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Green Chile Chicken Soup Recipe – hearty, rich chicken soup with green chiles, black beans, cannelleni beans, chicken and tomatoes!
There is nothing more comforting than a cozy, warm chicken soup – we like to make chicken soup a couple times a week, with lots of different flavors. In fall, when Colorado is full of the smell of chiles roasting, we love loading up soups with tons of flavor from our favorite roasted peppers. This soup is simple and easy to make, loaded with vegetables, beans, and chicken – but only takes 30 minutes start to finish – and can be made mild, medium, spicy, or Courtney levels of insane heat!
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
How To Make Green Chile Chicken Soup
First assemble the following ingredients:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 pound) – Provide lean, tender protein that forms the hearty base of the soup.
- Medium onion (1) – Adds a sweet, savory depth that builds flavor as it cooks down.
- Olive oil (1 tablespoon) – Infuses richness while helping soften and caramelize the aromatics.
- Garlic cloves (4) – Lend bold, aromatic sharpness that enhances the overall savoriness.
- Chopped green chiles (4 ounces) – Contribute mild heat and smoky, tangy flavor to the broth.
- Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chilies (10 oz) – Add a bright, zesty kick with juicy tomato acidity.
- Guahillo (3-4) – Bring a deep, earthy sweetness with a mild smoky spice.
- Chiles de arbol (3-4) – Deliver fiery heat and a sharp chili punch to the soup.
- Mexican oregano (1 tablespoon) -Provides a citrusy, herbal note distinct from Mediterranean oregano.
- Smoked paprika (1 teaspoon) – Adds warmth and subtle smokiness to enhance the chili base.
- Bay leaves (2) – Infuse the broth with a gentle, savory depth while simmering.
- Celtic sea salt (1 teaspoon) – Balances flavors and heightens the natural taste of the ingredients.
- Fresh cracked pepper (1 teaspoon) – Adds a sharp, peppery bite for contrast.
- White kidney beans (15 oz) – Bring creamy texture and mild flavor that soak up the broth.
- Black beans (15 oz) – Add hearty body and earthy richness to complement the lighter beans.
- Low sodium chicken broth (28 oz) – Forms the flavorful, savory liquid foundation of the soup.
- Shredded Monterrey jack cheese (½ cup) – Melts into the soup for creamy richness and mild tang.
- Chopped cilantro (½ cup) – Finishes the dish with bright, fresh, herbal flavor.
My Pro Tip
Flavor Tip
For the absolute mildest soup, please pick mild green chiles, mild Ro-tel, and use dried cascabel chile peppers that have been rehydrated and prepared with the seeds and membranes removed as noted in our preparation method below.
Cook Onion and Chicken
In large dutch oven or heavy pot, heat olive oil on medium high until shimmery, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and onion to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned – about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, cook until chicken is browned, another 5 minutes.
Add Herbs and Season
Stir green chiles, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper, cook another 5 minutes, until fragrant and onions are browned and softened.
Add Tomatoes and Chilis
Add Ro-tel, beans, chiles, and stock to pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to low.
Simmer and Finish
Simmer 15 minutes, until reduced and thickened slightly. If you’d like a thicker soup more like a stew, you can stir in cornstarch or xantham gum slurry. Top with shredded Monterey jack cheese and chives, if desired.
Finish
Top with shredded Monterey jack cheese and chives, if desired.
Tips to Perfect Chicken Soup
Using these tips below, you can have the perfect chicken soup, every time!
What Beans to Use in Chicken Soup – We called for black beans and cannelleni (white kidney beans) beans in this recipe simply because we love them in soup and always have them on hand at home – but you can also use pinto beans, kidney beans, and even chickpeas if you prefer.
How To Use Rotisserie Chicken In Green Chile Chicken Soup – To save time, you can skip cooking the chicken in this white chicken chili – and just use rotisserie chicken at the end.
How to Cook With Chiles – When making a soup, it isn’t strictly necessary to rehydrate dried chiles, since they will rehydrate and give off oils in the soup as it cooks, however if you want to have control over the amount of heat in your soup you need to consider rehydrating and preparing your chiles (removing seeds and the membrane) before cooking with them.
I personally prefer rehydrating in the soup, since I like really spicy food – this gives off all of the chiles heat and oil into the soup as they rehydrate and gives a TON of flavor (and spice!!!) to the soup.
How To Thicken Soup Without Flour – To thicken soups without flour, add xanthan gum as a thickener if desired, by making a xanthan gum roux.
- Using two teaspoons of xanthan gum (divided), with 1/2 cup butter, you’ll make a gluten free roux to thicken this keto soup.
- Get a nonstick pan or pot ready on the stove and turn heat to medium high.
- Add butter to pan and let start to melt.
- Add ONE teaspoon of xanthan gum, whisk vigorously to combine.
- Add the other teaspoon of xanthan gum, and keep whisking until roux is browned.
- Watch carefully, as roux browns quickly – do not let roux burn or overcook.
- Whisk in to soup about 5 minutes before it is done cooking, before adding the cheese.
- Roux will look a little thin when done – but don’t worry, it will continue to thicken when added to the soup!
FAQs
Chicken is safe to eat and fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Chicken soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, or four months in the freezer.
When picking green chiles, you can pick fresh roasted, canned (and drained), or frozen (thawed) chiles.
Cascabel Chiles – Cascabel chiles are fruity and smoky like Guahillo chiles as they are also from the Mirasol pepper – but pack a significantly milder heat at a 1,000-3,000 SHU range.
Guahillo Chiles – guahillo chiles are dried from the Mirasol pepper, and have a sharp, almost fruity and smoky flavor. Guahillo chiles have a Scoville heat unit (SHU) of 2,500-5,000, which puts them in the medium heat category.
Chiles de Arbol – chiles de arbol are bright red and have a nutty flavor (they are pictured here in my soup on top) and are very spicy with a 15,000-30,000 SHU. I like to form the flavor of my soup around a few guahillo peppers, and add extra heat to my soups with 4-5 chiles de arbol for an extra kick.
To cook with dried chile peppers, soak in hot water for 20 minutes to rehydrate.
Wearing gloves, remove the seeds and inner membrane of the chile with a sharp knife and discard.
Add chile to soup without seeds and membrane, minced.
What To Serve With Green Chile Chicken Soup
This hearty and rich soup pairs perfectly with easy quick breads like our no knead bread, cheddar jalapeno bread, The Best Easy Keto Garlic Butter Rolls, and 4 Ingredient Keto Jalapeno Cheese Bread.
If you’re new at cooking with chiles, please use some of our notes below to help get a little more comfortable cooking with them – and then try our Easy Green Chile Sauce Recipe, Easy Beef Green Chile, Green Chile Spaghetti Squash Skillet Recipe, Green Chile Guacamole, Green Chili Whiskey Onion Burgers, Chicken Green Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, Green Chile Pork Carnitas – you can tell we kind of have a thing for green chile around here!
For more of our favorite side dishes that are delicious alongside this soup, check out some of our favorite sides below:
Try these salads:
You can find the rest of our side dish recipe archives here.
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Green Chile Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 ounces chopped green chiles, can be canned, fresh roasted, or frozen – thaw/drain before using
- 10 oz Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 3-4 Guahillo, medium or Cascabel (mild) chiles, dried
- 3-4 chiles de arbol, hot, dried, optional
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 15 oz white kidney beans, drained
- 15 oz black beans, drained
- 28 oz low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese, to garnish
- ½ cup chopped cilantro, to garnish
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into 1" chunks and dice onion.
- In large dutch oven or heavy pot, heat olive oil on medium high until shimmery, about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken and onion to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned – about 3 minutes.
- Stir in onion, cook until chicken is browned, another 5 minutes.
- Stir green chiles, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper, cook another 5 minutes, until fragrant and onions are browned.
- Add Ro-tel, beans, chiles, and stock to pot.
- Bring to a boil, and then reduce to low.
- Simmer 15 minutes, until reduced and thickened slightly.
- If you’d like a thicker soup more like a stew, you can stir in cornstarch or xantham gum slurry.
- If you used dried chiles and rehydrated them in the soup as it cooked, you can remove them and mince (be sure to wear gloves to protect your hands from burning, remove the seeds and membranes before mincing to add back into soup.)
- Top with shredded Monterey jack cheese and chives, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
