Chicken Sweet Potato Soup is incredibly easy! Just add everything to a slow cooker for a comforting and filling meal.
Pair this hearty soup with crusty bread or crushed chips and a simple kale salad!
Chicken Sweet Potato Soup
I love a hearty slow-cooker meal, and creamy soups are my ideal comfort food, but you don’t see many broth-based, slow-cooked soup recipes on the internet.
That’s where Chicken Sweet Potato Soup comes in! It’s broth-based and anything but bland. This soup bursts with texture and flavor. It’s packed with protein from black beans, quinoa, and chicken, and loaded with veggies from tomatoes and sweet potatoes. Seasoning it with a chili mix means this soup is prepped in no time. You won’t believe how quickly this meal is ready to eat!
Chicken Sweet Potato Soup Notes
- Chicken: This recipe originally called for chicken breasts, but I’ve switched to boneless, skinless thighs. They’re tender, easier to shred, and less likely to dry out if cooked all day.
- Rinse: Rinse quinoa before adding it to the slow cooker to remove its bitter coating, saponin. Use a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water for 30-60 seconds.
- Cook time: Quinoa expands and absorbs liquid as it cooks. After about 3-1/2 to 4 hours, this soup thickens to a stew-like consistency. If your cooker runs hot, it may be done even sooner.
- High heat: Cooking on low doesn’t work well; the quinoa cooks unevenly and absorbs too much liquid. Sweet potatoes and black beans can also get too soft.
- Small pieces: Dice sweet potatoes to 1/2-inch to ensure they cook evenly with the other ingredients.
- Spice levels: This soup is mild as written, but you can increase the heat by adding 1-2 tablespoons of diced jalapeños and extra chili powder.
- Seasoning: Adjust salt and pepper to taste; it can make a big difference in flavor.
Homemade Chili Seasoning
I shorten prep time by using a packet of chili seasoning. After trying many, I recommend McCormick’s® Chili Seasoning (not sponsored). Some packets lack flavor, but this one delivers. Sometimes it pays to go with the national brand!
If you prefer homemade seasoning, here are the ratios I recommend:
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (McCormick is very mild)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted garlic powder
- Optional: 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (add slowly; cayenne pepper adds a lot of spice!) Alternatively, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes could be used.
- Salt and pepper to taste (I add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper)
Quick Tip
Looking to save even more prep time? Buy pre-diced sweet potatoes. Many stores sell peeled and diced sweet potatoes in the produce section.
Toppings
While this soup is great as is, toppings can add even more flavor and texture. Here are my favorite additions:
- Sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar cheese: Grate the cheese directly onto each bowl and let it melt for a minute before stirring it into the soup.
- Ripe avocado or guacamole: For extra creaminess, top the soup with ripe avocado slices. Not sure about avocado but still want a creamy element? Try plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.
- Fresh lime juice: A few squeezes of fresh lime heighten the flavors and add a burst of brightness.
- Chips: Crushed tortilla chips (or strips) add a satisfying crunch.
- Fresh cilantro: If you love cilantro, it adds freshness and a nice citrusy flavor. Not a fan? Try chopped parsley instead.
More Quinoa Recipes
- Quinoa Chili with sweet potatoes
- Southwest Quinoa Salad with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette
- Avocado Orange Quinoa Salad with a citrus dressing
- Quinoa Salad with avocado and a lemon dressing
- Quinoa Enchilada Bake with sweet potatoes
Chicken Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 and 1/2 cups diced sweet potatoes (2-3 large sweet potatoes)
- 1 can (15.25 ounces) black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can (14.25 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 packet (1.25 ounces) chili seasoning mix (Note 1)
- 5 cups chicken broth or stock
- Optional: fresh cilantro or parsley
- Optional toppings: tortilla strips, sharp cheddar cheese, fresh lime, sour cream, diced avocado
Instructions
- PREP: Spray the slow cooker with nonstick spray. Remove the fat from the chicken breasts or thighs. If using large chicken breasts, cut them into 3-4 pieces so they'll cook more evenly. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into small 1/2-inch cubes.
- ADD TO CROCKPOT: Add the chicken thighs or cut chicken breasts into the slow cooker. Add the rinsed quinoa (See Note 2), diced sweet potatoes, drained and rinsed black beans, undrained diced tomatoes, minced garlic, packet of chili seasoning, and chicken broth or stock to the slow cooker.
- COOK: Cover and cook on high for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours (See Note 3)
- SHRED CHICKEN: Using tongs, remove the chicken to a small bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken and then return to the slow cooker. Taste the soup and adjust for seasonings; I typically add an additional 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper here, but add until the flavors sing.
- SERVE: Ladle soup into bowls and top with your favorite toppings. I love fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice, and ripe avocado. My boys love sour cream and lots of Cheddar cheese.
- STORAGE: The quinoa continues to absorb liquid making it a thick stew, so if you store leftovers, add broth when reheating to keep the soup consistency.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’d love to make this for dinner tonight, but I don’t have quinoa. Do you think I could use brown rice?
I’d cook the brown rice separately and add it in at the end 🙂 (You’ll also probably want to reduce the broth by a couple of cups!)
We love this recipe.Have made many times.I added some chopped up kale to this recipe and it taste amazing….thanks again for this recipe Chelsea
You are so welcome! I’m thrilled you’ve enjoyed this soup and the kale addition sounds delicious!
Really enjoyed this soup, made it yesterday! The only thing I would add is fresh ground pepper during the cooking time, since I love it lol. Can this soup be frozen? Made things with Quinoa, but never froze them!
I’m glad you enjoyed the soup!! I’ve never tried freezing it so I’m really not certain how it will do, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze okay
What are your thoughts on using white beans and butternut squash? Would you still use the chili seasoning?
Yes, that sounds delicious! 🙂
This will be my first slow cooker recipe that I’ve done with this slow cooker, it has low, medium and high heat settings.
I hope you love it! 🙂 Use the high setting for this recipe 🙂
Love this soup, I use fire-roasted tomatoes and use 1/2 cup quinoa, otherwise it’s too thick! I soak my own beans not canned. I like to put avocados, cilantro, Tabasco and cheese on the side for people to add at will. Delicious! Lots of requests for the recipe at my house.
Your toppings sound so delicious! I am so happy this a hit at your home and with guests 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment and review Su Hu!
I will be making this today for dinner for my boyfriend and I!! So excited to try this, especially since all the comments are so good! 😀 Will update when it’s finished and we have tried it!
Sounds great! I can’t wait to hear your review! Enjoy!
Forgot to update that night, but this was soooo good!! In fact, I’m making it again tonight (due to boyfriend’s request!!)!!!!!!!! haha…my best friend was over at our place the first night I made it and she loved it too!!! 😀 Thanks so much for this AWESOME/HEALTHY/DELICIOUS recipe!!!!! 😀 <3
Thank you so much for your kind comment Brittany! 🙂 I’m so thrilled to hear this soup was a huge hit! 🙂
You’re soup was delightful! Throughout the process I had to add about 3 more cups of broth and it was my first time eating quinoa. Needless to say I probably won’t add the quinoa when I make it again. The flavors of the beans, tomatoes and sweet potatoes really stood out and merried robustly! Nice warm treat!
That is wonderful to hear, I’m so glad you enjoyed this soup! Thanks Mari!
I didn’t read all the comments, so don’t know if anyone else had my experience. For it to be a soup, the quinoa would have needed to be cooked separately in additional chicken broth. It did make a tasty stew, though. You mentioned how so many ingredients could be substituted or added to. I really like the ingredients and think it could also be tasty with moroccan or italian seasonings, etc.
Thank you so much for your feedback Ellen! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Making this right now for my lunches this week! I added some zucchini because it’s in season and substituted the chili seasoning for taco seasoning because I had some in the pantry. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Thanks for the comment Michelle! I hope you love this soup for your lunches 🙂