth feel.
I give Emily a lot of credit for this one because this Southwestern chicken soup is really a winner. A chicken quinoa soup with body and depth.
Finish it with a squeeze of lime and a bit of chopped cilantro for a bright, fresh zing. The flavors hit all the parts of your palate and really satisfies.
More chicken soup recipes you might like:
- Greek Chicken Soup with Lemon and Feta
- Southwestern Chicken Taco Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup with Mushrooms
Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and review.
Your comments and shares are invaluable to me and the thousands of readers who use this site daily. If you've made the recipe, leave a star rating and review. We want to hear how you liked it.
We'd love it if you shared the recipe with your friends on social media!
Southwestern Chicken Quinoa Soup
INGREDIENTS:
FOR SPICE RUB:
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon oregano
FOR SOUP:
- 1½ pounds chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped into 1/2″ pieces
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 1 cup fire roasted hatch chilies peeled, seeded and chopped (if using canned, do not drain)
- 10 ounce original Ro-Tel
- 15 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup cilantro (chopped) plus more for serving
- 2 limes cut into wedges (for serving)
- 8 cups chicken stock from rotisserie chicken or low sodium broth
DIRECTIONS:
MAKE THE SPICE RUB
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, coriander and oregano. Mix well and set aside.
FOR THE SOUP:
- Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the spice rub over both sides of the chicken breasts.
- In a 5 quart dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot and slicks across the bottom of the dutch oven, carefully add the chicken breasts. Cook the chicken breasts for about 4-5 minutes on each side until the chicken is seared and the spices are fragrant. Transfer the chicken breasts to a sheet pan and set aside.
- Add the celery, carrot and onion to the dutch oven and saute for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables start to become tender. Sprinkle in the garlic and jalapeño and cook for one minute.
- Stir in the chicken broth, black beans, Ro-Tel, hatch chilies, quinoa, corn and salt. Secure the pot with the lid and heat just to boiling.
- While the soup is heating, dice the chicken breasts into 1/2″ or bite-sized pieces. The chicken will likely be raw on the interior, but that’s ok, because it will simmer in the hot soup and cook completely through.
- When the soup just starts to boil, add the diced chicken and return to a rapid simmer.
- When soup is nearly boiling, reduce heat to medium low, and place the lid on the pot, so that it’s slightly askew and steam can escape. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the cilantro. Taste the soup for seasonings, adjusting as necessary.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a wedge of lime and extra cilantro if desired.
NUTRITION:
“Pin It” For Later!
I love chunky soups and I also love a subtle heat in the soups. This soup sounds like a full meal with a ton of flavor. Definitely a keeper 🙂
I think even without chicken, this healthy vegetable soup with protein-rich quinoa must be a hit. My carnivore hubby will love it with chicken but it is also easily adjustable for my vegan daughter:)
It’s tough when you’ve got to please a multitude of dietary restrictions — but yes, this soup can easily be adjusted to those tastes!
I never think of adding quinoa to soup and I don’t know why. I must try it soon.
This soup recipe has all of my favorite flavors! SO hearty and delicious! Perfect for the cold weather!
this looks delicious! I love how easy it looks with the Ro-Tel, black beans, and frozen corn! yum!
This looks so delicious. I love how it’s loaded with veggies and quinoa. Saved this recipe and I’ going to try this soon.
Let me know how you like it!