If you have leftover rotisserie chicken or turkey, this is a meal you can have on the table in no time! With pantry staples and fragrant ground spices, Quick Green Chile Chicken Soup with Beans has bold flavor that's welcome any time of year.
If you need to expand your repertoire of hearty soups, look no further! Try my Sausage, Kale, and Farro Soup or Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup and you're sure to find a family favorite.
Ingredients
Shredded Chicken or Turkey: Use up leftovers from a rotisserie chicken or turkey breast and shred them into small bite-sized pieces.
Canned Green Chiles: You can purchase these in mild, medium, and hot levels. We use mild green chiles for the kids' sake. There's no need to drain the chiles before adding them to the soup.
White Beans: Use any variety of canned white beans you like, I tend to use navy beans for their size. One can is drained and rinsed while the other is pureed to add body to the soup without flour or cream. This keeps the soup gluten-free and dairy-free in case you have a need to accommodate special diets.
Diced Onion: Use any variety of onion you like, but dice it into small pieces so that it melts into the soup.
Ground Spices: Chili powder, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano are common spices in our house and they add classic flavor with no heat.
Chicken Stock or Broth: This batch used a rich homemade stock, but canned broth or stock work well too!
Preparation
Start by draining and rinsing one can of beans and set them aside. Puree the second can of beans along with their liquid using a stick blender, food processor, or blender.
Chop the onion and shred the chicken. You can shred the chicken by hand or use a hand mixer to make quick work of a bulk of chicken or turkey breast. Gather up your spices and you're ready to cook!
Sauté the onion until it starts to soften and then add in the dried spices. Cooking them in the oil for a short while before adding the stock or broth intensifies the flavors.
Add the stock, chicken, chiles, and the pureed and whole beans and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the flavors to blend for at least 10 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Different brands of beans have wildly different salt amounts, so you'll likely need to tweak things. It's as easy as that!
Serving Green Chile & Chicken Soup
This soup is delicious on its own, but my family loves to add *all* the toppings and garnishes. Our favorites are lime wedges, cilantro, and shredded cheddar cheese. I'm a big fan of stirring in a spoonful of sour cream, too, but it's not necessary if you want this soup to be dairy-free. The kids think tortilla chips are a mandatory side and I don't argue with them. I just put out a big tray of all the toppings and bring bowls of soup to the table so that everyone can dress up their soup the way they wish.
Freezer-Friendly and Feeds a Crowd
This soup holds up well to freezing, so it's great to make ahead of time and have in your freezer stash. Thaw it in the refrigerator and reheat it on the stove at a gentle simmer so that you don't break up the beans too much. You can also double this recipe easily to make soup for a crowd. It's a great addition to a dinner buffet with plenty of toppings and a big salad.
Try It and Share
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Quick Green Chile Chicken Soup with Beans
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin, ground
- 2 teaspoon coriander, ground
- 2 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 7 oz. cans mild green chiles, undrained
- 2 15 oz. cans white beans cannelini, great northern, or navy beans
- 2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
- lime wedges, cilantro, shredded cheese, or sour cream for garnish
Instructions
- Drain and rinse one of the cans of beans. Set aside. Puree the entire contents of the second can in a blender and set aside.
- Add olive oil to the bottom of a heavy soup pot and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften.
- Add in the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, and salt. Stir for 30 seconds to bloom the spices.
- Add in the stock or broth, green chiles, pureed and rinsed beans, and the chicken.
- Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed.
- Serve the soup and garnish with lime, shredded cheese, cilantro, and sour cream, as desired.
Cassie @ Plan. Eat. Post. Repeat. says
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