Chili’s Southwest Chicken Soup

You can recreate Chili’s Southwest Chicken soup at home. This is a light recipe that is perfect because it’s so filling and packed full of protein.

two bowls of southwest chicken soup

Flavorful and Healthy Soup Recipe

The first time I experienced this soup, I fell in love with it. I thought that since this soup was marked as a healthy option, it probably would not be so good, but I was dead wrong! This soup was chock full of flavor and spice and just overall deliciousness. Plus, it was really filling without being too heavy.

If you adore southwest flavors, you’ll go a bit weak at the knees for Chili’s Southwestern Chicken Soup. It’s a hearty meal like chili but still has that soup feeling. I love recipes that are so easy to prepare but are still packed full of flavor.

This is also a great meal that can be made ahead and frozen. You can double the recipe and have some ready in your freezer whenever you feel like warming up with some tasty soup.

Make Chili’s Southwest Chicken Soup with Easy to Find Ingredients

Chili’s Southwest Chicken Soup recipe is one of my preferred easy chicken dinners. It’s loaded with all my favorite Mexican flavors – cilantro, corn, lime juice, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and green chilis – plus a mix of different veggies. Oh, and did I mention your dinner will be ready in no time? This is also a one-pot meal, so there’s easy clean-up.

  • cooked chicken
  • white onion
  • celery
  • tomato paste
  • white hominy
  • green chilies
  • Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • fresh tomatoes
  • lime juice
  • tortilla strips
  • cilantro

chicken, cilantro, celery, onions and more to make southwest chicken soup

Ingredient Notes

Chipotle chiles are dried smoked jalapeño peppers. Adobo is a tangy, slightly sweet red sauce. Put them together, and you have an irresistible combination.

This recipe uses white hominy. If you’re not familiar with hominy, you’re not likely to forget it! These big kernels of corn are puffy and chewy with a very unique flavor owing to a special processing technique.

How to Make Chili’s Southwest Chicken Soup

  1. Season chicken breast with salt. Cook the chicken breast with oil in a large pot over medium heat for about 6 to 7 minutes on each side, until fully cooked.
  2. Remove chicken from the pot and when cool to the touch, shred the chicken.
  3. Place one tablespoon of vegetable oil to the same pot where the chicken was cooked.
  4. Sauté garlic and onion until the onion is translucent.
  5. Add celery and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
  6. Add tomato paste, and stir well. Sauté for about 1 minute stirring constantly then add chicken stock.
  7. Add chipotle peppers, hominy, green chilies, diced tomatoes, and shredded chicken. Cook until the soup has heated through.
    stirring a pot of spicy chicken soup
  8. Add a squeeze of lime juice and about 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro.
  9. Garnish soup with fried corn tortilla strips, chopped cilantro, and shredded cheese if desired.

Not only is this southwestern chicken soup recipe amazingly delicious, but it is also so simple to throw together. In no time at all, you have perfect winter comfort in a bowl.

I love mine with fried tortilla chips on top, but if you like, you could skip the tortilla strips and serve the soup with cornbread for a hearty, comforting meal.

two bowls of spicy chicken soup with tortilla strips and lime

Love soups with a southwestern flavor? Try these recipes!

Here are some more copycat soups for you to enjoy:

Don’t miss out on these favorite Chili’s copycat recipes

Be sure to check out more of my easy soup recipes and the best copycat Mexican restaurant food.

two bowls of southwest chicken soup

Chilis Southwest Chicken Soup

If you are looking for a quick soup to warm you up tonight, this is the soup! I hope you enjoy Chili's Southwest Chicken Soup recipe as much as my family does.
4.95 from 19 votes
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Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Chilis Southwest Chicken Soup, Spicy Chicken Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 173kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 cup chopped white onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce add more if you like spicy food
  • 1 cup white hominy
  • 4 ounces green chilies, diced
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • fried corn tortilla strips
  • grated cheese for garnish if desired

Instructions

  • Place 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large pot. Season chicken breast with salt. Cook the chicken breast over medium heat for about 6 to 7 minutes on each side. (The chicken should be fully cooked). Remove chicken from the pot, and when cool to the touch, shred the chicken.
  • Place one tablespoon of vegetable oil to the same pot where the chicken was cooked. Saute garlic and onion until the onion is translucent. Add celery and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.
  • Add tomato paste, and stir well. Saute for about 1 minute stirring constantly, add chicken stock.
  • Add chipotle peppers, hominy, green chilis, diced tomatoes, and shredded chicken. Cook until the soup has heated through.
  • Add a squeeze of lime juice, and about 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro.
  • If desired you can use corn chips, or slice a few corn tortillas thin, and fry them in vegetable oil until very crisp.
  • Garnish soup with fried corn tortilla strips, chopped cilantro, and shredded cheese if desired.

Notes

  • Don't let that extra tomato paste go to waste, freeze the extra for another recipe. 
  • You can use left over cooked chicken for this recipe if desired

Nutrition

Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 456mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 122IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • josie ekstrand

      Chili has 2 chiciken soups, this is very close to the southwest soup, maybe you are thinking about the other one

  1. Becky

    5 stars
    This was a HUGE hit in my house, Even my picky son who hates veggies loved it! I did substitute canned diced tomatoes for fresh ones. Will definitely be making this again!

  2. Elizabeth Nicholson

    5 stars
    I love this soup! And say very healthy and hearty soup. I make a very large batch and portion it out into 10 small bowls and freeze them. My boyfriend and I love love love this soup and can eat it on a hot or cold day. I do add a can of black beans and a can of corn to the recipe to bulk it up a bit.

  3. Jennifer Clark

    5 stars
    Very delicious! Had it yesterday at the restaurant and loved it so much I wanted to make it. Your recipe is spot on with all the flavors!

  4. Jeanne

    5 stars
    This is a WONDERFUL recipe! I doubled it and my men (son and husband) loved it. Thank you so much for sharing. I usually HATE hominy, but love it in this recipe. Again, THANK YOU!!!

  5. Donna

    My husband made this, but the soup was a pale light color and posted pictures and the one from chili’s are mor brown and Darker broth??? What went wrong???

  6. Sophie

    5 stars
    I made this tonight as meal prep for lunches for myself since my boyfriend doesn’t like soup. Well he loved it! Nearly ate the entire batch in one sitting. I guess I’ll have to double this next time! So yummy

  7. Tim

    5 stars
    This was my favorite menu item at Chili’s for a long time; I would order two bowls at a time and that would be my meal when eating there. Discovered this recipe just this week and it’s absolutely spot on. Thank you!

  8. Tiffany

    5 stars
    Delicious soup! I made a double batch and ate it for breakfast lunch and dinner. My husband thought ir was a touch too spicy, but he a mild palate. My father has requested ne to make this once a month. For the tortilla strips i fry them in lard, it really adds to the flavora. i make my own broth and split it between chicken noodle soup and this – thanks again for this delicious recipe!

  9. Ceil44

    This sounds like something I would like to try. Of course I don’t have hominy on hand. Seems as if whenever I see a recipe online that I’m interested in, I always am missing at least one ingredient. It’s so frustrating. Ha!

  10. Brenda Webb

    I have made. Gallons of Wendy’s chili and this is very close.we never used old burger meat. A sleeve of fresh meat was cooked and put in the fridge. The next day it was chopped and added to the pot where other ingredients waited. We were never allowed to serve it unless it simmered in a double boiler for four hours minimum. I have read other versions of this chili , but they didn’t use the trinity like you did.(bell peppers, onions, and celery)..I’m making this now and can’t wait to try it. I make my own trinity in the spring and summer so I’ve always got some. I also make my own Mira poix ( onions,celery, carrots) Stephanie I posted on the wrong recipie. I thought I was on Wendy’s chili. Sorry, you can delete if you want.

  11. Debbie Avino

    I can Tell by the ingredient list that this soup will be very tasty. I have to get the hominy from the store and then I will make it.
    It does sound healthy as well. Thank you Stephanie.

4.95 from 19 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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