Southwest Chicken Soup (Detox)
Detox Southwest Chicken Soup Recipe is a healthy low-fat, low-carb, gluten-free soup with tons of bold flavor and nutritious ingredients! This Southwest Chicken Soup is super clean and healthy.
Why We Love This Southwest Chicken Detox Soup
Over a year ago I shared a Chicken Detox Soup recipe that our family uses as a dietary reset after vacations or long seasons of unhealthy eating.
It’s a lean, healthy chicken and vegetable soup with several detoxifying ingredients to help flush toxins from your body and boost your metabolism. This soup is meant to be eaten for several days in a row to get your system back on track.
Chicken Detox Soup is low-fat, low-carb, paleo, gluten-free, and it works like a charm when using the soup as a cleanse! We have come up with another variation of our detox soup recipe that is just as healthy, just as tasty, and offers just as many cleansing ingredients, but with a bold Southwest flavor!
If you’ve tried our original detox soup cleanse, this Southwest Chicken Detox Soup is a zesty way to mix things up. Combining the Old El Paso green chiles and the spices, enhances the natural flavor of the chicken and veggies for a bold tantalizing flavor.
What is a detox soup?
The idea behind a detox soup is to cleanse the body by eating nutrient-rich vegetables and broths that are easy for the body to digest. Generally, detox soups are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals to help the body get as many nutrients as possible!
Eating a meal like this Southwest chicken detox soup will help to release toxins and is especially good for you after a lot of indulgences, like after the holidays!
Plus, the release of toxins from this detox soup helps your body work more efficiently, meaning:
- Purging water retention
- A metabolic boost
- More energy
- And better sleep!
Ingredients For Southwest Chicken Soup
To make this Southwest Chicken Soup, I used green chiles to give the broth a smoky undertone, then loaded it with veggies and spices! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken Breast – great for a lean protein source
- Onion – diced
- Garlic – freshly minced
- Olive Oil – a bit of olive oil to sauté the veggies
- Chopped Green Chiles – for a smoky, Southwest flavor!
- Crushed Tomatoes – I used fire-roasted crushed tomatoes to add an extra smoky flavor. You can also use diced tomatoes.
- Chicken Stock – if using low-sodium chicken stock, taste for salt at the end.
- Ground Cumin – for added flavor
- Crushed Red Pepper – for a kick of spice
- Turmeric – adds flavor and kick starts the metabolism
- Carrots – sliced
- Cabbage – sliced thin
- Broccoli – chopped into small florets
- Avocados – to serve
- Salt and Pepper – to taste
How to Make Southwest Chicken Soup
Set a large 6-8 quart pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, chopped onions, and garlic. Sauté for 5-6 minutes to soften. Then add whole raw chicken breasts, Old El Paso Chopped Green Chiles, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, all the spices, carrots, and 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20+ minutes, until the chicken breasts are cooked through. Then remove the chicken with tongs and set them on a cutting board to cool.
Add the chopped cabbage and broccoli to the pot. Continue to simmer to soften the broccoli. Meanwhile, shred the chicken breasts with two forks, and stir them back into the soup. Once the broccoli is tender, taste, then salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm with a generous amount of diced avocado on top!
If the soup base boils down too much, add 2-3 cups of water to the broth. Then taste for seasoning.
You can store this recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips & Tricks
- For added flavor, serve with freshly chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice!
- If you have leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken on hand, add that chicken in towards the end of the cooking process for ease!
- You can substitute the chicken breast for chicken thighs if you prefer, but keep in mind that chicken thighs have more fat so the soup will not be as lean!
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! To make a vegetarian option, omit the chicken and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. You can add additional ingredients for added protein, such as black beans.
Generally, Southwest chicken soup is made with chicken, tomatoes, beans, corn, chiles, and bold spices like cumin. This soup is a little different since it is a detox soup recipe, so it doesn’t contain beans and corn, and instead has lots of nutritious veggies!
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days! You can make this at the beginning of the week and use it as meal prep. The soup cleanse works best when you eat the soup several days in a row. To freeze, place in the freezer in a large zip bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat in a saucepan or the microwave!
Get the Full (Printable) Detox Southwest Chicken Soup Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Old El Paso. All opinions are my own.
Looking for More Detox Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
Check out the printable recipe card below for the nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, fiber, vitamin C, and calcium percentages. Make sure to share this recipe on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Detox Southwest Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cans Old El Paso Chopped Green Chiles (4.5-ounce cans)
- 14.5 ounces “fire roasted” crushed tomatoes
- 3 quarts chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 1/2 cups sliced carrots
- 4 cups chopped cabbage
- 3 cups small broccoli florets
- 2 avocados, peeled and diced
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Set a large 6-8 quart pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, chopped onions, and garlic. Sauté for 5-6 minutes to soften. Then add whole raw chicken breasts, Old El Paso Chopped Green Chiles, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, all the spices, carrots, and 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20+ minutes, until the chicken breasts are cooked through. Then remove the chicken with tongs and set them on a cutting board to cool.
- Add the chopped cabbage and broccoli to the pot. Continue to simmer to soften the broccoli. Meanwhile, shred the chicken breasts with two forks, and stir it back into the soup. Once the broccoli is tender, taste, then salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm with a generous amount of diced avocado on top!
This soup is delicious… I used a bone broth with turmeric instead of the chicken stock. I also added less chicken. This is so good and good for you. I liked the green chilies…a nice added touch. I also put a little more red pepper to spice it up. Super easy and yummy.
Hi I have a question, when you say to eat this for several days in a row what do you recommend? Is one meal a day for several days sufficient? Or do you mean to eat the soups at each meal, each day? Thank you!😘
Hi Christy,
According to the book, you eat the soup for every meal each day, and you eat it until you are full. It’s so lean there is no need to watch your portions. :)
This is my daily go to soup. One pot gives me 2 weeks of lunches. I package into single serve sizes and freeze them. I make mine with a ground up ghost pepper for extra spice and add a package of frozen spinach. Its very good and spicy!!
Are you suppose to eat nothing but the soup? How many days?
This soup is delicious!!!
This is even more delicious the next day! I’ve been wanting to incorporate turmeric in dishes and this is my first. I left out the cabbage but still great! Adjusting the heat to ones liking is easy. Enjoyed the avocado in it also! My new go to soup
How would I make this in a crockpot?
Hi Air,
The only difference for crockpot cooking, is that you need to sauté the onions on the stovetop before placing them in the slow cooker. Then cover and set on low for 5-6 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. Happy Cooking!
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What size pot did you use? This recipe is huge. I like to make enough for leftovers for my lunch; but this seems way more than the average family would need. I can’t image the cabbage would freeze well?
I make a variety of vegetable soups with cabbage. It freezes well once it is cooked. Potatoes do not. Turnips are a great substitute for potatoes and they hold their texture when frozen. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Hi Denise!
It should fit in any pot 6 quarts or larger. :)
I am making it now and could only fit one quart of stock! Am using a large le crueset pot! Have no idea how I will jam the broccoli and cabbage in but I will figure it out.
It’s a rainy day here in Ga.
I had planned on waiting until cooler weather but today was good enough!
Very hearty soup full of flavors and so very satisfying!
I would recommend it but if your sensitive to spice and heat you may want to dial it down some way. Otherwise it’s perfect the way it is!!
Thanks for sharing!
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Fantastic! I added 2 teaspoons of garlic. No red pepper flakes and added corn and black beans when it was done cooking. And it came out amazing!
This looks so refreshing!
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I absolutely love the original detox soup version immensely; and I must say that when my young man at home is inadvertently glutened (he has Celiac diseas), this soup really helps. He and I both really enjoy the soup even when we’re not on a cleanse. I’m very eager to try this Southwest version. I think we both will love it just as much. I do have one question though…what kind of cabbage did you use in this soup…napa, savoy, green leafy, or bok choy? There are so many different varieties at my local market.
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Good next time i will add corn