Treat the family to this Mexican Chicken Soup recipe! Simple to prepare and delicious with chicken, vegetables and cheesy creamy soup!
If you love soup recipes like we do, try our Weeknight Chicken Tortellini Soup too!

Mexican Chicken Soup
This Creamy Queso Chicken Soup is full of zesty, cheesy flavor, packed with hearty potatoes and black beans. A quick and easy soup recipe that’s great for weeknight meals!
I have to admit, even though this queso chicken soup is a “semi-homemade” creation, it is warm, comforting and stick-to-your-ribs good. Just enough spices and fresh chopped veggies to make you forget that there’s canned soup in the recipe. When you are looking for a speedy weeknight meal, this easy homemade soup will do just the trick, enjoy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy. This quick fix soup recipe is perfect for busy weeknights.
- Flavor Packed. There are delicious flavors packed in this easy to make soup.
- Delicious Leftovers. We enjoy this soup the next day just as much as the first day.
Be sure to follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration!
What You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make queso soup at home. See the recipe card located at the bottom of the post for full details and instructions.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil– You’ll use the olive oil to saute the vegetables.
- Onion– I prefer white onion, finely chopped.
- Celery– Finely chop the celery too.
- Carrots– Peel carrots and finely chop them the same size as onion and carrots.
- Fresh Garlic– Use minced garlic that is sold in the jar near the produce section of the grocery store or mince your own fresh garlic.
- Cooked Chicken Breast– Cook your own chicken or use a rotisserie chicken.
- Ground Cumin– Ground cumin adds a nice slight smoky flavor and spice to the soup.
- Kosher Salt– Kosher salt is a coarse salt commonly used in cooking and baking.
- Black Pepper– For best tasting results use freshly cracked black pepper.
- Lawry’s Garlic Salt– Look for Lawry’s brand garlic salt. It’s a good blend.
- Chicken Broth– I like to use reduced sodium chicken broth.
- Cheddar Cheese Soup– Look for the Campbells brand cheddar cheese soup.
- Cream of Chicken Soup– I use Campbells cream of chicken soup as well.
- Black Beans– Drain and rinse black beans before adding to soup.
- Diced Tomatoes– Mild rotel diced tomatoes work great here.
- Frozen Cubed Potatoes– Check the freezer section of your grocery store for frozen cubed potatoes.
- Fresh Cilantro– Fresh cilantro adds color and freshness to the soup.
- Tortilla Chips– Serve each bowl of soup with tortilla chips either on the side or crumbled on top.
How To Make Mexican Style Chicken Soup
Heat Oil. Heat oil in a 5 qt Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.
Saute Vegetables. Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add Garlic and Chicken. Stir in garlic and chicken. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
Seasonings. Add cumin, salt, pepper, garlic salt, chicken broth, 1 can cheese soup and cream of chicken soup, beans, tomatoes and potatoes. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are fork tender.
Simmer. Reduce heat to low and stir in cilantro leaves and additional cheese soup to thicken. Simmer on low until ready to serve.
Add Garnish. Garnish with chips and cilantro leaves if desired.
Recipe Tips For Success
- Pre-Chop Veggies. To speed up prep time when you’re making the soup recipe, chop your vegetables up to a day in advance.
- Mix Up The Protein. Try adding beef or turkey instead of chicken for more protein options.
How To Serve
Serve soup for any occasion where soup is needed. Top soup with tortilla chips, corn chips, shredded cheese and cilantro if desired.
How To Store Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat as needed.
Try More Soup Recipes
Creamy Queso Chicken Soup
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or large pot
- mixing spoon
- cutting board
- chef knife
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing spoon
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups chicken breast cooked, shredded
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp Lawry’s garlic salt
- 3 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cans cheddar cheese soup 10 oz each
- 1 can cream of chicken soup 10 oz
- 15 oz black beans drained
- 10 oz Rotel Tomatoes (mild)
- 2 cups baking potatoes diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped, plus extra for garnish
- fritos or tortilla chips for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a 5 qt Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.
- Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in garlic and chicken. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Add cumin, salt, pepper, garlic salt, chicken broth, 1 can cheese soup and cream of chicken soup, beans, tomatoes and potatoes. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are fork tender.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in cilantro leaves and additional cheese soup to thicken. Simmer on low until ready to serve.
- Garnish with chips and cilantro leaves if desired.
Do you have any suggestions for substituting the black beans? My BF does not like them at all. I am thinking white beans or corn?
Thank you so much, this was very interesting. I was actually born in Madrid (I’m not telling what year though!) but moved around europe and lastly settled in England when I was 7. I dont remember an awful lot of the few years I was in spain, but the smell of spanish food always seems to get me going or something. Funny, how I dont remember anything except the smells,isn’t it! I even found a whole internet site dedicated to spanish recipes, which gave me great delight and thought I really should to share with your readers. Anyway, thank you again. I’ll get my husband to add your feed to my rss app…
How to add this to my RSS reader? I’m sorry I’m a beginner ๐
Very interesting post thanks for sharing I just added your blog to my bookmarks and will check back ๐ By the way this is a little off subject but I really like your sites layout.