Mexican Sweet Potato Chicken Soup
18
Published Nov 13, 2023
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This hearty Mexican sweet potato chicken soup is loaded with veggies, lean protein and has a smoky, sweet flavor from dried guajillo Mexican peppers.
Introducing your new favorite soup… Mexican sweet potato chicken soup.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Hearty & Healthy: Packed with lean protein from chicken and a bounty of vegetables, this soup is both filling and nutritious.
- Flavorful: Aromatic spices and guajillo peppers provide a rich and warming flavor that’s perfect for any season.
- Versatility: Customize with your favorite toppings like avocado and radishes for a personalized touch.
- Comfort in a Bowl: It’s the kind of soup that offers comfort on a chilly day, with every spoonful more inviting than the last.
- Easy to Make: Simple steps and straightforward cooking make this a stress-free recipe for any level of home cook.
Ingredients Needed
- chicken breast – boneless, skinless chicken breast is seasoned and chopped into cubes for this soup.
- vegetables – yellow onion, garlic, sweet potato, baby spinach, cauliflower.
- guajillo Mexican peppers – I got mine from nuts.com!
- chicken broth – the liquid base of this soup, provides tons of flavor! You can also use vegetable broth.
- olive oil – to simmer the chili pepper puree and vegetables in.
- seasonings and spices – dried oregano, sea salt, ground pepper, cumin and cloves.
- optional toppings – avocado, radishes, cilantro, lime juice, etc.
How to Make Sweet Potato Chicken Soup
Season Chicken – Season chicken with oregano, 1 teaspoon sea salt and black pepper. Cut into cubes and set aside.
Rehydrate peppers – Remove the stems and dump out all the seeds from inside the peppers. Place the peppers in a saucepan with water. Bring them to a boil and simmer for about 10 mins or until they’ve softened. That’s it! At this point they’re rehydrated and ready to be used! Be sure to save the water for the next step.
Blend – Add peppers and ¾ cup water from the pot into a high-powered blender. Add onion, garlic, cumin, cloves and ½ teaspoon salt and then blend until smooth.
Simmer – Add oil to a large saucepan on medium heat. Add chili pepper purée into the pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add broth, seasoned chicken cubes, sweet potato and cauliflower into the saucepan. Cover and simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through and sweet potatoes are fully cooked, this should take about 10-15 minutes. Stir in baby spinach until wilted and season with additional salt, if needed.
Serve – Portion soup into bowls and top with toppings of choice. I love serving mine with avocado, sliced radishes, cilantro and a lime wedge for squeezing over the top.
Substitutions & Notes
- Chicken: If you prefer, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs for a juicier meat option.
- Guajillo Peppers: If guajillo peppers are unavailable, try using ancho peppers for a similar mild heat and sweet flavor.
- Broth: Both vegetable and chicken broth work well. For a deeper flavor, bone broth can be an excellent substitute.
- Sweet Potato: Butternut squash or carrots are great alternatives for a different kind of sweetness and texture.
- Cauliflower: Broccoli can be used in place of cauliflower if preferred.
- Spinach: Kale or Swiss chard can stand in for spinach, just give them a bit more time to cook down.
- Olive Oil: Any neutral oil, like avocado or canola oil, can be used instead of olive oil.
- Toppings: Feel free to omit or add additional toppings like cheese, sour cream, or tortilla strips for extra crunch and flavor.
- Extras: You could add or swap the veggies with something that aligns with your tastebuds. Some good options with this soup could be corn, celery, diced tomatoes, black beans, and brown rice.
Tips for the Perfect Soup
- Pepper Prep: When handling guajillo peppers, consider wearing gloves to avoid skin irritation, and don’t touch your eyes.
- Blending: Be cautious when blending hot liquids; always allow steam to escape to prevent pressure build-up.
- Simmer for Flavor: Let the guajillo purée simmer until it thickens to deepen the flavor base of the soup.
- Chicken Check: Cut into the largest chicken piece to ensure it’s fully cooked; it should be white all through with no pink.
- Vegetable Timing: Add the sweet potatoes first and let them start softening before adding the cauliflower to avoid overcooking the florets.
- Spinach Last: Stir in the spinach at the end, as it only needs a minute to wilt and retain its vibrant color.
- Season to Taste: Always taste before serving and adjust salt if necessary; the right seasoning brings out all the flavors.
How to Serve Soup
This soup is a hearty enough recipe to be a meal in one! Having said that, I love eating it with my pumpkin cornbread muffins. It’s also delicious served with bread, crackers (I love my almond crackers) or even tortilla chips. It can also be served with a salad… I have a ton of salad recipes to choose from, but something light and fresh like this garlicky kale salad would be perfect.
How to Store Leftovers
Let the soup cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. Store in your refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you need to store it longer, let the soup cool completely in the fridge and then transfer to the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Soup Recipes to Try
- Taco Soup
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Healthy White Bean Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Quinoa Vegetable Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Mexican Sweet Potato Chicken Soup
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Sausage Kale Soup
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
Be sure to check out my full collection sweet potato recipes as well as all of the soup recipes here on EBF.
Mexican Sweet Potato Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped into bite-size cubes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt, divided into 1 teaspoon and ½ teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 dried guajillo Mexican peppers, stems and seeds removed
- ½ yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- â…› teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 32 oz carton vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into bite-size chunks
- ½ small head cauliflower, broken into bite-size florets
- 1-2 cups baby spinach
- for topping: avocado, radishes, cilantro, lime
Instructions
- Season chicken with oregano, 1 teaspoon sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Add dried guajillo peppers into a saucepan and cover with water (at least 1 cup). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the peppers have softened.
- Add peppers and ¾ cup water from saucepan into a high-powered blender. Add onion, garlic, cumin, cloves and ½ teaspoon salt; blend until smooth.
- Add oil to a large saucepan on medium heat. Add chile pepper purée into the pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add broth, seasoned chicken cubes, sweet potato and cauliflower into the saucepan. Cover and simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through and sweet potatoes are fully cooked, this should take about 10-15 minutes. Stir in baby spinach until wilted and season with additional salt, if needed.
- Portion soup into bowls and top with avocado, sliced radishes and cilantro. Serve with a lime wedge for squeezing over the top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious and a great way to add some variety into the soups rotation. There is plenty of protein in this recipe but I added some cooked garbanzos just to increase the fiber.
YUMM! Sounds delicious, Kathie. Glad you loved this soup and it turned out amazing for you. Thanks for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!