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Easy spicy Poblano Chicken Tortilla Soup. Enjoy this bowl of wholesome filling soup on chilly days. Made easily with a mix of chicken, spices, red enchilada sauce, salsa verde, broth, and cilantro. And, of course, lots of poblano peppers. Mix in plenty of cheddar cheese, then top with fresh lime and avocado. Add salty tortilla chips on top for scooping, so delicious. The toppings are key! I hope you love this chicken poblano soup recipe!
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The Monday after the Super Bowl is just the right fit for this soup. I’m sure many of us indulged in lots of yummy Super Bowl dishes last night. As we should, that was fun! But today is great for a bit of a reset, and soup is perfect.
This feels cozy and indulgent (the secret is in all the toppings). But this soup is chuck full of ingredients to nourish our bodies. And we love that.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Poblano peppers
- Garlic
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Spicy taco seasoning
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Red enchilada sauce
- Salsa verde
- Broth
- Hot sauce
- Salted butter
- Fresh cilantro
- Yogurt
- Avocado
- Limes for lime juice
- black beans
- Green onions
- Tortilla chips or tortilla strips for topping
- sour cream
Kitchen Supplies
- tongs
- Dutch oven or large soup pot
- crockpot or instant pot if you want to use that method
- ladle
- airtight container
- plastic wrap
It was really my mom who inspired this recipe. She enjoys soup the most out of anyone in my family. Growing up, we’d often have soup for lunch on rainy, cold days back in Cleveland. Mom’s specialty was a chicken noodle soup with minute rice mixed in and lots of salty popcorn on top.
Yup, rice in the soup and a topping of popcorn. She’s a smart woman.
Obviously, this isn’t that kind of soup, but she also loves spicy tortilla soup. In fact, she texted me the night they had this, saying how delicious it was. I knew this would be perfect for these cold winter days and even into early spring.
The details
Step 1: the ingredients
All you need for this soup is an onion, poblano peppers, garlic, chicken, enchilada sauce, salsa verde, your favorite taco seasoning blend, some broth, and chips.
Simply cook the onion, peppers, and garlic in a big soup pot. Then add the chicken, the taco seasoning, the enchilada sauce, salsa verde, a good splash of hot sauce, and some butter. Let this all simmer over medium heat until the chicken is cooked and begins to shred easily.
You can also cook this in the crockpot. Either method is great!
Step 2: shred the chicken
Once the chicken is cooked, tender, and starts to fall apart, shred each piece and mix the shredded chicken into the soup.
Step 3: the toppings
Finish the soup with cilantro and a handful of cheese. You want the cheese to melt into the soup, so you’ll get a bit of melty cheese with every spoonful. This will also help cut down the spice.
Don’t skip the cheese!
Ladle the soup into bowls. Then add more cheese, a good spoonful of yogurt, chunks or slices of avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Other options to add include corn, chili powder, and chopped celery stalks.
I always add hot sauce too for extra heat and flavor, but that’s totally optional. Delicious!
A wonderful easy-to-make soup to warm up with! Mmm.. nothing beats poblano chicken soup!
Looking for other warming winter dinners? Here are a few ideas:
Better For You Chicken and Spinach Ramen
Creamy Butternut Squash Butter Chicken
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken
Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice
Crockpot Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Lastly, if you make this Poblano Chicken Tortilla Soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Poblano Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon spicy taco seasoning
- salt and black pepper
- 3 cups red enchilada sauce
- 2 cups salsa verde
- 3-4 cups broth
- 1/4 cup hot sauce (optional)
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- yogurt, shredded cheddar, avocado, plus lots of limes and green onions for serving
- tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
Stove Top
- 1. In a large soup pot, set over medium heat, cook together the olive oil, onion, poblanos, and garlic for 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the chicken, taco seasoning, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the enchilada sauce, salsa verde, and 3 cups of broth. Stir in the hot sauce and butter.2. Still set over medium heat, bring to a simmer, cook 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the cilantro and a handful of cheddar cheese.3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, cheese, green onions, avocado, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, layer the onion, poblanos, and garlic. Add the chicken, taco seasoning, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the enchilada sauce, salsa verde, and 3 cups of broth. Mix in the hot sauce and butter.2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the cilantro and a handful of cheddar cheese. 3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, cheese, green onions, avocado, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
My daughter shared this recipe with me. We made it months ago and LOVED it. We’re making it again this weekend for our granddaughter’s since they love it too! An amazing flavor, but not too spicy for the kids.
Hey Cindy,
Love to hear this!! I am so glad to hear your family has been enjoying this recipe:) Have the best weekend! xx
Loved this soup. Super easy. Added extra garlic seasoning, juice from a lime and squeeze of honey. Toppings are a must. Will be making this often.
Hi Micky,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend!☃️
I usually love tortilla soup, but found this version too aggressive. The enchilada sauce vs broth ratio personally wasn’t for me, but my husband liked it. I also got some bitterness from keeping the poblano skins on. I would recommend roasting your poblanos and removing the skins to avoid that possibility!
Hi Emma,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear it wasn’t your fave. Have a nice weekend! xx
Delicious! I usually make your chipotle chicken tortilla soup, but tried this one today. I made the salty lime tortilla strips for this one, too. So good! Thank you Tieghan!
Hey Eve,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! Happy Halloween! 🎃
Loved it! Great flavor and easy to make. I will make it again.
Hey NiCole,
Happy Monday! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well! Happy Halloween week! 🎃
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Question for you, does the calorie estimates include your recommended toppings?
Hey Ashley,
Wonderful! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for trying it! Yes, it does:) Have the best autumn weekend! xT
Great!! Thank you!
Home Run!! Another hit from HBH. Easy, delicious and satisfying. Spicy too which is what I crave. And now so easy because I use the stand mixer with the bread hook attachment to shred the chicken. Thanks T
Hey Christopher,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! Xx
Made the crock pot version last night. Very tasty. I chose this recipe over another that only used broth, no sauce. I added a can of black beans because, hey it’s Mexican. I cut down on the amount of liquid and skipped the hot sauce (because we’re wimps).
Hey Paul,
Happy Fall Thursday!
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad it turned out nicely for you! XxT
So delicious! Absolute perfection. For sure it will be in my rotation going forward. Only variation I made was to add roasted corn.
Hey Nikki,
Yay! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Happy fall weekend! xT
This recipe is EXCEPTIONAL!!! I never leave reviews but am compelled to do so! The soul was bursting with flavor! I filled the recipe to a “T” but did omit the cheese due to dairy sensitivities (thankfully, my family loves spicy food). I served it with cilantro lime basmati rice and some blue corn tortilla chips and it was a HIT!
Hey Jaz,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have a great weekend:)
The flavor in this is amazing 😍
Thanks so much Kyle! Love to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you! xT
I made this, but I used homemade enchilada sauce and salsa verde. AWSOME!!
Added some barley this last time for a little more body.
Will make many agains, and may even try it as a marinade.
Hey Rick,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Excellent! Will keep this recipe and make again! Can add corn, black beans and adjust the heat to your liking. Definitely be sure to add the cheese, cilantro, green onions and avacado!
Hi Cindy,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you trying this recipe, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Not the best. Will not make again.
Sorry to hear this, Melissa! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
This is so, so flavorful and tasty- bonus for being super easy!
Would have to modify the spiciness around kids, but it’s excellent.
Hey Kinzie,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this soup and your feedback! xT
Yummm, this was very good, though I wish I remembered to get limes! I added corn and black beans, will definitely make this again!
Hey Kaley,
Awesome! I love to hear that this soup turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT