This delicious chicken poblano soup recipe is so quick and easy to make. Made with a mix of poblano peppers, chicken, frozen veggies, and fresh veggies cooked in a well spiced tomato broth, this wholesome, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb soup is full of flavor – and fiber!

My boyfriends favorite chicken poblano Soup

It has been a cold winter here in metro Atlanta, making it the perfect weather to enjoy bowlfuls of this nutritious and tasty Chicken Poblano Soup. Though, to be honest, I make and enjoy soup all year long.

When it comes to poblano peppers, I buy them by the bag-full. There has been many a time when I bring home a bag-full and proceed to wash those poblano peppers, place them (one by one) in the grip of some tongs with rubber handles, and roast them over the open flame of my gas stove top. When they are slightly charred, I plate them, season them with salt and pepper and devour those poblano peppers. Though, there’s been many a time when a plate was not involved.

There are other times when I (practice restraint and) use poblano peppers in a tasty poblano eggplant curry or a delicious and healthy soup, like this Chicken Poblano Soup.

Is the poblano pepper hot?

Poblano peppers are very mild. They might look like a jalapeño on steroids, but they are not as spicy as one. In fact, according to this article, poblano peppers have a Scoville Heat Unit measure of 1,500 while jalapeno peppers are at 8,000 SHU.

Chopping up the poblano pepper to use in a tasty soup

My boyfriend and I found this soup to be absolutely delicious! In fact, it is one of our favorite soup recipes. And, it is an easy soup recipe that can be made in less than 30 minutes.

This is a fusion recipe that marries together Italian seasoning with coriander.

If you are following a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, or a low-carb one, this soup is perfect for you. And, you can enjoy bowl-fulls of this soup without many toppings as it is delicious all by itself.

This delicious Poblano soup with chicken is quite versatile, meaning that you can make substitutions and add in more of less of the ingredients to suit your taste.

Ingredients needed to make chicken poblano soup

What are the ingredients for poblano pepper chicken soup?

I made this soup with the 16 wholesome ingredients listed below, along with some salt and black pepper.

Oil
Fresh Onion
Fresh garlic
Fresh ginger
Carrots
Celery
Poblano pepper
Tomato paste
Ground coriander (coriander powder)
Dried Italian seasoning
Smoked paprika
Frozen spinach
Frozen peas
Frozen corn
Chicken stock
Cooked chicken

Substitutions and Adaptations

Oil
I used olive oil in this recipe, but you can use butter or any other oil you may have on hand.
Onion, Garlic, Ginger
When it comes to onion, ginger, and garlic, I prefer the fresh versions of these. Even though peeling and chopping them can be time consuming, in my very humble opinion, fresh onion, ginger, and garlic add so much flavor to recipes. These days most stores sell peeled and chopped onion, ginger, and garlic and this can be used instead. I would strongly suggest refraining from adding the powder versions of each instead.

Carrots + Celery
I used some fresh carrot and celery as I had some in my fridge. if you prefer to lower the carbohydrates in this recipe, leave out the carrot and use yellow or red bell peppers instead. In fact, both these ingredients can be left out and more of the frozen veggies listed below, can be added in instead.
Poblano pepper
I love poblano peppers so these were my first choice. And, they seem to be abundantly available at most grocery stores I frequent. However, if you can’t find any in your area, then poblano peppers can be substituted with Anaheim peppers (which are as mild as Poblano peppers) or with jalapeños. Though, if using jalapeños and you prefer a mild soup, I would recommend carefully removing the seeds and stems of jalapeños before chopping them up. make sure to wear gloves and refrain from touching your nose or eyes with hands that have just handled the seeds of jalapeños.

Tomato paste
Tomato paste is the main component of the broth of this soup, along with the spices. Instead of tomato paste, a can of fire-roasted tomatoes can be used.
Spices
I feel my combination of ground coriander, dried Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika worked well with the other ingredients in this soup. However, a combination of cumin, paprika, basil, rosemary, and oregano could also be used. In fact, if you prefer other spice combinations, use those instead. If you want to add a bit more heat to this soup, add in a teaspoon or so of chili powder or red pepper flakes. Do keep in mind that if using different spices and herbs, the taste of this soup will differ greatly.

Frozen vegetables I used a combination of frozen spinach, frozen peas, and frozen corn. But, these can be left out or substituted according to your preferences. And, canned black beans or pinto beans can also be added in for yet another textural element to this soup.

Chicken stock I had some homemade chicken stock on hand and used that. I made the stock using leftovers from an easy spicy oven roasted chicken I made a few nights ago. However, store bought chicken stock or veggie stock or chicken broth/vegetable broth can be used. To amp up the nutrition element of this soup, bone broth could also be used instead.
Cooked chicken I used some cooked chicken breast meat and chicken thighs (which was leftover from that oven roasted chicken) in this recipe. Any rotisserie chicken can be used as well. As the chicken is cooked, this cuts down on the cook time of this soup immensely. However, if you want to use some chopped up uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts in this chicken poblano soup, just adjust the cooking time to accommodate that.

Instructions

Start by gathering all the ingredients together.
Then, prep the ingredients. Peel and chop the onion, ginger, and garlic. And chop the carrots, celery, and poblano pepper.
Add the olive oil to a large pot and place it over a stovetop set to medium heat.
Toss in the peeled and chopped onion, ginger, and garlic and let these saute for about 5 minutes. Stir this mixture frequently so the ingredients do not burn.

Making the best healthy chicken poblano soup recipe

Then, I added in the rest of the ingredients: the chopped carrot, celery, poblano pepper, tomato paste, coriander, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, frozen spinach, frozen peas, frozen corn, the chicken stock, and the cooked chicken, and gave this a good stir.
Then, I put the lid on to this pot, turned down the heat to a medium-low and let this simmer for 15 minutes. When this was ready, I seasoned it with some kosher salt and black pepper to taste.

What to serve with chicken poblano soup?

I like to serve this soup garnished with some green onions and fresh parsley, but you can also use fresh cilantro if you have that on hand.

This soup does not need a lot of toppings as it is delicious on it’s own. but, if you like to dress it up, it can be served with some sliced avocado, a drizzle of hot sauce or red pepper flakes, tortilla chips or tortilla strips, and some roti or crusty bread to sop any leftover soup at the bottom of your bowl. The addition of the chips, roti, and bread will make this less low-carb friendly, unless you find and use low carb versions of these.

Healthy Easy Chicken Poblano Soup (low carb, gluten-free, dairy-free)

Storage and re-heating of leftovers

Leftovers

Any leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 to 4 days. I have not had leftovers around for much longer than that as someone always polishes this soup off so I do not feel comfortable saying this soup lasts longer. Also, I have not frozen leftovers of this soup as it is finished off pretty quickly in our home.

Re-heating

This soup can be reheated in one of two ways.
1) Add the portion you want to a saucepan or pot and place it over a stovetop set to medium-high heat. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes or until it is warmed through. Or,
2) Add the amount you want to a microwave-safe bowl and place in the microwave, heat it for a minute or two, make sure to check it to make sure it is not too hot.

Other healthy soup recipes we enjoy, and hope you do too…

Easy Broccoli Spinach Soup

Spicy Purple Sweet Potato Soup

Thick creamy purple sweet potato soup in two large white bowls with toppings.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin. For more fusion, spice-filled, recipe ideas, please subscribe and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest!