Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: With just a touch of heat, creamy chile relleno soup with chicken will warm you up from the inside out. If you love chiles rellenos, (cheese-stuffed poblano peppers), you’ll love this soup.
How long it takes: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: sheet pan, soup pan
Servings: 4
Early fall is a great time to make this chile relleno soup. Those of you lucky enough (or should I say hard-working enough) to have a garden, have been harvesting ripe peppers from your vegetable patch. Even if you don’t garden, poblano peppers are in plentiful supply at farm markets and the grocery store. Homemade chile relleno soup is a delicious way to use some of those peppers.
I just love chiles rellenos! They’re simply peppers stuffed with cheese. Okay, I admit I like anything stuffed with cheese, I mean, who doesn’t? One of my favorite appetizers is cheese-stuffed mini sweet peppers. They’re so addicting, I could eat the whole batch.
Chile relleno soup with chicken perfectly combines roasted poblano peppers, creamy cheese, and tender chunks of chicken into a soup that is equally as addicting. Perfect for a fall night!
Creamy Chile Relleno soup
It’s easy to make. You get all the flavor of cheesy stuffed peppers without the hassle of stuffing the peppers.
Satisfying and filling. I add chicken to the soup for more protein, making this a main course soup. Serve it with soft tortillas or tortilla chips and mango slaw for a fantastic dinner.
Roast the poblanos first for the best flavor. There are four easy ways to roast poblano peppers. The peppers can be roasted up to a few days ahead of time and refrigerated. Roast a few extra to make delicious poblano queso dip!
Do You Have To Peel Peppers?
Like bell peppers, poblano peppers are mild in flavor and can be eaten fresh without the need to peel them. However, when you roast peppers, including poblanos, the outer skin becomes tough and papery and is hard to digest. It’s easy to remove the skins after the peppers are roasted — they slip off easily.
How to Make Chile Relleno Soup
While the peppers are roasting and cooling, get started on the soup.
Sauté the chicken and onions in a good-sized pot, then add the garlic and cumin and sizzle for a minute. Add the flour and cook for two minutes.
Pour in the broth and start to simmer your soup. Meanwhile, skin and chop the poblanos, which should be cool enough to handle by now, throw them in the pot, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
Almost ready to serve dinner? Stir in cream cheese and cilantro, and gently continue to stir and heat the soup. Serve immediately. Garnish each bowl with shredded Cheddar cheese and additional cilantro. I bet you can hardly wait!
Recipe Variations
- Sub in a different type of pepper. While chiles rellenos are traditionally made with poblano peppers, you could use another variety. Both poblano and Anaheim peppers are in the mid-range on the Scoville scale (1200-1500). I’ve found that peppers can vary quite a bit in heat. Sometimes they are very mild with almost no heat, and sometimes they are quite hot. There’s really no way to tell ahead of time (that I know of) so a taste test is probably the best way to determine how spicy a pepper is. If you’re worried about the soup being too spicy, choose bell peppers (any color) .
- Add corn or potatoes: Add a cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels to the soup. Simmer a couple of chopped Russet potatoes in the broth until tender.
- Make it vegetarian: Chile relleno soup can be a delicious vegetarian soup, too. Just omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Make it gluten-free: Thicken the soup with cornstarch instead of flour.
- Add bacon: Sauté chopped bacon in the pan until crisp, remove the bacon, and then sauté the onions and chicken in the bacon grease. Crumble the bacon and add it as a garnish or stir it into the soup. Another option would be to just use bacon and leave out the chicken.
- Make it in your slow cooker: Leave the chicken breasts whole. Use chopped peppers, no need to roast them. Put all the ingredients except the cream cheese and cheddar cheese into the slow cooker. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Remove the chicken, shred it, and put it back in. Take some of the soup out, blend it with the cream cheese until it melts, and stir the mixture back into the crockpot.
- Rather not have a creamy soup? Try this delicious chicken tortilla soup or chicken taco soup.
- Looking for a less spicy soup? Creamy chicken rice soup is comforting and easy on the tummy.
Leftover chile relleno soup is great! I can’t believe how much I look forward to eating this soup the next day for lunch. Make a double batch if you want so you’ll have plenty of leftovers.
Refrigerate: Store leftover soup, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This creamy soup does not freeze well.
Reheat: Gently reheat on the stove or in the microwave. Try not to let the soup come to a boil because that may cause the soup to separate. The emphasis is on “gently” reheat!
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan (it’s free!) that includes this soup recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #27 or Meal Plan #79. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week! We add a new meal plan weekly.
More Recipes With Peppers
Chile Relleno Soup with Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 poblano peppers
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (see note)
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 1 cup diced onion (about 1 large onion)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
- ¼ cup minced cilantro, additional for serving
- Shredded cheddar cheese for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Place whole poblano peppers on a baking sheet (line with foil for easy clean-up) and roast for 35 to 40 minutes or until skins are blackened, flipping once.6 poblano peppers
- Place peppers in a plastic bag, or a bowl covered with plastic wrap, and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, salt, and black pepper and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, or until onions are translucent.1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces, 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil, 1 cup diced onion, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Add garlic and cumin and cook for one minute, stirring, until fragrant.2 cloves garlic, minced, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer.4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- Once chiles have cooled, remove skin, stem, and seeds. Dice the flesh of the peppers and add to soup.
- Simmer soup for 20 to 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream cheese and cilantro, stirring to melt cream cheese.4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes, ¼ cup minced cilantro, additional for serving
- Serve topped with additional cilantro and cheddar cheese, if desired.Shredded cheddar cheese for serving
Notes
- If desired, substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs for the breasts.
- Slow Cooker: Leave the chicken breasts whole. Use chopped peppers, no need to roast them. Put all the ingredients except the cream cheese and cheddar cheese into the slow cooker. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Remove the chicken, shred it, and put it back in. Take some of the soup out, blend it with the cream cheese until it melts, and stir the mixture back into the crockpot.
- Make Ahead Tips: Poblanos can be roasted ahead and stored in the refrigerator up to three days. If desired, rotisserie chicken or already cooked chicken can be substituted for the chicken breast.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Delish! I have made this many times and love it more and more. I have made same changes and additions depending on what I have on hand. My favorite is to add a potato when I do not have cream cheese, and topping with avocado and a squeeze of lime.
Thank you so much for leaving a review! I bet the potato is so good in it!