Chicken Lime Soup – Flavorful, filling, and just a little bit spicy. Makes a great starter or main dish.
It was a little bit cloudy this weekend, and here in the land of sunshine and Death Heat, a cloudy day is just begging to be made into an event. Michael was gone Saturday morning, so the babies and I took things slow. Sophie was delighted to see “iss wainee!” (It’s rainy!), even though it just sprinkled a few times. Milo napped well that morning (after another 4:45am wake-up), so Sophie and I filled the house with the smell of cookies and soup. We watched Little Bear episodes, read books, climbed in the tent with blankets, and for a few moments, everyone and everything was peaceful. 
This soup was definitely the right choice! It’s got great flavor, a little bit of heat, and a whole lot of goodness. I love that this soup is packed with veggies and chicken. The broth is so flavorful, and the next day? Mercy, it’s good. You can certainly pair this with your favorite tortilla chips, or use it as a starter for a Tex-Mex or Cinco de Mayo dinner. Topped with a little avocado and served with a big dose of Honey-Lime Fruit Salad on the side, it was a full main dish at our house and the perfect end to our (sort of) cloudy day.
Happy Monday, dear eader! What are you cooking up this week?
- 1lb cooked chicken, shredded
- 2c shredded carrots
- 3 stalks celery, finely diced
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 quarts vegetable broth
- 1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (4oz) can diced green chiles
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼c cilantro
- juice of 1-2 limes, or to taste
- olive oil
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat a small drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion to the pot and cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes, or until just tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in chicken, broth, tomatoes, green chiles, chili powder, and cilantro. Heat to a simmer and allow to simmer 10-15 minutes to let the flavors meld. If you can, allow the flavors to marry overnight or for several hours (in the refrigerator), then re-heat on the stove before serving.
- Just before serving, squeeze lime juice into soup or serve individual lime wedges and allow each person to add as much as they please.
Yum! This looks delicious! Pinned it! The goal is NOT to bake this week! lol I love to bake too much and it always seems like there is a reason. And the other goal is to eat healthier!
Looks delicious! Pinned 🙂 That cloudy weather was so rare and wonderful.
How do you think this would work cooking in a crockpot?
I have no reason to think it wouldn’t work. I don’t usually make soup in the crock pot, so I don’t have any special tips for you, but in theory, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Similar recipes I searched online say low 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours should allow all the veggies to get tender and the flavors to blend well. If you do try it in the crock pot, I’d love to know how it turns out!
I (only)Make it in the crockpot everytime. Delish my family loves it..i fry up some plaintains to serve with it they love it!! Gonna use frozen uncooked chicken today aince I have on hand cook all day on low for dinner tonight!!
Yum! Love plantains!
Are you doing Whole30 or just helpin’ out those folks who are?! AND your photos are lovely. I like the bit of styling you did with the limes. Keep that up! I sure like you and can’t wait to make this!
Not yet doing a Whole30. Much of what I eat is Whole30 approved, but since so many friends and bloggers are doing one, I thought I’d just make the recipes easier to find 🙂
This looks amazing! I am only cooking for myself, so do you think this would freeze well?
Loved this! I’ve had it bookmarked forever and finally made it tonight. I may switch out the diced tomatoes for crushed tomatoes next time bc I always forget I don’t like big chunks of tomato in my soup! Still super tasty. Loved the line addition. I’ve only used lemon in soups in the past.
Love this soup…it’s a great make and take soup for friends and family….but can it be frozen if you aren’t able to eat it right away? Thanks.
Mickey – I’ve frozen it with good results. The chicken is slightly less tender after thawing, but the soup’s flavor and texture are still on point. Glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made it several times now and always sad when it’s gone. Thank you for posting!! ~ Erin
I never comment on things but this was so AMAZING! The whole family loved it and can’t wait for me to make it again. Thank you for helping me add a great recipe to my arsenal!
Oh, I’m so glad you liked it Cheryn! It’s become the soup I bring to friends who are sick or who have had a baby. It’s the BEST!
This was some amazing soup!
This is soooooo delicious!
I see it makes 8 servings. What are the serving sizes? I am tracking my food…
Thanks so much!
Monica – I haven’t measured them in volume, I’m sorry! I just divide the pot by 8. I’m not sure what you’re using to track your food, but in MyFitnessPal, you can calculate a per-serving nutrition calculation and import this recipe.