Mexican Chicken Rice Soup


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Filled with tender chicken, spices, and beans, this homemade Mexican Chicken Rice Soup is one recipe you will want to make over and over.

Mexican chicken soup with cilantro on top.

Recipe Highlights

  • This easy Mexican chicken and rice soup is a creation of my own
  • Made from scratch and very healthy, filled with lots of protein
  • A one pot meal – all made in the crockpot
pinto beans, tomatoes, green chiles and onion in a slow cooker

Key Ingredients

  • Protein – Chicken breasts and dry pinto beans
  • Vegetables – Onion, green chiles and stewed tomatoes make the soup hearty
  • Soup Base – You just need chicken broth and enchilada sauce
  • Seasonings – All you need is salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin
  • Brown rice – we use minute brand brown rice – it cooks up well in the slow cooker
tomato based chicken soup garnished with cilantro in a slow cooker

How to Make Mexican Chicken Rice Soup

  1. Load the crockpot with the beans, chicken, and all the flavorful “south-of-the-border” fixings.
  2. Place on the lid and forget about it until everything’s fall-apart tender.
  3. Shred the chicken, toss in the quick-cook rice for a final simmer, give it a stir, and dinner’s ready.

Variations

  • Meat Swap: Ground beef, ground turkey, or chicken work well in this recipe.
  • Easy Seasoning: Instead of the listed seasonings, use a taco seasoning packet.
  • Creamy Version: Add a block of cream cheese or a 1/2 cup of heavy cream before serving.
  • Veggies: You can add additional vegetables such as bell peppers, corn or zucchini.
3 bowls of Mexican chicken soup.

Toppings & More

  • Our favorite toppings for Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup are shredded cheese, cilantro, and avocado. To cool off any heat, add sour cream.
  • To make it more filling, top with tortilla chips or crackers. Also, it is great served with a side of cornbread or warmed flour tortillas.
  • If you love soup nights, also try my zuppa toscana recipe or crack potato soup.
tomato based chicken soup in slow cooker

Mexican Chicken Rice Soup Recipe

5 from 3 votes
Prep Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time: 9 hours 45 minutes
Total Time: 17 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 8
Mexican chicken and rice soup slow cooked in the crockpot.
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How to Video

Ingredients 
 

  • 1 1/4 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight (see first step below)
  • 1 1/2 lbs. chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 small white onion diced
  • 7 oz. can fire roasted diced chiles
  • 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce
  • 14.5 oz. can Mexican style stewed tomatoes
  • 32 oz. box chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 cup dry brown Minute Rice

Instructions 

  • The beans need to be soaked over night in water to help soften them up. Do this by adding the beans to a medium sized bowl and covering with water.
  • Add the soaked beans, chicken, chiles, enchilada sauce, stewed tomatoes, chicken broth, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and cumin to the slow cooker. Stir. DO NOT ADD MINUTE RICE YET.
  • Cover and cook on LOW for 9 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
  • Shred the chicken with 2 forks.
  • Add the dried brown Minute rice to the slow cooker, stir.
  • Cover and let cook on low for 45 minutes more.

Sarah’s Notes

I only use Minute rice (instant) in the slow cooker. Regular rice tends to get gummy in the slow cooker.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1039mg | Potassium: 985mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 382IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

Made this recipe? Leave a comment below!

More Mexican Style Recipes:

Slow Cooker Pork Posole brings together tender pork, hominy, and red chile broth for a bold, comforting soup, while Mexican Shredded Beef makes the perfect filling for tacos or burrito bowls.

Creamy and flavorful, Green Chicken Enchilada Soup and Chicken Fajita Soup both offer a spicy, satisfying twist on classic chicken soup.

Make dinnertime easy with Fiesta Chicken, a dump-and-go crockpot favorite, or go for a layered Tex-Mex dish like Chicken Enchilada Casserole with tortillas, sauce, and melted cheese.

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Recipe Rating




20 Comments

  1. Mary Jo Reynolds says:

    5 stars
    So good…..definitely adding to my “favorites” collection. I used left over rotisserie chicken & added at the same time as the brown rice. Just the perfect heat level & didn’t need to add anything extra