Mexican-Style Shredded Chicken Soup

Written by
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich is a food writer, recipe video producer, and culinary school instructor with more than 20 years of experience in the food industry.
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John Mitzewich
Updated 06/02/21
Mexican-Style Shredded Chicken Soup

The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
93 Calories
3g Fat
7g Carbs
10g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 93
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 4%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 22mg 7%
Sodium 198mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 6mg 29%
Calcium 23mg 2%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 278mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This easy and brightly flavored chicken soup recipe is inspired by the classic Mexican tortilla soup. You can make this chicken soup as mild or wild as you want by simply adjusting the number of hot peppers. Garnish with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream for a hearty meal, or eat as-is for a light and tasty treat.

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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 large onion, chopped

  • 1/2 cup celery, chopped

  • 1 cup carrots, chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

  • 6 cups chicken stock

  • 1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes in puree

  • 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped

  • Sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips, for garnish, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Mexican-Style Shredded Chicken Soup ingredients

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  2. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes or until the onions start to turn golden. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

    garlic, onions, celery, and carrots in a pot

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  3. Add chicken breasts, chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and cilantro, if using.

    Add chicken breasts, chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and cilantro to the vegetables in the pot

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  4. Bring soup to a boil, then lower heat and cook at a low simmer.

    soup cooking in a pot

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  5. After 15 minutes, remove chicken breasts from the soup with tongs and cool on a plate. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat and add back to the soup. Continue simmering soup until vegetables are tender.

    shredded chicken in a pot of soup

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  6. Serve soup hot garnished with optional toppings.

    Mexican-Style Shredded Chicken Soup served with cheese, sour cream and chips

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg