Chicken Black Bean Soup is a warm spicy hearty bowl of healthy comfort food that cooks up in under an hour with minimal effort.
Whether you are in the mood for traditional Tex Mex flavors or just want something hearty and nourishing, you'll find this soup to be a perfect choice for any night of the week.
One look at the ingredient list may make you steer clear of this recipe. Don't be intimidated. The first part is the seasoning mix, and the rest are all easy to find ingredients.
Other than sautéing the onion and bell pepper, it is just dump and simmer.
Low Sodium Tex Mex Seasoning Mix
The Tex Mex seasoning mix makes about ½ cup. You only need about 2 tablespoons for this recipe. Save the rest in a small jar or other air tight container to use for other recipes such as:
- season beef, pork, chicken or fish before grilling
- sauté chicken or beef with some onions and pepper for fajitas
- sprinkle on vegetables
- sprinkle on popcorn
- add to cornbread batter for a spicy kick
There is only one teaspoon of salt in the entire batch. Unless you eat the entire ½ cup of mix you aren't getting much. You can also omit the salt entirely or substitute potassium salt instead.
Ingredients and Substitutions for Chicken Black Bean Soup
If you don't want to go to the trouble of making the mix above you can use a premade Southwest or Cajun seasoning mix.
Additionally, you are going to need the following to make Tex Mex Chicken Black Bean Soup:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- extra virgin olive oil (or other cooking oil)
- diced fire-roasted tomatoes with green chilies (or without chilies)
- canned black beans
- chicken broth
- yellow onion (or white)
- red bell pepper (or other color bell pepper)
- sweet corn kernels (fresh, canned or frozen)
- garlic cloves
- fresh limes
- avocado (optional for serving)
- fresh cilantro (optional for serving)
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Recipe
Ingredients
Tex-Mex Seasoning Mix Ingredients:
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 2-3 large cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- ½ medium yellow onion (diced)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (diced)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 14 ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes with green chilies (with liquid)
- 15 ounce can low sodium black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels (fresh, canned or frozen)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
To Serve:
- 1 large avocado (diced)
- 1 large lime (cut into wedges)
- fresh cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
Seasoning Mix
- Combine all seasoning mix ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir to combine. Store in a a small jar or other air tight container (you will only need 2 tablespoons for this recipe).
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or other large pot. Add garlic, onion, and red bell pepper. Sprinkle with Tex-Mex seasoning mix. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are start to develop some color, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, black beans, bay leaves, and chicken broth and stir to combine. Add chicken breasts and submerge completely in the liquid.
- Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a rapid boil Immediately reduce heat to medium low. Cover loosely with a lid and simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with two forks.
- Stir in corn and fresh lime juice and simmer until heated through, approximately 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard bay leaves.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired. Serve immediately topped with diced avocado, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges for squeezing.
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Until next time, happy eating!
~Audrey
Christie
I love a good black bean soup. And adding chicken to this one makes it even more delicious. All those toppings are making my mouth water.