Creamy Chicken Fajita Soup
This creamy chicken fajita soup brings all the bold, Tex-Mex flavors of classic fajitas into a hearty, comforting bowl that comes together in just 30 minutes. Made with tender shredded chicken, caramelized peppers and onions, and a silky, creamy broth, it’s the kind of dinner you load up with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and avocado and eat every last drop of. SO good every single time!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Fajita Soup
If you’ve ever tried my chicken tortilla soup, this chicken fajita soup recipe is just as easy to make (in fact, it’s quicker!) and perfect to eat all year long. It’s a 30-minute, one-pot weeknight dinner that is both cozy and filling. Plus, it keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days and honestly tastes even better the next day, which makes it a great option for meal prep too.
It’s also easy to make your own. Bring the heat up with jalapeño or a splash of hot sauce, swap in a rotisserie chicken to get dinner on the table even faster, or pile on the toppings and let everyone build their own bowl. This is the kind of fajita soup recipe that works on a Tuesday night just as well as it does for a crowd. If you love my one pot chicken taco soup, this is the fajita version: same easy format, different flavor profile!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Olive oil: For sautéing the vegetables and building the flavor base.
- Yellow onion and bell peppers: Red and green bell peppers with yellow onion give this fajita soup its classic flavor. Cook them long enough to soften and start to caramelize for more flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic, added after the peppers so it doesn’t burn.
- Fajita seasoning: Store-bought works great here, or you can make your own using the homemade fajita seasoning I use in these sheet pan chicken fajitas.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: These cook right in the broth so they stay juicy and shred easily. See the tips section for my rotisserie chicken shortcut.
- Chicken broth: Bone broth works well here too.
- Cannellini beans: This is what makes this chicken fajita soup recipe different from every other version out there. One blended can of cannellini beans creates a silky, thick base without making the soup heavy. Plus, it makes it even creamier!
- Cornstarch: Mixed with water into a slurry for thickening.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes: Worth using over regular diced tomatoes. The fire-roasted flavor adds a subtle smokiness that makes the whole soup taste more flavorful. Sub regular diced tomatoes if that’s what you have on hand.
- Frozen corn: Adds sweetness and a little texture. No thawing needed!
- Sour cream: We temper this before going into the pot so it doesn’t break (a super easy trick to use in all creamy soups). This is what makes the broth truly creamy. See the tips section for how to do it.
- Fresh lime juice: Added at the end, brightening everything.
- Salt: To taste.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Fajita Soup
- Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and bell peppers and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to caramelize at the edges. Add the minced garlic and fajita seasoning. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Step 2: Pour in about 3½ cups of the chicken broth. Nestle the chicken breasts into the pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork.
- Step 3: While the chicken cooks, add the cannellini beans and the remaining 1½ cups of chicken broth to a blender. Blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Step 4: Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it using two forks.
- Step 5: In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, then stir the slurry into the soup and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Add the shredded chicken back in along with the corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, and blended bean mixture. Stir to combine.
- Step 6: In a medium bowl, temper the sour cream by slowly whisking in about 1 cup of warm broth from the pot.
- Step 7: Turn off the heat, then slowly stir the tempered sour cream into the soup. Add the fresh lime juice and stir until smooth.
- Step 8: Divide between bowls and top with cilantro, shredded cheese, tortilla strips, and sliced avocado. Serve warm.
Recipe Tips
- Temper the sour cream. This is the most important step. Adding cold sour cream straight into hot soup causes it to curdle and turn grainy. Slowly mixing it with warm broth first brings the temperature up so it folds in smooth and creamy. It’s the same trick I use in my white turkey chili.
- Blend the beans completely smooth. Any chunks left in the bean mixture will affect the final texture. Give the blender an extra 30 seconds if you’re not sure. Once you try blended beans as a thickener, you’ll use them in every creamy soup! It’s a great way to incorporate beans into your diet if you’re like me and don’t like them.
- Use fire-roasted tomatoes. Regular diced tomatoes work in a pinch, but fire-roasted adds a smokiness that makes this fajita soup taste like it simmered all day.
- Don’t worry if it seems a little loose. The soup continues to thicken as it sits. Give it a few minutes before adding more cornstarch.
- Rotisserie chicken shortcut: Use about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken instead of cooking chicken breasts. Add it in Step 5 when you stir in the blended bean mixture and skip Step 3.
Slow Cooker Instructions
You can absolutely make this chicken fajita soup recipe in the slow cooker. Add the onion, bell peppers, garlic, fajita seasoning, chicken breasts, fire-roasted tomatoes, corn, and 5 cups of broth to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
Then, remove the chicken, shred it, and set it aside. Blend the cannellini beans with a splash of the cooking broth until smooth, then stir everything back in. Temper the sour cream with warm broth from the pot, stir it in, add lime juice, and serve with toppings.
If you love a hands-off fajita dinner, my slow cooker steak fajitas are worth adding to the rotation too.
How to Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The soup thickens as it sits, so add a splash of chicken broth when reheating to loosen it up. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave in 60-second increments, stirring between each.
This soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. The dairy may separate slightly when thawed, but the flavor holds up well. Stir and reheat over low heat, adding a splash of broth as needed.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. The dairy may separate a bit when thawed. Just stir well while reheating and add a splash of broth to bring it back together.
Make sure the cornstarch slurry simmers for the full 2 minutes. That’s when it activates and thickens the broth. The soup also continues to thicken as it sits, so give it a few minutes before adding more.
I personally leave them out, but a drained can of black beans stirred in with the corn in Step 5 works well if you love them in soup.
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Creamy Chicken Fajita Soup
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning or use my homemade fajita seasoning from my sheet pan chicken fajitas
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or Rotisserie chicken (see notes below)
- 5 cups chicken broth divided
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2.5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1.5 cups sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- Fresh lime juice to taste
For Serving
- cilantro
- shredded cheese
- tortilla strips
- avocado
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and bell peppers and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly caramelized.
- Add the garlic and fajita seasoning, stir and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Pour in about 3½ cups of the chicken broth. Nestle the chicken breasts into the pot and bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 15–18 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and easily shreds with a fork.
- While the chicken cooks, add the cannellini beans and the remaining 1½ cups of chicken broth to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the pot and shred them using two forks. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, then mix it into the soup and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes. Then add the shredded chicken back into the pot with the corn, fire roasted tomatoes and the blended bean mixture
- In a medium sized bowl, temper the sour cream by mixing it with 1 cup of the warm broth. Then turn off the heat and slowly mix it into the pot.
- Divide the soup between bowls and serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Temper the sour cream. This is the most important step. Adding cold sour cream straight into hot soup causes it to curdle and turn grainy. Slowly mixing it with warm broth first brings the temperature up so it folds in smooth and creamy. It’s the same trick I use in my white turkey chili.
- Blend the beans completely smooth. Any chunks left in the bean mixture will affect the final texture. Give the blender an extra 30 seconds if you’re not sure. Once you try blended beans as a thickener, you’ll use them in every creamy soup!
- Rotisserie chicken shortcut: Use about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken instead of cooking chicken breasts. Add it in Step 5 when you stir in the blended bean mixture and skip Step 3.
- Black beans: If you like them, you can add a can of drained black beans — I personally leave them out because I prefer the texture without them.
- Spice level: Add diced jalapeño with the peppers or finish with hot sauce for extra heat.
- Storage: Keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days and thickens slightly as it sits. This soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. The dairy may separate slightly when thawed, but the flavor holds up well. Stir and reheat over low heat, adding a splash of broth as needed.
- Slow Cooker: Add the onion, bell peppers, garlic, fajita seasoning, chicken breasts, fire-roasted tomatoes, corn, and 5 cups of broth to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Remove the chicken, shred it, and set it aside. Blend the cannellini beans with a splash of the cooking broth until smooth, then stir everything back in. Temper the sour cream with warm broth from the pot, stir it in, add lime juice, and serve with toppings.
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