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This is our bi-weekly lunch rotation go-too. I’ve had to share this recipe every time I reheat my soup at work!! We love this- thank you!!
Astrid Bowman
Some soups are really good for fall, and some soups are NEXT LEVEL fall soup material.
Jalapeño Lime Chicken Soup is casually coming to mind.
In my book, to be NEXT LEVEL fall soup material, you need to have a few things.
- really amazing flavor. like, big. flashy. kind of obnoxious in a good way. for example, jalapeño. and lime.
- unlimited, open-ended, can’t-be-stopped topping options. a little salty, a little crispy, a little cooling, calming, and fresh.
- a nice long simmer. windows open, candle burning, good house smells. it’s just necessary.
- reheat-ability, because we’re going back to work and school now and bringing our lunches like responsible adults, okay?
- the filling factor, as in must not be hungry within five minutes of eating it.
If you like spicy, big flavor. If you like topping options galore. If you like recipes that come together in a hot second.
YOU CAME TO THE RIGHT PARTY.
The soup, in a nutshell, is a kickin’ family-friendly meal (except probably not for, like, infants? unless they like jalapeños?). It is full of awesome flavors that will change up your soup routine. Chicken, white beans, and a salty/spicy kick, but with a cool and refreshing broth to simmer it all down. Honestly, I am tempted to use the term flavor explosion right now.
I know, I know, we’ve all been stuck in that chicken wild rice soup rut for a good while, and while I do love that creamy goodness for its own comfort food vibes, it doesn’t have the energizing powers of this green goddess.
This is the one that will clear out your leftover head colds, make your eyes do the googly-pop thing, and give you a nice booty kick rev up your fall season.
One last note.
In Minnesooota, or maybe I should just say in my family, we’re not really known for loving spicy food. Jalapeño = just no. But in years past, this soup has been our extended family’s own holiday miracle: they’ve tried it and they’ve liked it.
And I scooped up all the leftovers with tortilla chips, and squeezed on extra lime juice please and thank you, and lived happily ever after.
How To Make Our Jalapeño Lime Chicken Soup In The Instant Pot:
Jalapeño Lime Chicken Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This simple and healthy Jalapeño Lime Chicken Soup has white beans, salsa verde, and a hit of fresh jalapeño and lime juice.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed, minced
- half of a red onion, minced
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt (more as needed)
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 14-ounce cans white beans, drained (canellini or great northern)
- 1 16-ounce jar salsa verde
- juice of 2 limes
- fresh cilantro, sour cream, and shredded cheese for serving
Instructions
- In a soup pot over medium heat, saute the onion and jalapeno with the olive oil until soft and fragrant.
- Add the water and salt. Bring to a boil. Add the raw chicken breasts. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat, but leave the lid on so that the chicken continues cooking for another 20 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts, set aside to cool.
- Add the white beans and salsa to the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat.
- Shred the chicken and add it back to the pot.
- Just before serving, squeeze the juice of one lime into the pot. Cut the remaining lime into wedges for serving. Add the salt; taste and adjust as needed. Serve with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
Notes
To remove any unwanted chicken fat in the broth after Step 2, pour the liquid through a fine sieve, reserving the liquid. Return the liquid to the pot over medium heat. You can also do this by just scraping across the top to remove any chicken fat.
This is also delicious served with white rice IN it, or as a side. It helps offset the spiciness.
Instant Pot: Place jalapeños, red onion, water, salt, chicken, beans, and salsa verde in Instant Pot and cook on soup setting for 10 minutes with a quick release. Shred chicken and squeeze juice of 1 lime into the soup. Serve with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Tex Mex
Keywords: jalapeno lime chicken soup, chicken soup, jalapeno soup
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our best healthy chicken recipes page. Check it out!
I have made the chicken version and enjoyed it several times. It’s a nice easy recipe. Last night I used some leftover carnitas in place of the shredded chicken and it was also delicious that way.
Hi! If you make this with rice in it, how would you do this? How much rice and should it already be cooked? Thanks!
Delicious! I did add rice as suggested and thought it was a fantastic addition. Yummy! I served with sour cream, avocado, cilantro and lime which are “musts.” I thought two jalapeños were a bit too spicy but the next day the flavors were all melded together and it was not too spicy at all.
I just grew some Jalapenos in the aerogarden and my husband and i love lime and jalapeno. Do you think you could use chicken broth instead of water?
How do you think this soup would do if I were to freeze it after it cools?
We think that would work well!
I’m confused by the Instant Pot instructions. In the video, it shows 10 minutes on the Soup setting. But in several places in the comments, you recommend 25 minutes on high pressure. That seems like a big difference! Which is correct?
Also, would I use less water in the Instant Pot?
Thank you, LOVE your recipes.
Hi, Alison! Thanks for your question. One of those comments from a POY team member just had a typo. It should be 10 minutes in the Instant Pot with a quick release. Hope this helps!
This was so so good and incredibly easy to make! Will be a staple in our house for sure!
Made this tonight in my IP. So good!! I think I will double next time, because I love leftovers. Had it over rice and it was 👌🏻 Added a bit of chicken bouillon paste because I’m an addict and it was a nice addition. This would also be good with potatoes/celery if you didn’t want to have over rice but wanted something a bit heartier. I might also leave a little bit of the ribs in one of the peppers next time too because we love the heat here. Thanks for the recipe!!
This is my absolute favorite recipe of yours. I make it almost every week. I am doing WW and it is low in points but high in flavor.
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes Lindsay!
This was incredible! I’m only one person so I cut the recipe down a little bit, using one large jalapeno, one can of beans and one smaller jar of salsa. It was perfect. I love your method of poaching the chicken in the soup!
I have been looking for recipes with jalapeños lately as my plants are kicking butt and I have so many! I made this with some rotisserie chicken I already had in the fridge and it turned out amazing. Super glad I tried! Thank you for sharing!!
Delicious and so easy! I cooked it in the Instant Pot and got five generous servings – the best work lunch I’ve had in quite awhile. FYI, I added a 14-oz can of white hominy after cooking, and I mixed the zest and juice of the second lime into an 8-oz container of sour cream to make a lime crema. I topped the soup with the crema, cilantro, and some sliced radishes for a riff on pozole, and it was just fantastic. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi,
We made this, and it was very good — but ours did NOT look anything like your pics showed. Are those RADISHES and broken-up tortilla chips in your pics? Where are those toppings suggested? And did you just add the slices of lime to your bowl right before serving? Where is this mentioned in the instructions?
Thanks!
This is a recipe I’ve made time and time again and it always hits the spot. The flavors come together really well. I usually double it to be able to enjoy leftovers and it’s somehow even better the next day.
Love this soup. It’s a family staple, now.
Yum! I added 2 chopped green peppers (because I had some that needed to be used up) and subbed chicken broth for water. 10 min in the instant pot and everything was perfect. So good!
Yum! This is one of absolute favorite soups and the first thing that I make if I feel a cold coming on. I make it exactly as written, but I sub half of the water for chicken broth (homemade if possible), and then top it with a crisped up tortilla and some queso fresco.
This is one of our favorite soups. Comes together so easy in the instant pot. Loaded with flavor . We serve it over a scoop of rice and a few broken tortillas on top. I make my own broth for soups but this soup calls for water rather than broth. Takes an extra step out of my process. Thank you for sharing this recipe,
Hi, do you have any tips for making this a freezer meal to pull out for the future?
Hi Abbey! You could try freezing everything except the water, beans, and salsa. Then, you’d put everything in the pot to simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred. I’d maybe add in the beans towards the end!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Already looking forward to having this again tomorrow. I followed recipe with just a couple modifications – I used chicken stock instead of water, bought pulled rotisserie chicken, and swapped black beans for white beans. I omitted salt and added a pinch at the end after tasting. Perfection. Served with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and some crunched up tortilla chips – so delicious!! thanks for this fun recipe!!
Omg…this is a winner. Added some garlic in with the onions/jalapeños & used rich stock instead of water, but otherwise followed to the letter. Served with brown rice, avo, red onion, cilantro, sour cream & more lime. YUM. Will 100% be making again.
This soup is spicy, refreshing and oh so good. Added 2 limes into pot instead is 1. Topped with avocado and parm. My husband says it’s a “top 3 favorite!”
To make this vegetarian, do you need to replace the chicken with something or add anything to maintain the flavor? Looks delicious!
Hi Mikaela! It’d probably be a good idea to replace the chicken with another protein or a vegetable, not so much for the flavor, but for the texture of the soup (to make it less brothy)!
I make a big batch of this at least once a year if I am starting to feel sick – the jalapeño and lime juice help to chase away any tickles that I am feeling in my throat! I serve it with a crisped up corn tortilla (I just bake it in the toaster oven for a bit) crumbled on top and I find that the leftovers freeze beautifully.
looking fab as well healthy for sure.
my chicken soup is just boiled chicken soup with ajinomoto in it. thanks for sharing this recipe with us