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Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Soup

Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Soup: Spicy comfort food goodness, using the shortcut magic of leftover chicken + salsa!

Let’s turn leftover chicken into something new today, in this Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Soup recipe. Chock full of hearty chicken & beans, this filling soup contrasts the sweetness of carrots with the tangy spice of salsa verde to create a satisfying comfort food meal.

One redeeming quality of our frosty winters in Chicago is their requisite comfort food dinners. To wit: I roasted up a whole chicken the other day, then made broth from the bones overnight in my Crock-Pot.

Bowl of chicken salsa verde soup topped with tortilla strips

I thought it might be fun to simmer up a different kind of soup with the remaining cooked chicken plus some of my homemade broth, so pulled out a couple of cans of beans and a jar of salsa from the pantry to jazz things up. I’m so glad ALDI now carries salsa verde every day, by the way — it saves me from having to make another grocery stop!

No, this is not the prettiest soup in the world, but it’s tasty and warming. Salsa verde chicken soup is reminiscent of white chicken chili, with a simple shortcut flavor assist from that jar of salsa.

Salsa verde chicken soup, by the way, is the third meal I’ve gotten out of one large roaster chicken — we enjoyed roast chicken and potatoes the first night, chicken fried rice and frozen pot stickers the second night, and this salsa chicken soup and salad the third.

Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Soup

salsa verde chicken soup ingredients

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 tsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional — omit if sensitive to heat)
4 cups chicken broth
2 cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz jar salsa verde

Directions

diced carrots and onion

Cut up the onion, carrot, and garlic. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven until shimmering, then saute the onion and carrot for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the veggies are sauteing, rinse and drain the beans.

seasoned chicken and carrots in a pot

Stir the garlic into the carrots & onions, and saute for one minute. Stir in the chicken and spices, and continue to cook over medium heat for two minutes.

Sir in the broth, beans, and salsa, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally — or until the carrots are tender, flavors have blended, and soup begins to thicken up.

Recommended: Enjoy your salsa chicken soup topped with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, plus shredded cheddar cheese.

Note: This salsa chicken soup has a nice kick to it To control the heat level, you can omit the cayenne and/or use a milder salsa.

Easy & spicy, tangy and delicious

Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Soup is spicy comfort food goodness, using leftover chicken + salsa!

I threw some colorful tortilla strips onto our soup for some contrast, but you could also eat yours with plain tortilla chips for a nice salty crunch. This salsa chicken soup recipe is naturally gluten free, and hearty enough to satisfy your family on a cold winter evening.

Need more leftover chicken soup ideas? Give one of these a try: Easy Leftover Chicken Soup, or Leftover Chicken Taco Soup.

Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Soup, printable recipe

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5 from 4 votes

Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Soup

Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Soup: Spicy comfort food goodness, using the shortcut magic of leftover chicken + salsa!
Course dinner
Cuisine soup
Keyword chicken soup, gluten free, salsa verde, salsa verde chicken soup, soup
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
  • 2 tsp minced garlic about 4 cloves
  • 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne optional — omit if sensitive to heat
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cans Great Northern beans rinsed and drained
  • 16 oz jar salsa verde

Instructions

  • Cut up the onion, carrot, and garlic. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven until shimmering, then saute the onion and carrot for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • While the veggies are sauteing, rinse and drain the beans.
  • Stir the garlic into the carrots & onions, and saute for one minute. Stir in the chicken and spices, and continue to cook over medium heat for two minutes.
  • Sir in the broth, beans, and salsa, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally — or until the carrots are tender, flavors have blended, and soup begins to thicken up.
  • Recommended: Enjoy your salsa chicken soup topped with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, plus shredded cheddar cheese.

Notes

This salsa chicken soup has a nice kick to it To control the heat level, you can omit the cayenne and/or use a milder salsa.

Recipes in the real world

weekly ALDI meal plans from Mashup Mom -- six complete dinners for four, $60 out the door! MashupMom.com, every Wednesday.

Be sure not to miss the free ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!

Be sure not to miss the free ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!

Recipe Rating




Molly

Wednesday 24th of March 2021

My family loved this recipe! I forgot to defrost the chicken, so I dumped the ingredients in the InstantPot and cooked on 15 minutes high pressure with a 15 minute NPR and it came out perfect. I threw in a handful of chopped frozen spinach at the end too to add color. The taste is fantastic! Thank you for the recipe!

Cherie

Sunday 31st of January 2021

Warm and delish!

Leigh Ann

Friday 29th of January 2021

Could this be made in an instant pot? If so, how long during high pressure/natural release?

Thanks!

rachel

Friday 29th of January 2021

I haven't tried making it in the IP, so this is a guesstimate. I would still saute the veggies in the Instant Pot for the depth of flavor, before adding everything else, then try pressure cooking on high for 6-7 minutes, NR for 10. Let us know how it works for you!

Gina S

Monday 25th of January 2021

I made this recipe exactly as written and it was so darn good!! This soup had just the right amount of kick but I wouldn’t say it’s any more spicy than the average chicken taco. We topped ours with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt (that cut the heat back a little bit) and crushed tortilla chips. This one is a keeper!!