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Santa Fe Taco Soup

Santa Fe taco soup with a thick Southwestern broth—loaded with shredded chicken, black beans, corn, green chiles, and two kinds of tomatoes. Simmered until the flavors meld, then topped with sour cream, avocado, cotija, cilantro, lime, and crispy tortilla strips.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Soup base
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast Cooked and shredded
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans Drained
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn Drained
  • 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
  • 1 can (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
  • 1 packet (1 oz) ranch dressing mix
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 salt To taste
  • 1 pepper To taste
Santa Fe toppings
  • 1 sour cream
  • 1 avocado Diced
  • 1 cotija cheese Crumbled
  • 1 cilantro Fresh
  • 1 lime wedges
  • 1 tortilla strips Crispy

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the taco soup
  1. In a large Dutch oven, combine shredded chicken, black beans, corn, diced green chiles, Rotel tomatoes, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, ranch dressing mix, chicken broth, cumin, and smoked paprika.
  2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and watching the bubbles slow to a steady simmer.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then keep the soup at a gentle heat until ready to serve.
Serve with Santa Fe toppings
  1. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with sour cream, diced avocado, crumbled cotija, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and crispy tortilla strips.

Notes

Pro tip: use freshly cooked, lightly seasoned shredded chicken (or leftover chicken) so the broth tastes bold without extra thickening. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stove. Freezing is yes—freeze the soup base without toppings, up to 3 months, then thaw and reheat before adding fresh toppings. For a lighter option, swap regular sour cream for plain Greek yogurt as a 1:1 topping.