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Packed with flavor, this low calorie southwestern chicken soup recipe has been a family favorite in my house for 2 decades! With less than 10 ingredients, this simple soup is sure to become a staple in your house too. I can literally make it in 10-15 minutes.
This southwestern chicken soup recipe is low-cal, easy to make, and a great way to sneak vegetables and fiber into your diet. When my kids were little, it was on heavy rotation in my household. As a matter of fact, my two boys still ask for it! They literally are excited when they come home and I tell them “I made your favorite soup!”.
I often double the recipe to make a big batch and portion any extra soup into airtight containers to put in the freezer for an easy meal another day. I use this silicone container I found on Amazon called Souper Cubes. It’s brilliant for storing single servings.
With less than 10 pantry ingredients, there is a lot to love about this healthy gluten-free, dairy-free soup recipe with a bit of kick and packed with southwestern flavors.
Make this for an easy weeknight dinner, fall football party, or for a holiday get-together with friends or family. Serve it with shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced jalapeños or fresh cilantro and tortilla chips – it is hearty enough to be a meal.
Table of contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Spices: you’ll need garlic, chili powder, and cumin for this soup. We found this combination of spices gives this soup a spicy, warming flavor that will have you going back for seconds.
- Protein: black beans and shredded rotisserie chicken add tons of protein to this low calorie soup recipe. You can also use 1 lb of cooked boneless, skinless leftover chicken breasts if you’d prefer. If you don’t have a can of black beans, you can swap for pinto beans or garbanzo beans.
- Vegetables: we like to add organic frozen sweet corn but you can add others if you’re trying to sneak some more vegetables into your diet. People have told me they add add: shredded zucchini, diced onion, and sliced bell pepper.
- Canned Pumpkin: The canned pumpkin is the secret ingredient for this southwestern chicken soup. It adds so much creaminess, thickness and nutrients, but you don’t taste any pumpkin flavor.
- Toppings: try topping this soup with fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, sliced jalapeño pepper, green onions, or cilantro. Some of these will up the calorie count of your dish, so add them sparingly if you’re trying to keep this meal low-calorie. Greek yogurt is a good substitute for sour cream.
Variations
- Make it Vegan: use vegetable broth and omit the chicken. For extra protein, you can double the black beans or add some chickpeas.
- Make it Paleo or Whole30: to make this soup paleo or Whole30 friendly, omit the black beans and corn.
Tools For This Recipe
- Large pot or dutch oven
- Chicken shredding tool
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Freezer storage containers
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How To Make Southwestern Chicken Soup
- Bloom the spices: wake up the flavors in your dried spices by sauteing them in ½ cup of the broth over medium-high heat on the stove in a large pot or dutch oven.
- Simmer: slowly stir in the pumpkin and broth simultaneously so the mix together, and the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve: serve this simple and delicious southwest soup recipe with your favorite toppings like shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, and cilantro. You could also add a squeeze of lime juice.
How Many Carbs are in Southwestern Chicken Soup?
A bowl of this low cal chicken soup has 34 grams of carbohydrates, but only 19 net grams of carbohydrates since a bowl packs 15 grams of fiber. If you want to make a lower carb version, omit the corn and the black beans.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
- To Store: leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: store cooled soup in individual airtight containers or a freezer bag for up to 4-6 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. I found this product called Souper Cubes and it’s a game changer to be able to store single servings!
- Reheating: you can reheat this soup on the stovetop by adding to a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through. You can also reheat in the microwave, stopping every 1 minute to stir until hot.
How to Make Your Own Healthy Shredded Chicken
- Step 1: Place chicken breast or chicken thighs in a pot. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 2: Cover with water (or chicken broth if preferred) to a level about an inch higher than the chicken.
- Step 3: Bring to a low simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Step 4: Check for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer. Chicken is cooked at 165 degrees.
- Step 5: Remove chicken from water and shred. This can be done by using two forks to pull it apart, or by using my favorite chicken shredding tool. It’s been a huge time saver for me!
Making your own shredded chicken gives you the perfect healthy base for the week. Try any of these shredded chicken recipes to mix up your lunch or dinner routine!
Low Calorie Southwestern Chicken Soup
Equipment
- Large pot or dutch oven
- Chicken shredding tool
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Freezer storage containers
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 4 cups chicken, or vegetable broth
- 1 15- ounce can pure pumpkin
- 1 15- ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 16- ounce jar salsa
- 2-3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
Optional Toppings
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Tortilla chips
- Sliced jalapeño
Instructions
- Mix garlic and spices with 1/4 cup broth and bring to medium heat on the stove.
- Add the rest of the broth and bring to a simmer.
- Add pumpkin and mix well.
- Add remaining ingredients, stir and bring soup to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with toppings.
I have a jar of pumpkin salsa that I never used in the fall. Do you think that would work in this recipe, or would it be pumpkin overkill???
Hi Julie – no, I think that would work! I’ve not tried using anything like that but soup is typically pretty versatile. Let me know hoe it turns out!
Can you recommend something other than ‘canned pumpkin’ as it is not sold in Australia.
Hi Brian – you could definitely make your own pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkins! Otherwise, if they sell canned butternut squash in Australia, you can definitely use that!
Easy and delicious! Love this.
Really wish the nutrition facts also listed salt/sodium.
Hi there – if you’re ever looking for additional nutrition information, My Fitness Pal has an easy to use platform where you can type in your recipe and get the results. I added the sodium content to this recipe per your request.
Is this recipe strong with the pumpkin flavor?
Hi Erica – no, you really can’t taste it much at all!
I didn’t have pumpkin so I ended up cooking a head of cauliflower until soft in the chicken broth and then blended it to make it thicker. It was great. Awesome recipe.
This is one of my ‘go-to’ soup recipes. Easy, delicious and quick. I love pumpkin but you don’t really taste the pumpkin. It adds fiber and thickening to what would otherwise be a broth based soup. Delicious!!
This soup was a hit with my family!!! I will definitely add it in the rotation…Also, I substituted the salsa for tomato sauce just because I forgot to pick some up and it was still delicious!
Amanda –
So happy that this was a hit with your family! Always a miracle when you can find a meal that everyone in the family will eat 🙂
A family favourite with myself, my husband and two teenage sons! The meal they all ask for – and the only one we all agree on. Three of us are vegetarians so I cook up a batch, reserving the stock and chicken. Once cooked, I transfer a 1/4 of the soup to another pan, add cooked chicken and chicken stock to that pan and to the larger pan I add vegetable stock and ‘shredded’ quorn fillets (pre cooked). Everyone happy and so easy to cook and adapt! 😊 Thank you for such a great recipe!
p to another
Wow this is awesome 🙂 Thanks for sharing and I am so happy that it is one your entire family agrees on. It makes cooking a lot easier doesn’t it!?!
So easy and so delicious!!