Comforting slow cooker chicken taco soup is a hearty, chunky soup with lean meat and all the taco flavors. It's a quick and easy solution to Taco Tuesday, or simply a wholesome and effortless family dinner.
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How does a slow cooker work?
If you have yet to try using a [amazon text=slow cooker&asin=B01NAGK0BB], I hope that this recipe will change your mind. Slow cookers will cook your food at a low temperature for a long period of time. The result is a delicious, flavourful soup with tender chicken. I love using my [amazon text=slow cooker&asin=B01NAGK0BB]. I just throw in all the ingredients, leave it for a few hours and return when I’m ready to eat. It saves cooking in the afternoon, and leaves you more time to spend on other activities.
If you want to check out some other slow cooker recipes, check out my recipes for chili con carne, lasagna soup, broccoli and cheddar soup, soy and honey chicken and gammon. You can also find even more recipes in my slow cooker archive.
How to make slow cooker chicken taco soup
First, heat some [amazon text=one calorie cooking spray&asin=B06XGND554] in a pan on medium heat. Add finely diced onion, and saute until soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Then, add finely minced garlic and chili, and saute for another minute. Transfer the mixture to your slow cooker, along with all the other ingredients. Stir to combine everything, then place the lid
Cook the soup on high for 2-4 hours or on low setting for 4-6 hours. Before serving, remove the chicken thigh fillets from the soup. Remove the skin and bones. Shred the chicken and add it back to the soup. Stir to combine everything thoroughly, then add salt and pepper to taste.
What chicken goes best in taco soup
I love using bone-in chicken thighs in this recipe. It has a higher fat content than chicken breast fillets, which means that the meat will stay tender and nice. Towards the end of the cooking time, we remove the bones and chicken skin, so you don’t have to worry about any of that while eating the soup.
I highly recommend using anything but chicken breast fillets for this recipe. Chicken breast fillets cook too fast, and it will dry out if left in the [amazon text=slow cooker&asin=B01NAGK0BB].
What to serve with taco soup
Soup is always great on its own. You can also serve it with tortilla chips, some nice bread, or with a bunch of garnish. As a garnish on top of the soup, I like adding cheese, sour cream, guacamole or avocado slices, fresh coriander and lemon or lime wedges (to squeeze lemon juice into the soup - yum!).
Tips and substitutions
- You can remove the black beans or substitute with pinto beans or kidney beans.
- Add any other vegetables or ingredients you think you would enjoy in this soup. I think diced peppers, jalapenos, cooked chorizo or spicy sausage would be nice additions.
- This soup is not made to be spicy. If you want to add some spice, you can add more chili powder to taste.
- Each serving of this soup will have a lot of chicken. You can safely use less chicken, and still have a filling soup. Feel free to also substitute some of the chicken with other ingredients like vegetables.
Slow cooker chicken taco soup
Ingredients
- 1.1 kg bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 tin black beans (400 g size) or 235 g cooked black beans
- 150 g sweetcorn thawed and drained
- 200 ml tomato passata
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g size)
- 200 ml water or chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt, pepper
- 2 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 chili
Instructions
- First, heat some one calorie cooking spray in a pan on medium heat. Add finely diced onion, and saute until soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Then, add finely minced garlic and chili, and saute for another minute.
- Transfer the mixture to your slow cooker, along with all the other ingredients. Stir to combine everything, then place the lid.
- Cook the soup on high for 2-4 hours or on low setting for 4-6 hours. Before serving, remove the chicken thigh fillets from the soup. Remove the skin and bones. Shred the chicken and add it back to the soup. Stir to combine everything thoroughly, then add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Tips and substitutions
- You can remove the black beans or substitute with pinto beans or kidney beans.
- Add any other vegetables or ingredients you think you would enjoy in this soup. I think diced peppers, jalapenos, cooked chorizo or spicy sausage would be nice additions.
- This soup is not made to be spicy. If you want to add some spice, you can add more chili powder to taste.
- Each serving of this soup will have a lot of chicken. You can safely use less chicken, and still have a filling soup. Feel free to also substitute some of the chicken with other ingredients like vegetables.
- Use bone-in chicken for the best results. Avoid chicken breast fillets as they will dry out from over cooking.
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