Chicken fajita soup is stuffed will all the flavors of chicken fajitas. It’s made with well-seasoned chicken, bell peppers, beans, and flavorful tomato broth. The soup is finished with refreshing lime juice and cilantro, served with rice, and topped with sharp cheddar, avocado, crushed tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream. It’s absolutely amazing!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this delicious soup:
- Chicken breast or chicken thighs. I used breasts – I brown them in the pot, transfer to a plate and add back to the soup at the end of the cooking time. If you’ll use chicken thighs you can cook them with the soup for the whole time. You can also use leftover chicken/rotisserie chicken for this recipe.
- Fajita seasoning – I love my homemade Fajita seasoning, it so much better than store-bought and you only need 6 spices that you probably already have in your pantry to make it. It’s so flavorful, I’m using it all the time. Store-bought seasonings are usually stuffed with salt, corn starch, sugar, and other weird ingredients, instead of just spices. You can also use taco seasoning instead of fajita seasoning, these two seasonings are very similar.
- Veggies – Bell peppers (prefarably colorful), onion, garlic.
- Beans – do not drain them – the liquid from the can adds additional bean flavor and thickens the soup.
- Tomatoes – You can also use canned fire-roasted tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes can also be used.
- Flour thickens the soup just a bit but can be omitted. If you’re using store-bought fajita seasoning, you can omit it because these seasonings usually contain corn starch.
- Chicken broth
- Lime juice – is absolutely necessary. It adds a citrusy refreshing flavor to the soup.
This soup is pretty amazing on its own but it’s even better with toppings:
- rice – is optional but it makes this soup a whole meal
- sharp cheddar
- diced avocado
- cilantro
- sour cream
- crushed tortilla chips or fried/baked tortilla strips
Step by step instructions
STEP 1: Cook the rice: Rinse the rice on a sieve under cold water. Add rice, 1 teaspoon butter, 1 1/4 cups cold water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a medium pot. Bring to a boil, stir the rice, cover the pot then simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and leave for 15 minutes. Open the pot and fluff the rice with a fork.
STEP 2: Prepare the ingredients: Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Dice the onion, cut bell peppers into 1-inch (1.5cm) cubes, finely chop the garlic. Toss the chicken with Fajita seasoning, season with salt and pepper.
STEP 3: Brown the chicken: Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat, add the chicken in an even layer, don’t stir for the first 2 minutes letting the chicken brown. Stir the chicken and cook for 1-2 minutes, transfer to a plate. The chicken doesn’t have to be cooked, just browned. If you have a smaller pot, brown the chicken in two batches.
STEP 4: Sautee veggies: Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion and bell peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent.
STEP 5: Add garlic and flour: Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add flour, cook, stirring for a minute.
STEP 6: Add the remaining ingredients and cook the soup: Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and beans (and their liquid). Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
If you’re using chicken thighs, you can add them now back to the pot and cook with the other ingredients.
STEP 7: Add the chicken: Add the chicken back to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
STEP 8: Season the soup: Take the pot off the heat, season the soup with lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
Assemble the soup: Ladle the soup into bowls, stir in chopped cilantro, add some rice. Garnish with chopped avocado, a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed tortilla chips.
Enjoy!
How to store it
Store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days or freeze it for up to 3-6 months.
Store the rice separately (not in the soup).
What are chicken fajitas?
Fajitas is a popular Tex-Mex dish. The name is referring to a piece of skirt steak, that is cut into thin strips – the real fajitas are made from beef. Chicken Fajitas (Fajitas de Pollo) is a popular variation of the dish.
We are making a spin on this recipe by making a soup with all the ingredients you would use to make chicken fajitas!
More Fajita-flavored recipes
- Fajita Seasoning Recipe (with basic chicken fajitas recipe)
- Chicken Fajita Nachos
- Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken Fajita Salad
- Chicken Fajita Bowls
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Chicken Fajita Soup
Ingredients
for the soup:
- 2 tablespoons frying oil
- 1 lb (450g) chicken breast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons homemade Fajita seasoning or store-bought
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 3 bell peppers red, green, and yellow
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon flour omit when using store-bought Fajita seasoning
- 5 cups chicken broth 1 1/4 liters
- 1 can 14-oz/400ml diced tomatoes
- 1 can 14-oz/400ml kidney or black beans
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
to serve:
- 1 cup dry rice 190g
- shredded sharp cheddar
- chopped cilantro
- diced avocado
- sour cream
- fried/baked tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
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Instructions
Start with cooking the rice:
- Rinse the rice on a sieve under cold water. Add rice, 1 teaspoon butter, 1 1/4 cups cold water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a medium pot. Bring to a boil, stir the rice, cover the pot then simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and leave for 15 minutes. Open the pot and fluff the rice with a fork.
Cook the soup:
- Prepare the ingredients: cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Dice the onion, cut bell peppers into 1-inch (1.5cm) cubes, finely chop the garlic.
- Toss the chicken with Fajita seasoning, season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat, add the chicken in an even layer, don’t stir for the first 2 minutes letting the chicken brown. Stir the chicken and cook for 1-2 minutes, transfer to a plate. The chicken doesn’t have to be cooked, just browned. If you have a smaller pot, brown the chicken in two batches.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion and bell peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add flour, cook, stirring for a minute.
- Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and beans (and their liquid). Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
- Add the chicken back to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Take the pot off the heat, season the soup with lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
Assemble:
- Ladle the soup into bowls, stir in cilantro, add some rice. Garnish with chopped avocado, a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed tortilla chips.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can also use chicken thighs – you can add them along with the broth and cook with the soup instead of adding them at the end.
- Store the rice separately from the soup.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/6 of the recipe), rice included, but other toppings not. This is only an estimate!
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