Spicy Chipotle Chicken Soup

I am sure many of you have heard the phrase, ‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen’. It was made popular by U.S. President Truman. Well, that is what came to mind when I tasted this Spicy Chipotle Chicken Soup. However, I would rephrase it to read, ‘If you can’t stand the heat, keep your spoon out of this soup’! This was definitely spicy on my palate, but, of course, it all depends on your tolerance of spice.

Ingredients for Spicy Chipotle Chicken Soup in a Crockpot Before Cooking
Spicy Chipotle Chicken Soup Ingredients
Again, this spicy chipotle chicken soup is spicy (according to my midwestern tastebuds), but you can always make it hotter by adding more chipotle peppers or jalapeno peppers.

Chicken Thighs: I used chicken thighs for this recipe. Go for boneless, skinless thighs. Thighs are dark meat and more flavorful than chicken breasts. However, for a healthier option, you could use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: These sauced peppers give the chicken the flavor and a little bit (well, a lot) of a kick. You can find cans of peppers in the Latin foods section at your local grocery store. I only used the sauce from the 7-ounce can of the peppers. You can always puree the peppers and add the entire can if you can handle that! (However, I would test the recipe as written first.)

Rice: Make sure you are using instant rice in this recipe.

Toppings: The toppings I listed (cheese, sour cream, and homemade pico de gallo) are optional. However, I sure needed the sour cream to offset some of the spice from the soup!

Adding Rice to a Crockpot of Spicy Chipotle Chicken Soup
How to Make Spicy Chipotle Soup
This recipe is made in the slow cooker, which I love! It’s nice knowing the crockpot will be doing most of the work as I can go about my day.

Start by placing the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into the bowl of a slow cooker. Top with the sauce from the can of chipotle peppers in adobe (just pick out the peppers), corn, beans, tomatoes, onion, jalapeno pepper, and chicken broth. Cover and let cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

After the chicken has cooked (the internal temperature of the chicken should be 165°F), remove it from the slow cooker. Use a couple of forks to shred the chicken and add it back into the crockpot. Add rice and cook on high for 10-15 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as any recommended (or preferred) toppings.

Ladle full of Spicy Chipotle Chicken Soup in a Crockpot
Can I Make this Soup on the Stovetop?
Yes! You can use a large pot to get this soup made and served. Your best bet is to use a rotisserie chicken (which is already cooked). Make sure you cook the chicken ahead of time if not using rotisserie chicken. Add the chipotle pepper sauce, coriander, cumin, garlic, salt, oil, corn, beans, tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, and chicken broth to the pot. Cover the pot and let simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes. After the soup is heated through, add the rice, cover the pot again, and cook on high heat for 10 more minutes (or until the rice is tender). Pour the soup into bowls, add your toppings, and enjoy!

Can I Make this Chipotle Chicken Soup Spicier?
Yes! We tested this recipe quite a bit and found there are a few ways to add a little more heat to the soup. One way is to use the peppers from the can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce. Add some or all of the peppers, plus the sauce, along with the garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and oil to the bowl of a blender. Puree until smooth and then add to the soup. You can start small by only using one or two peppers, or if you really like spice. Use the whole can!

Additionally, we found that certain brands of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce packed a little more heat than others. Our favorite to work with was the “Embasa” brand, but we warned, it can get spicy pretty fast!