When there's a chill in the air and only a bowl of warmly spiced soup will do, this Chili's copycat southwest chicken soup is sure to satisfy the craving! Packed with tender shredded chicken in a warm chipotle, tomato broth with just the right amount of veggies, and full of warm and delicious spices - this soup screams Southwest goodness! Ready in under 30 minutes, this makes the perfect quick dinner, without needing to head to a restaurant.
If you love a good homemade Chili's copycat, you'll want to try my homemade Big Mouth Bite sliders, and a giant skillet chocolate chip cookie to finish! If you are looking for other warmly spiced soups, my Panera copycat Thai chicken soup is bursting with flavor!
Jump to:
👩🏽🍳Why This Recipe Works
Easy to make: This soup does not require any thickening agents or special techniques to prepare - that means maximum flavor with minimum effort.
A delicious restaurant adaptation: The flavors are extremely reminiscent of the Chili's version of this soup, with a few tweaks to make this soup more accessible with ingredients and a few added vegetables to bulk this soup up!
Warm flavors: If you are a fan of the depth and warmth of Southwest flavors, you will love this recipe. Packed with the smokiness of chipotle chiles and fire roasted tomatoes - this is a fall favorite!
🥘Ingredients
- Cooked corn: The traditional Chili's recipe uses hominy, which is derived from corn as well. It can be hard to come by hominy - I was actually unable to find it where I live. I find corn to be a great and accessible alternative that adds some depth and brightness to the soup.
- Chicken breasts: I recommend using cooked rotisserie chicken for this soup, for ease and convenience. Chicken breast that is shredded adds a good amount of meatiness, and will stay moist in the soup broth.
- Chili powder: For this recipe, I am referring to American chili powder, which is actually a spice blend rather than actual chilli peppers ground up. Chili powder is a mix of cumin, ground chillis, paprika, and other warm spices.
- Ancho chile powder: Ancho chiles are dried poblano peppers. They are mild in heat, and add a smokey and fruity flavor that also adds depth of flavor to your soup that makes it taste like it has been simmering for hours on end.
- Chipotles in adobo: These peppers add a smoky flavor, a little bit of spice, and savory notes with adobo sauce.
- Chicken broth: I recommend using reduced-sodium chicken broth, as it it will give you the opportunity to control the salt content of the soup on your own.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
📖Substitutions
- Corn: If you can find hominy in your grocery store, you can absolutely use it in place of corn in this soup.
- Chicken breasts: You can absolutely use chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat for the texture. If you have any leftover chicken on hand, this is a great way to use it up.
- Ancho chile powder: You can substitute with smoked paprika, or leave it out altogether.
- Fire roasted tomatoes: Plain diced tomatoes, or Rotel tomatoes with green chillies will work in place of fire roasted tomatoes.
- Black beans: Chickpeas, navy (cannellini) beans, or kidney beans are all great substitutes for black beans. You can leave the beans out altogether if you like, as they are not traditionally found in the restaurant version of this soup.
🔪Variations
- Creamy: Add in a splash or heavy cream or some cream cheese, to finish this soup with a creamy twist.
- Mild: Leave out the chipotle chile powder and the chipotles in adobo if you would like to keep this soup on the mild side.
⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Prep the vegetables - Finely dice the carrot, onion and celery, and mince the garlic.
Shred the chicken - Using two forks, a hand mixer or a stand mixer, shred the chicken.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the diced onion, carrot and celery to the pot, and allow the vegetables to sweat until the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery are tender. [photo 1]
Add the minced garlic to the pot, along with the spices and tomato paste. Allow the spices and tomato paste to coat the vegetables and cook through for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and the tomato paste has started to release some of its oil. [photo 2]
Add the fire roasted tomatoes, green chillies, and chicken broth to the dutch oven and lower the heat to medium. Allow the soup to come to a simmer for 10-15 minutes. [photos 3 & 4]
Finish the soup with the shredded chicken, cooked corn and the black beans. Simmer for another 10 minutes on medium heat. [photo 5]
While the soup is simmering, cut the tortillas into strips and spray liberally with cooking oil spray - I used avocado oil spray. Place into the air fryer for 10 minutes until crisp. [photo 6]
Serve the soup with sour cream, fresh avocado, and the crisped tortilla strips.
💭 Expert Tip
To make prep easier: You can use a food processor to chop down the celery, onion and carrot. This can be used as a base for the soup with a smoother consistency.
Do not add the chicken too soon: Because we are using pre-cooked chicken for this soup, you do not want to add it in too far in the beginning of the cooking process. Instead, adding it near the end keeps it juicy, and intact.
Give the spices time to bloom: Allowing the spices and tomato paste time to cook down and release their oils and flavors is key to adding depth of flavor to this soup in a short amount of time. Do not skip this step!
🍽 Make Ahead & Storage
- This soup can be made 3-4 days in advance, and stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Leftover soup can also be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- This soup can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container. Thaw before reheating the soup.
- The soup can be reheated on the stove in a pot, or in the microwave.
⭐ Recipe FAQs
Yes - this soup can easily be made vegetarian! Make the soup as directed, with vegetable broth and omit the shredded chicken.
You can absolutely cook this soup for a longer period of time. I still recommend leaving the chicken, corn and beans out until closer to when you are ready to serve, to keep the texture and moisture of the chicken.
📝More Soup Recipes
Looking for more meal inspiration? Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly recipe roundups, straight to your inbox! Follow us on our socials, on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook! If you try one of our recipes, let us know how it was by rating and commenting!
Southwest Chicken Soup {Chili's Copycat}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Sweet onion - finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic - minced
- 1 Carrot - peeled, diced
- 2 ribs Celery - finely chopped
- 1 cup Corn
- 2 Chicken breasts - cooked, shredded
- 1 tablespoon Chili powder
- 2 tsp Ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon Chipotle chile powder
- 2 Chipotle chile peppers - in adobo, chopped
- 2 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 15 oz can Black beans - drained and rinsed
- 14 oz can Fire roasted tomatoes
- ½ cup Fire roasted green chillies
- 2 cups Chicken broth
- 2 Flour tortillas - medium-sized, cut in strips
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the diced onion, carrot and celery to the pot, and allow the vegetables to sweat until the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery are tender.1 Sweet onion, 1 Carrot, 2 ribs Celery
- Add the minced garlic to the pot, along with the spices and tomato paste. Allow the spices and tomato paste to coat the vegetables and cook through for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and the tomato paste has started to release some of its oil.3 cloves Garlic, 1 tablespoon Chili powder, 2 teaspoon Ancho chile powder, 1 teaspoon Chipotle chile powder, 2 Chipotle chile peppers, 2 tablespoon Tomato paste
- Add the fire roasted tomatoes, green chillies, and chicken broth to the dutch oven and lower the heat to medium. Allow the soup to come to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.14 oz can Fire roasted tomatoes, ½ cup Fire roasted green chillies, 2 cups Chicken broth
- Finish the soup with the shredded chicken, cooked corn and the black beans. Simmer for another 10 minutes on medium heat.1 cup Corn, 2 Chicken breasts, 15 oz can Black beans
- While the soup is simmering, cut the tortillas into strips and spray liberally with cooking oil spray - I used avocado oil spray. Place into the air fryer for 10 minutes until crisp.2 Flour tortillas
- Serve the soup with sour cream, fresh avocado, and the crisped tortilla strips.
✱Recipe Notes
- To make prep easier: You can use a food processor to chop down the celery, onion and carrot. This can be used as a base for the soup with a smoother consistency.
- Do not add the chicken too soon: Because we are using pre-cooked chicken for this soup, you do not want to add it in too far in the beginning of the cooking process. Instead, adding it near the end keeps it juicy, and intact.
- Give the spices time to bloom: Allowing the spices and tomato paste time to cook down and release their oils and flavors is key to adding depth of flavor to this soup in a short amount of time. Do not skip this step!
Comments
No Comments