This creamy chicken taco soup is what comfort food dreams are made of. It’s loaded with tender shredded chicken, taco-seasoned goodness, black beans, sweet corn, and fire-roasted tomatoes, all swimming in a rich, velvety broth. Finished off with a swirl of cream and your favorite toppings, it’s basically taco night… in a bowl.
It’s super easy to throw together, makes the kitchen smell amazing, and tastes even better the next day. Whether you’re cozying up on a weeknight or meal prepping for the week ahead, this is one soup you’ll come back to again and again.
Why You’ll Love It
- Creamy + Flavor-Packed: The broth is luxuriously creamy and spiced just right with chili powder, cumin, and smoky paprika. It’s cozy without being heavy.
- Hearty + Filling: Between the shredded rotisserie chicken, black beans, and corn, this soup is seriously satisfying.
- Totally Customizable: Load it up with all your favorite toppings or keep it simple. Either way, it’s a win.
What You’ll Need
- Olive oil – For sautéing
- Onion + garlic – The base of flavor
- Taco seasoning – Use your favorite packet or a homemade blend
- Black beans – Drained and ready to go
- Canned corn – Adds sweetness and a little crunch
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes – For that smoky depth
- Rotisserie chicken – Shredded and super convenient
- Vegetable juice (like V8) – The not-so-secret base that adds a ton of flavor
- Heavy cream – For that rich, velvety finish
- Salt + pepper – To taste
How to Make It
1. Build the Flavor
In a large pot, heat a drizzle of oil over medium. Add chopped onion, a couple pinches of salt and pepper, and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring often. Toss in the garlic and taco seasoning and stir for another minute until fragrant.
2. Deglaze
Add a few splashes of the vegetable juice to loosen up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, don’t skip this step, those bits = big flavor!
3. Add the Good Stuff
Stir in the black beans, corn, tomatoes, shredded rotisserie chicken, and the rest of the vegetable juice. Season with a few more pinches of salt and pepper.
4. Simmer
Bring everything to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to low and let it simmer, uncovered, for 10–15 minutes to let all the flavors come together.
5. Stir in Cream
Finish with a pour of heavy cream and stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
6. Garnish + Serve
Ladle into bowls and top with whatever you’re craving, tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro… the sky’s the limit!
Tips + Toppings
- Make it spicy: Add cayenne, red pepper flakes, or chopped chipotle peppers for some heat.
- No cream? No problem! Skip it for a more tomato-forward, brothy version.
- Top it your way: Some faves include:
- Crispy tortilla strips or crumbled Fritos
- Sour cream or avocado crema
- Cotija, queso fresco, or shredded cheddar
- Green onions, cilantro, or pickled jalapeños
Make-Ahead + Leftovers
This soup is perfect for making ahead. In fact, the flavors get even better the next day! Whip up a big batch on Sunday and enjoy it for quick lunches or cozy weeknight dinners.
To store: Let it cool and pop it into an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll keep for up to 5 days.
To reheat: Warm it gently on the stove over medium heat. Give it a taste before serving and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.
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Chicken Taco Soup: Quick, Cozy, and Crave-Worthy
This creamy chicken taco soup is what comfort food dreams are made of. It’s loaded with tender shredded chicken, taco-seasoned goodness, black beans, sweet corn, and fire-roasted tomatoes, all swimming in a rich, velvety broth. Finished off with a swirl of cream and your favorite toppings, it’s basically taco night… in a bowl.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
4 cups vegetable juice (V8)
1 cup heavy cream
fresh cracked pepper
GARNISH
freshly chopped cilantro
thinly sliced green onion
Instructions
- Start by heating a drizzle of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Toss in the chopped onion along with a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring often, until the onion starts to soften and smell amazing.
- Next, stir in the garlic and taco seasoning. Let that cook for about a minute, stirring constantly to wake up all those spices and let the garlic get fragrant—but not browned.
- Now add a few splashes of vegetable juice to deglaze the pan. Use your spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom—those little bits are flavor gold.
- Pour in the black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, shredded chicken, and the rest of the veggie juice. Add a few more pinches of salt and pepper, then stir everything together until nicely combined.
- Bring the soup to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Once it’s bubbling, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer away for 10–15 minutes so all those flavors can really come together.
- Finish it off with a swirl of heavy cream and stir to make everything rich and velvety. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Ladle into bowls, load it up with your favorite toppings, and dig in!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Mexican
