Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Soup

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

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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.

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

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

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.

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

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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Easy Salsa Verde Chicken Soup

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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 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6

Author Rachel Singer

Equipment

dutch oven

veggie peeler

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

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!