Do you LOVE soup? I don’t care what time of year, I will eat soup for lunch or supper. It’s simple to make, filling, and makes my life so much easier as a working mom! If I make a big pot of soup, I know that I’ll have leftovers for lunch and supper for several days. It’s how I survive, especially during the school year. Chicken and Chorizo Vegetable Soup is one of my favorite recipes because not only does everyone in our house love it, but it’s super healthy and made in my slow cooker. That’s the trifecta! 🙂
Chicken and Chorizo Vegetable Soup Recipe…
A few weeks ago, my mom shared a recipe for vegetable soup that tasted, in my book, a lot like chili. It was great! The problem was we were out of hamburger. “Go to the store,” you say. Well, we were expecting a side of beef in a couple of weeks, and I was unwilling to purchase hamburger from the grocery store when I had hundreds of pounds coming. So I modified the recipe to use chicken and chorizo, two ingredients I already had in my freezer. 🙂 Since this is a crock pot recipe, I also modified the amounts of some of the spices and vegetables. As it turned out, my husband ate two bowls of Chicken and Chorizo Vegetable Soup the night I made it! (He is very picky about his vegetables, but he didn’t even mind the mushrooms or kale!)
When I use my slow cooker, I tend to put the recipes together the night before so I can simply pull the crock out of the refrigerator and just turn it on the next day. Chicken and Chorizo Vegetable Soup is no different. I browned the chorizo, removed it from the skillet, and used the remaining grease to cook the chicken breast tenders. It worked out well, and the chorizo imbibed a lot of flavor into the chicken! The 6 qt. slow cooker is your best bet, as this recipe makes A LOT!
I’m the only one in my family who really likes mushrooms, so I knew the pieces had to be very, very small in the soup. Using my little food chopper, the pieces of mushrooms were so fine no one knew they were there. 🙂 Don’t leave out the mushrooms…the mushrooms lend a meaty flavor and body to this recipe that would be missing without them.
The kale and cilantro will not hold up well to a long day of cooking in the slow cooker. Please don’t add them at the beginning of the day! Instead, I add these when I have an hour or two of cooking left. Simply open the lid, stir in the greens, and let the heat in the soup wilt the leaves. Be sure to remove the tough stalks from the kale…those are a little too fibrous in my book. 🙂
Finally, I’m a sucker for cheese. Since Chicken and Chorizo Vegetable Soup has many Mexican flavors, a sprinkle of shredded cheddar on the top is great! I also like shredded Parmesan.
Chicken and Chorizo Vegetable Soup: Low Carb Friendly
Notes
This recipe can be made on the stove top, should time allow.
Ingredients
- 9 oz. beef chorizo, removed from casing, browned, and drained (reserve grease)
- 6 chicken breast tenderloins
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz. white mushrooms, chopped fine
- 2 quarts chicken broth
- 15 oz. diced fire roasted tomatoes, undrained
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 15.5 oz. can chick peas, drained & rinsed (optional)
- 3 t. dried cumin
- ½ t. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 c. chopped kale, stems removed
- ¼-½ c. chopped fresh cilantro
- Shredded cheese, optional
Instructions
- Brown chorizo in large skillet. Remove meat, leaving grease.
- Add chicken tenderloins to skillet and brown until internal temperature reaches at least 165℉. Set aside to cool slightly and then chop into small pieces.
- To a 6 quart slow cooker, add all ingredients except the kale and cilantro.
- Cook on low 8-10 hours, adding the kale and cilantro the last 1 to 1 ½ hours of cooking time.
- Serve, topped with shredded cheese, if desired.
If you are a fan of easy, crock pot soups and stews, you might enjoy my Mediterranean Tomato and Eggplant Soup, hearty Red Beans and Rice, or White Bean Stew. Make yourself a big batch of these soups today, or check out my other recipes here. Happy Soup Baking! 🙂
Can I suggest the following to help with this recipe?
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