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If you’re looking for a soup that’s comforting, hearty, and packed with flavor, this Roasted Poblano Chicken Soup is one to add to your rotation. It’s a cozy spin on classic chicken soup with a smoky twist thanks to fire-roasted poblano peppers.
This soup is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, and it’s hearty enough to serve as a full meal. Top it with crunchy tortilla chips, creamy avocado, or fresh cilantro for the perfect finishing touch.
Why You’ll Love This Soup
This recipe hits that perfect balance of comforting and fresh when it comes to a soup dish. The roasted poblanos bring a subtle smokiness that pairs beautifully with the shredded chicken, beans, tomatoes, and warm spices.
The recipe is also incredibly practical for everyday cooking. The ingredients are simple, the cooking process is straightforward, and it reheats so easily, making it great for leftovers or even your weekly meal prep.
Another reason this soup works so well is the texture. Part of the soup gets blended to create a slightly creamy base, while the rest stays chunky with shredded chicken, beans, and vegetables. The result is a soup that feels hearty and satisfying without being too dense and heavy.
Where I Buy My Meat
- 100% Grass-Fed, Grass-Finished Beef
- Free-Range Organic Chicken
- Humanely Raised Pork
- Wild-Caught Seafood
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Ingredients and Notes
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and ingredient list.
- Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the vegetables and build the base of the soup. Avocado oil has a neutral flavor and high smoke point, but olive oil works just as well.
- Poblano Peppers: The star of this soup. Roasting them until the skins blister and char gives them a smoky flavor that adds depth to the broth.
- Yellow Onion: Thinly sliced onions add sweetness and build the aromatic base of the soup.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic brings savory flavor and complements the roasted peppers.
- Carrots: Add a touch of natural sweetness and extra vegetables to the soup.
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts simmer directly in the soup until tender, then are shredded and added back in for protein and heartiness.
- Chicken Broth or Chicken Stock: The main base of the soup. Use a good-quality broth for the best flavor.
- Diced Tomatoes: Adds acidity and richness to the broth.
- Green Chiles: These provide an extra boost of flavor and subtle heat.
- Cannellini Beans: Add creaminess, texture, and extra protein, making the soup more filling.
- Spices: A blend of cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, and black pepper adds warmth and depth to the soup.
Ways to Garnish
One of the best parts of this soup is customizing it with toppings.
Try serving it with:
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Diced avocado
- Fresh cilantro
- Jalapeño slices
- Finely diced red onion
- Lime wedges
- Crumbled feta cheese
The toppings add texture, brightness, and freshness to each bowl.
How to Make Roasted Poblano Chicken Soup
This soup comes together in just a few simple steps:
- Roast the poblanos until blistered and charred. Chop and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics: In a large pot, cook the onions, garlic, and carrots in oil over medium heat until softened.
- Add the poblanos and spices, and cook briefly to bring out the flavor.
- Pour in the broth, tomatoes, green chiles, and beans, then bring everything to a simmer.
- Add the chicken breasts and cook until tender and fully cooked through.
- Remove and shred the chicken.
- Blend part of the soup to create a creamy base, then stir it back into the pot along with the shredded chicken.
The final soup is rich, smoky, and packed with texture.
How to Roast Poblano Peppers
Roasting poblanos is easy and makes a huge difference in flavor.
Gas Stove Method:
Place the peppers directly over a gas stovetop burner with an open flame, and rotate them with tongs until the skins blister and char on all sides.
Oven Method:
Place the peppers on a sheet pan and broil for about 3–5 minutes, turning halfway through, until the skins are blistered and darkened.
Once roasted, you can chop the peppers and add them directly to the soup.
Tips for the Best Poblano Soup
A few simple tips will help this recipe turn out perfectly every time.
Don’t skip roasting the peppers. Roasting is what gives the soup its smoky depth.
Blend only part of the soup. This creates a creamy texture while still keeping hearty pieces of vegetables and chicken.
Adjust the heat level. Poblanos are generally mild, but you can remove the seeds if you prefer even less spice.
Use rotisserie chicken if needed. If you’re short on time, shredded rotisserie chicken can be added at the end instead of cooking the chicken in the soup.
Ingredient Substitute
This recipe is very flexible and works well with simple swaps.
Beans:
Great Northern beans, pinto beans, or navy beans work well as a substitute for cannellini.
Chicken:
Chicken thighs can be used instead of breasts for extra richness.
Peppers:
If you can’t find poblanos, try Anaheim peppers or even bell peppers for a milder flavor.
Kitchen Tools I Use
Tips and Notes For a Creamy Chicken Poblano Soup
- Instead of transferring 4 cups of soup to a blender, feel free to use an immersion blender in this step if desired! If using an immersion blender, make sure to leave some of the veggies whole, and avoid over-blending. The soup shouldn’t be a pureed soup!
- This soup isn’t super spicy, but to avoid spice, scrape out seeds from any peppers!
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerator:
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezer:
This soup freezes well for up to 3 months. Freeze without toppings for best results.
Reheat:
Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
More Soup Recipes:
Watch The Video:
Easy Roasted Poblano & Chicken Soup (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or oil of choice
- 4 medium fresh poblano chile peppers roasted directly over an open flame or broiled for 5 minutes until blackened and blistered
- 2 yellow onions thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 6- ounce can green chilies
- 1 14.5 ounce can cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Garnishes:
- Tortilla chips crumbled
- Feta cheese crumbled
- 1 avocado diced
- Fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper sliced
- 1/2 red onion finely diced
- 1 lime sliced into wedges
Instructions
- Roast Poblanos: Turn on the flame on your gas stove and place poblano peppers on the flame. Turn often until charred. OR in the oven: Place the poblano peppers on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Broil on high for 3-5 minutes, turning halfway, or until the skin is browned and blistered.4 medium fresh poblano chile peppers
- In a large dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high heat.1 tablespoon avocado oil or oil of choice
- Add onion, garlic, and carrots. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.2 yellow onions, 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup carrots
- Chop the poblanos into small pieces then add the poblano peppers and the spices and stir for 1-2 minutes.4 medium fresh poblano chile peppers, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Pour the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, green chilies, beans, and spices. Stir until well combined. Cover and bring soup to a boil.4 cups chicken broth, 1 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes, 1 6- ounce can green chilies, 1 14.5 ounce can cannellini beans
- Once at a boil, turn down heat and add in chicken. Let simmer covered for 20-25 minutes until chicken is fully cooked through and no pink remains. Take soup off the heat.1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Gently take the chicken out of the soup. Let cool, shred and set aside.
- Using a liquid measuring cup, scoop 4 cups of soup into a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add pureed soup and shredded chicken back into the soup and stir well.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve warm with desired toppings!Tortilla chips, Feta cheese, 1 avocado, Fresh cilantro, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1/2 red onion, 1 lime
Notes
- Instead of transferring 4 cups of soup to a blender, feel free to use an immersion blender in this step if desired! If using an immersion blender, make sure to leave some of the veggies whole, and avoid over-blending. The soup shouldn’t be a pureed soup!
- This soup isn’t super spicy, but to avoid spice, scrape out seeds from any peppers!
This was very tasty and I was able to use our peppers from our garden!
I love the idea of the soup, the flavor is pretty good and the recipe simple. I cannot taste the poblanos as much as I would like since they are the star ingredient. But also it’s way too spicy. I just did 4 ounces of the green chilis and I took out all seeds from the poblanos, but I can barely eat it. Definitely too spicy for my family to enjoy.
I was looking for a recipe to use up the poblano peppers in my garden. This recipe is perfect. So flavorful and super easy. I will definitely make this again. I topped mine with tortilla chips, cilantro, chives, avocado, sour cream and cheese.
Great! Did not have the beans and used corn and black beans.
Can you switch out the beans?
totally!
What can I use instead of onions? We do not eat them! Or could I just leave them out?
you can omit! or do you eat leeks? may be an option.
This was phenomenal 🥰😚🥰 I didn’t even miss the cream or cheese I normally would use. There was soo much flavor, we loved it. Thank you!
I’ve made this soup so many times because it’s easy, filling, flavorful, and packed with lots of protein and fiber. It’s great on its own or garnished with shredded cheese, chopped scallions, sour cream, avocado/guacamole and chips.
Do you think this recipe would be good made with shrimp instead of chicken?
probably!
Can this be frozen? I’d love to use the poblanos from my garden but it’s too warm for soup right now.
totally!
This is my all time favorite recipe! I was served this a few years ago and have forwarded this recipe to probably 50+ people since. It is super easy, healthy and always gets raves. I make it at least 2x a month. Tastes even better the next day. I often double the recipe and pretty much follow it as is. A real keeper!
Thanks for this! Poblanos are my favorite!! Since I found this recipe I’ve made different versions of it four times now. I highly recommend roasting tomatillos under the broiler, blending them, and adding them to the broth. I often add different kinds of chili powder and or smoked paprika. I quadruple the recipe for lots of leftovers.
So happy you loved it!
Where can we find the crockpot recipe?
Great recipe-easy and tasty. Made as shown except that I added 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika. Will make again.
Sounds delicious and I’m anxious to try it. Do you rinse the beans before adding to soup or do you use the “juice” the beans are in?
Rinse and drain!
Tried this and followed the directions exactly and it was delicious, thanks for turning me on to this different kind of soup