A light, healthy Green Chile Chicken Soup made with mild Hatch green chiles, potatoes, and chicken—perfect for chilly days.
This easy soup uses simple pantry ingredients and precooked shredded or diced chicken. It creates a versatile Green Chile Soup base you can customize to your taste or what you have on hand. It’s warming, slightly spicy, and makes great leftovers.
This soup is ideal on cold days when you want chicken soup with a touch of heat. Hatch chiles and jalapeños add a pleasant kick, and the flavors often deepen after a day, so leftovers are especially tasty.
Ingredients
- Butter – Or canola oil for sautéing the vegetables.
- Onion – One medium yellow onion, diced.
- Jalapeños – Two medium jalapeños, chopped (seeded if you prefer less heat). Omit to make the soup milder.
- Minced garlic – About 1 tsp.
- Chicken stock – Use stock or bone broth for deeper flavor; broth works too. (About 4 cups.)
- Potatoes – One large russet potato, peeled and diced (about 2 cups).
- Cream-style corn – One 14.5 oz can adds body and creaminess without extra fat.
- Spices – Mexican oregano, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper.
- Diced mild green chiles – One to two 4.5 oz cans, or 1/2 cup fresh or frozen roasted chiles.
- Chicken – Two cups cooked, shredded or diced (rotisserie chicken works great).
How to make
Step 1. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and jalapeños and sauté until the onion is translucent and tender. Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring to prevent burning.
Step 2. Add chicken stock, diced potatoes, cream-style corn, diced green chiles, and the spices to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Step 3. Stir in the cooked chicken and simmer 5 more minutes to heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings, then remove from heat and serve.
To make in a slow cooker: Sauté the onion and jalapeños in butter or oil until translucent. Transfer them to the slow cooker with chicken stock, garlic, potatoes, corn, green chiles, and spices. Cook on low until the potatoes are tender. Add the cooked chicken in the last 5 minutes to warm through.
Variations
This recipe works well as a base—change add-ins depending on what you have or want to use up.
Other add-ins to try:
- Carrots
- Diced celery (add with the onions)
- White beans for extra protein and texture
- Make it creamy by stirring in cream, half-and-half, or cream cheese just before serving
- Swap diced cooked ham or brisket for the chicken
Serving and Storage
Toppings elevate Tex-Mex soups. Try shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar, fresh cilantro, avocado slices, a squeeze of lime, diced Roma tomatoes, and tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips.
Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for best quality for 3–4 days. This soup also freezes well—portion and freeze for easy future meals.
📖 Recipe
Green Chile Chicken Soup
Alaine @ My TX Kitchen
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 c. yellow onion diced
- ⅓ c. diced fresh jalapeños (2 medium) seeded if desired
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 4 c. chicken stock
- 2 c. potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 – 14.5 oz can cream-style corn
- 2 – 4.5 oz. cans diced green chiles*
- ½ tsp. Mexican oregano
- ¼ tsp. cumin
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded or diced
Instructions
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeños and sauté until the onion is tender and translucent. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring so it doesn’t burn.
- Add chicken stock, potatoes, cream-style corn, green chiles, and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
- Stir in cooked chicken and simmer 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste, remove from heat, and serve.
Notes
*Use one can of green chiles for a milder soup. Fresh or frozen roasted green chiles may be substituted.
Make it creamy by adding half-and-half, heavy cream, or cream cheese just before serving.
Top with fresh cilantro, lime juice, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, avocado, and tortilla strips.
I hope you enjoy this recipe—it’s easy to make and great for sharing with neighbors or friends.
Cheers,
Alaine
More recipes you may enjoy:
- Healthy White Chicken Chili
- Crockpot Green Chile Chicken
Green Chile Chicken Soup was originally published on My Texas Kitchen in January 2016 and updated in December 2023 with recipe tweaks and new photos.