Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken Soup
The first time I made this, I dumped the beans in at the start with everything else, and by dinner they’d split and turned the broth cloudy. Now they go in for the last half hour. That’s really the only rule. I also soften the onion and garlic in a skillet for a few minutes before they hit the crock, which feels fussy on a lazy Sunday morning but takes the raw edge off.
Don’t expect a thick chili here. It’s brothy and pale gold, with a mild green chile heat that builds slowly instead of hitting you up front, and the carrots stay in thick coins so they don’t vanish. The chicken breasts cook whole and get pulled apart with two forks right before serving. We eat it with a pile of tortilla chips on the side.
A slow cooker Tex-Mex chicken soup for the first cold weekend of fall. Ten minutes at the stove, then the crock takes over. Toppings make the bowl, honestly: a handful of melty cheese, a cool spoonful of sour cream and lots of cilantro. It freezes well for up to three months.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion for about 4 minutes, stirring often, until it turns soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, then scrape everything into the slow cooker.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the carrots, celery, poblano and green chiles with their juice to the slow cooker. Sprinkle in the cumin, chili powder and oregano and stir to coat the vegetables.2 medium carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 large poblano pepper, 2 4-oz cans chopped green chiles, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp dried oregano
- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the salt and pepper and lay them on top of the vegetables in a single layer. Pour in the broth until the chicken is just covered.1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2 hours or on high for 2 1/2 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F in the thickest part and the carrots are tender when pierced with a knife.
- Lift the chicken out onto a cutting board and shred it with two forks. Return it to the pot along with the drained beans, cover and cook 30 minutes more on low, just until the beans are hot.2 15-oz cans great northern beans
- Stir in the lime juice, then taste and add more salt if needed. Ladle into bowls and top each one with shredded cheese, a spoonful of sour cream and a scattering of cilantro.1 tbsp fresh lime juice, 3/4 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese, 6 tbsp sour cream, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Nutrition
Notes
Chicken thighs work too and stay juicier; give them the full 5 hours on low. For more heat, keep the seeds in the poblano or add a diced jalapeño with the vegetables.
You might also like our Authentic French Beef Bourguignon.
made this sunday with thighs instead of breasts and left it the full 5 hrs, super tender. adding the beans at the end was smart, mine always get mushy in soups
good flavor but a little mild for us, i threw in a jalapeno and a pinch of chipotle powder the second time. kids loved piling the cheese and sour cream on top tho
froze half in quart bags and it reheated great on a work night. i squeezed extra lime in mine, really brightens up the broth