As the weather is starting to change, I find I’m craving warm, comforting dinners again. There’s nothing quite like hot soup on a cold night! This Creamy Mexican Chicken Chili Soup, which is my latest McCormick partnership creation, is a delicious and easy dinner. My vegan/vegetarian friends can leave out the chicken (and the grated cheese on top if necessary) – it would be just as good without!
If you’re looking for a fast weeknight meal idea, you’ll love this recipe. It’s hearty and satisfying and makes great leftovers, too! Matt normally isn’t into leftovers at all and he loved this so much he ate it the next day, too – that’s saying a lot. :)
The key to this soup is the spices – cumin, in particular, which as you guys know is a big favorite of mine. The little red-capped spice is a staple in our house – so much so that super longtime readers of my blog will remember that I published a post in 2009 entitled “I have a love affair with cumin.” (Ah, the glory days when I used ALL the exclamation points and didn’t understand post title SEO… although, if someone is Googling that phrase, that’s awesome that they will find me…)
See also these cumin-tastic recipes: Sweet Potato Lentil Chili, Spiced Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Pumpkin Bean Dip (<—great football season appetizer).
To make this recipe, all you need to do is brown the chicken, then sauté it with some garlic and onions added, then dump in the rest of the ingredients, simmer for a hot second, and you’re ready to rock. Boom. Can’t get easier! Also, I think I should add hummus to all my soups… made it really creamy and flavorful!
You can let it simmer for more or less time depending how soup-ish vs. chili-ish (those are technical terms, obviously) you’d like the dish to be. I left it more soupy since I knew some of the liquid would soak up when I stored it in the fridge, but it’s up to you! For toppings, feel free to get creative. Hot sauce is a good addition here (the soup isn’t spicy on its own), as is cilantro, cheese, avocado, diced fresh jalapenos (Matt’s fave), etc!
Here’s the recipe. Enjoy it!
Creamy Mexican Chicken Chili Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or coconut oil)
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (4-oz) cans green chilies
- 2 (15-oz) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2/3 cup hummus
- 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth (or water, or chicken broth)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- optional toppings: diced avocado, cilantro, limes, grated cheese
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown around the edges.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the green chilies, white beans, cumin, oregano, hummus, and broth/water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 to 15 minutes, depending how soupy you want your dish to be.
- Serve immediately with desired toppings or refrigerate and reheat throughout the week!
Thank you to McCormick for sponsoring this post! For more creative, delicious recipes, check out their website.
What’s your favorite spice? I’m torn between cumin and cinnamon!
If you missed my previous McCormick posts, check those out, too:
- Creamy Vegan Salad Dressing Recipe
- Sweet Potato Hash with Poached Eggs <—awesome brunch
- Vegan & Gluten Free Shepherd’s Pie
- Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole <— get your 90’s on
- Spiced Baked Apple Chips Recipe <— perfect for apple picking!
- How to Add Flavor to Meals Without Salt or Sugar
- Lemon & Herb Fish Recipe
- Mexican Shrimp Salad Bowl
- Braised Chicken with Dried Plums, Olives & Capers <—LOVE
- How to Pickle Cucumbers Quickly at Home
- Gluten-Free Grilled Taco Wings
The avocado on top is an excellent touch! Healthy fats!!
Always! :)
Looks so good! I made a similar recipe this weekend and it was perfect for a chilly night! I feel your love for cumin. I use it ALL the time. So good.
This soup is calling my name! I will always love cinnamon. Cinnamon in smoothies is perfection!
Oh my goodness! Anne! We just made this and it is FABulous!!! We are Americans (Posted overseas in England) and it was late and I didn’t feel like cooking (for my family of 5). I had big plans to make a Sun Dried Tomato/Basil Chicken dish but at 5:30 I just couldn’t get my head around it. So since this seemed so simply I decided to give it a go and oh my gosh it is amazing! My 8 year old even had seconds. She is so cute as she knows I Pin everything and she said, “Mum, you have to “LIKE” this one. So I encourage all your readers to make this. Just scrumptious!
Aw, I’m so glad you all loved it as much as we did! :)
hummus for creaminess??? GENIUS! Gonna pin this hearty soup for later :)
Cumin is my favorite spice too! I’m quite heavy handed with it – you can never have too much!
Looks terrific, thanks, Anne. Perfect for this time of year!
This was amazing! We made it for dinner last night and I’m eating leftovers for lunch now. Thank you for these easy, healthy, and flavorful recipes!! This one will definitely resurface throughout the winter :)
Yay, so glad you liked it! :) I’m already thinking I need to make it again soon, too!
Made it. Loved it. Can’t wait to eat the rest of it! I did 1 can of HOT green chilies and 1 can of mild and it gave it a good (but not overwhelming) spice kick!
I’ll have to try that next time for Matt – he loves spicy! So glad you loved it! :) Enjoy those leftovers!
Oooh this looks great, and perfect for gloomy fall weather :)
This recipe is so delicious!!!!! We made it last night and couldn’t stop eating it. Perfect easy relaxing Sunday dinner recipe.
Can hummus be subbed in other soup recipes? Do you know what it would replace?
Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
So glad you like it! You can stir hummus into other soups for sure — don’t need to replace anything, just add it!
Thanks for the replies!!
Actually — it would be a good sub for cream, if you wanted to try that!
This will definitely be in my cold-weather recipe rotation–it was delicious. I spiced it up with some jalapeño, and adding fresh lime juice adds a great fresh element. Any idea of the calorie count per serving?
Great additions – glad you enjoyed it! I don’t know the calorie count as I’m not an advocate of calorie counting. Sorry!
Anne – Your Chicken and White Bean Chili Soup has always been a favorite of mine. I’ve probably made it over 10 times! This will now on my list to try. Thank you!
I’m so glad you love the chicken and white bean chili soup – hope you love this one just as much! :)
Made this soup for the first time yesterday and just had to comment to say how delicious (and easy!) it is! I have always been afraid of making soup (hi, irrational thoughts), but I had some chicken broth I had to use up, so I went for it yesterday and tried out this recipe. So good! I’m eating it again today over some roasted butternut squash and can’t get over how great it is. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it! :)