Chicken Fajita Soup is a brothy Tex-Mex soup loaded with tender chicken, soft bell peppers and onion, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans and rice, all simmered in a chili-spiced broth and finished with lime and fresh cilantro. It tastes bold, smoky and zesty with a gentle hint of spice, and it makes a cozy, filling weeknight dinner. It serves 7.
How to make it: Sauté the peppers, onion and garlic, add the broth, tomatoes and spices, and simmer the chicken breast in the pot for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice the chicken into strips and stir it back in with cooked rice, black beans, cilantro and lime juice.
Why You’ll Love It
- Ready in 45 minutes: the rice cooks in its own pot while the soup simmers.
- A full meal in a bowl: chicken, rice, beans and vegetables in every spoonful.
- Few dishes: one soup pot, plus a second pot for the rice.
- Easy to change: make it creamy, or cook it in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breast: One pound of boneless, skinless breast, pounded to an even 1/2-inch thickness with the flat side of a meat mallet. It cooks right in the broth, so it stays juicy.
Bell peppers and onion: Two bell peppers chopped into 1/2-inch pieces, about 3 cups, and two small yellow onions. Red and green peppers with yellow onion give the classic fajita flavor; yellow and orange peppers work too.
Broth: Low-sodium chicken broth, so you can control the salt. Taste the soup at the end and add salt and pepper as needed.
Rice: Dry long-grain white rice, cooked by the package directions and stirred in at the end. Cooked brown rice or cauliflower rice can go in the same way.
Spices: Chili powder, ancho chili powder, ground cumin, paprika and oregano make the fajita seasoning right in the pot. One packet of store-bought fajita seasoning can stand in for all five.
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice, dry
- 2 bell peppers, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 2 cups yellow onion, chopped (2 small)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 14.5 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes (1 can)
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon oregano
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded evenly to 1/2-inch thickness
- 14.5 ounces black beans (1 can), drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Mexican cheese blend and sour cream, for serving (optional)
How to Make Chicken Fajita Soup
1. Cook the rice. Cook the rice according to the package directions.
2. Sauté the vegetables. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and onion and sauté for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.
3. Add the broth and spices. Pour in the chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Stir in the chili powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, paprika and oregano, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Simmer the chicken. Add the chicken and bring the soup to a light boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F in the center on an instant-read thermometer.
5. Slice the chicken. Move the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest 5 minutes while the soup keeps cooking to soften the vegetables, then cut it into small strips.
6. Finish and serve. Return the chicken to the pot and stir in the cooked rice, black beans, cilantro and lime juice. Serve warm with cheese and sour cream if you like.
What Makes Chicken Fajita Soup Taste Like Fajitas
This is chicken fajitas in soup form: the peppers, onion, chicken and toppings you would pile into a tortilla, with more liquid to turn them into a soup. These details carry the fajita flavor.
Peppers and onion with some color. Step 2 gives them 3 minutes. For more flavor, let them cook until they soften and start to caramelize at the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic after the peppers so it doesn’t burn.
Fire-roasted tomatoes. They add a subtle smokiness to the broth. Regular diced tomatoes work if that’s what you have on hand.
Chicken in strips. Slice the cooked breast into small strips, fajita style. If you prefer, shred it with two forks instead.
Lime and cilantro at the end. Lime juice stirred in just before serving brightens the whole pot, and the fresh cilantro goes in with it.
Fajita toppings. Finish each bowl the way you would a fajita plate: Mexican cheese blend, a spoonful of sour cream, sliced avocado or guacamole, jalapeño slices, more cilantro and a squeeze of lime, with tortilla chips for crunch.
Tips for Success
Why is my soup so thick the next day?
The soup keeps thickening as it sits in the fridge. When you reheat it, stir in a splash of chicken broth or water until it is as loose as you like.
How do I make it spicier, or milder?
For more heat, add a sliced jalapeño with the peppers and onion, or pass hot sauce and red pepper flakes at the table. For a milder pot, skip the jalapeño; the other spices still give the soup plenty of flavor.
Variations
- Creamy: cook the peppers and onion in 2 tablespoons of butter, sprinkle on the fajita seasoning, then add 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth, the black beans, 1/2 cup of frozen corn, a 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes and an 8-ounce block of softened cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese melts, then add 2 cups of cooked chicken and 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar. If you use sour cream in a creamy pot, mix it with some of the warm broth first; cold sour cream added straight to hot soup can curdle.
- Slow cooker: put the vegetables in first, then the thawed raw chicken, broth, tomatoes and spices. Cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and falls apart. Shred it, switch to warm, and stir in the rice, beans, cilantro and lime juice.
- Instant Pot: sauté the onion and garlic in the oil on the sauté setting for about 5 minutes, add everything else except the rice and toppings, lock the lid and cook on the soup/stew setting for 30 minutes. Release the pressure carefully, shred the chicken with a fork, and stir in the rice on the warm setting.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Reheat soup on the stove or in the microwave until it comes to a rolling boil (165°F), straight from frozen or after thawing in the refrigerator; don’t reheat it in a slow cooker. The creamy variation may separate a little after freezing, since cream sauces don’t freeze well, so stir it well as it heats.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with tortilla chips for dipping, a bowl of guacamole or fresh pico de gallo, and a spinach salad, air-fried zucchini or roasted bell peppers on the side. For another Tex-Mex soup, try 8-can chicken taco soup, made from pantry cans, or quick and easy taco soup with ground beef. If chicken and rice in a bowl is your thing, slow cooker lemon chicken and rice soup is a bright pick, and crack chicken soup is the creamy, cheesy one. For a Tex-Mex dinner that isn’t soup, there’s chicken enchiladas with homemade red sauce and Mexican tortilla casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ingredients in chicken fajita soup?
Chicken breast, bell peppers, onion, garlic, low-sodium chicken broth, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, black beans and long-grain white rice, seasoned with chili powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, paprika and oregano. Cilantro and lime juice go in at the end, with cheese and sour cream on top.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Yes. Boneless, skinless thighs add a bit of fat and flavor. Simmer them in the soup in step 4 until cooked through, then slice or shred them.
Can I use rotisserie chicken?
Yes. Leave the raw chicken out of step 4, skip step 5, and stir about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken into the pot with the rice and beans.
Can I cook the rice right in the soup?
Yes. Stir 3/4 cup of uncooked white rice into the pot with the tomatoes and broth, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 to 18 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Then add the beans and lime juice.
Final Notes
Set out the toppings and let everyone build their own bowl. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Chicken Fajita Soup with Rice
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Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice dry
- 2 bell peppers chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 2 cups yellow onion chopped (2 small)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 14.5 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes 1 can
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon oregano
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast pounded evenly to 1/2-inch thickness
- 14.5 ounces black beans 1 can, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Mexican cheese blend and sour cream for serving, optional
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and onion and sauté for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.
- Pour in the chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Stir in the chili powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, paprika and oregano, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the chicken and bring the soup to a light boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F in the center on an instant-read thermometer.
- Move the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest 5 minutes while the soup keeps cooking to soften the vegetables, then cut it into small strips.
- Return the chicken to the pot and stir in the cooked rice, black beans, cilantro and lime juice. Serve warm with cheese and sour cream if you like.
