Healthy Mexican Chicken Soup

This EASY and healthy Mexican Chicken Soup is the PERFECT healthy soup recipe. Gluten free, dairy free, and using whole food ingredients. A meal you can feel good serving up to your family! Add fun toppings like cheese, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips for those who want a little extra, OR enjoy it as a light and lovely soup. Best part? Uses up some of that leftover rotisserie chicken you have lying around!

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One of my favorite budget friendly ways to feed my family is by using soups. Even through the summer months, we eat soup about once a week. This helps us use up our weekly batch of bone broth, and I'm able to load it up with nutrient dense foods. It's also a GREAT way to use up leftovers like shredded chicken, odds and ends of vegetables, and even the final crumbs of a bag of tortilla chips.

Using Leftover Chicken

This recipe is a great weeknight recipe because it makes use of leftover shredded chicken. This can be a rotisserie chicken if you like the convenience of picking one up when you're out and about, or it can be leftover from a chicken you've roasted yourself at home. Either way, be sure to make your own bone broth from the leftover bones! I have a super easy recipe using the Instant Pot here. You can cut the recipe in half if you just have one chicken carcass to use up.

If you prefer to use chicken pieces like chicken breast, that's fine too! Just cook and shred your chicken in advance so it's ready for soup time.

A Gluten Free and Dairy Free Meal for the Whole Family

If you've ever had to prepare a family meal while keeping dietary restrictions in mind, you know that it can be a HARD job! Many folks who are working with allergies and restrictions end up making entirely different meals for the afflicted family members. Not only does that place a heavy burden on the person who prepares the meals, but it also lacks that family together feeling we should get from our mealtimes. It really is best for all parties involved if we can eat the same food most of the time.

And that is why this easy recipe for Healthy Mexican Chicken Soup is here to save the day! This soup is easily prepared to be gluten free and dairy free, which are the most common restrictions we see when we are feeding others. A simple swap (olive oil instead of butter) makes this meal an easy dairy free soup that the whole family can enjoy. Just simply lay out topping options for those who need a more substantial meal (my husband can't eat a meal without cheese it seems! 😅).

Great for Guests

For the very same reason this soup is perfect for serving to large crowds. Just double, triple, or quadruple the recipe and provide ample serving dishes of various toppings and garnishes. You can ladle a bowl for each guest, and they can fix their bowl just how they like it! For those who face restrictions, going out to eat or visiting another family can bring up some anxiety. They worry that they are being too difficult, or they worry that they may accidently eat some of the very food they are trying to avoid. Serving a meal that can be customized is the perfect solution!

What is in Mexican Chicken Soup?

• Chicken: What would Mexican Chicken Soup be if it weren't for chicken!? For extra ease, I like to use leftover shredded cooked chicken. You can use rotisserie chicken, or leftovers from a home roasted chicken.
• Broth: You can use store bought, but I love to use my Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth since I always have some to use up in the fridge. You can also use my standard Homemade Chicken Broth recipe and use the leftover chicken in your soup!
• Veggies: Chopped onion, chopped celery, and corn kernels add plenty of vegetable matter to this yummy soup.
• Seasonings: I like to use some of my Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning in this recipe, but you can use store-bought. You'll also need a bit of cumin and some black pepper.
• Rotel or Tomatoes: Rotel adds a little kick and some tomato flavor, and is one of my favorite additions to soups (see my Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup for proof). If you don't have Rotel, you can use some undrained diced tomatoes mixed with diced green chilies (see my substitution down below).
• Cilantro: I know that there's plenty of folks who think cilantro tastes like soap, but for those us that love the bright and fresh flavor, this is an essential element to Mexican chicken soup.
• Garnish: Includes fresh lime wedges and chunks of avocado. So delicious!

How to Make Mexican Chicken Soup

Making this healthy soup is SO easy, and can be made in about 30 minutes, most of which is inactive simmering time. You're going to want to make this easy dinner over and over again!

The first thing you do is melt butter (or olive oil if dairy free) in a dutch oven or large saucepan.

Add in the chopped celery and onions, and stir well to coat with the butter or oil. You're going to allow this to saute until tender, which will be about 5 minutes.

Then, add in the chicken broth and water.

The seasonings.

And a full undrained can of Rotel chilies and tomatoes.

Then simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and add in the cooked, shredded chicken.

Add in the frozen corn kernels (thawed is fine).

And some fresh chopped cilantro.

Then, simmer for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is heated through.

Serve in individual bowls, and garnish with additional chopped cilantro, fresh lime wedges, and chunks of avocado.

If desired, offer lots of options for topping your delicious bowls of Healthy Mexican Chicken Soup!

Topping Suggestions

In addition to the garnishes described in the recipe (chopped cilantro, fresh lime wedges, and chunks of avocado), you can customize this healthy soup to your liking by adding some of your favorite toppings. Anything you'd add to a taco, you can add to this yummy Mexican Chicken Soup!

• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream or Crème Fraiche (see how to make it yourself)
• Crushed tortilla chips
• Guacamole
• Queso fresco

Gluten Free and Dairy Free Toppings

Of course, if you need this soup to be gluten free and/or dairy free, be sure to keep that in mind when selecting your toppings. If you're dairy free you can do vegan or dairy free versions of some of the above suggestions. Those who need gluten free toppings may consider using crushed corn tortilla chips.

Side Dishes for Mexican Chicken Soup

While this soup is plenty enough for a meal in itself, if you'd like to serve some goodies on the side, that will help you stretch your meal a bit further. Here are some suggestions for side dishes:

• Cilantro lime rice (check out this recipe for the Instant Pot)
• Cooked rice
• Cooked quinoa
• Cornbread (I have a sourdough cornbread recipe that is super yummy with soup!)
• Tortilla chips and salsa
• Jalapeno poppers (love these ones from Dinner at the Zoo)

Rotel Substitute

If you can't find Rotel in your local supermarket, or it isn't available where you live, you can easily make a substitute for Rotel! For each 10oz can of Rotel your recipe calls for, substitute 8oz of undrained diced tomatoes and 2oz of undrained canned green chilies.

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