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.
What is in your “chili” seasoning mix? I am not in the US—and would like to make this recipe. I would like to substitute and/or make the chili season mix myself… Would you mind telling me what is in the packet mix?
Yes of course! I have the link in my post to it, but here it is again: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/01/homemade-chili-seasoning/ hope you love it!
Thank you so much for the recipe, how much of this chili seasoning recipe would you use in the recipe for the soup.
You are welcome! I’d add it to personal taste preference. Most packets have around 3-5 tablespoons of spice (but also “filler” ingredients) so start with 3 tablespoons and increase from there. Enjoy!
Thank you for sharing the chili seasoning recipe! As someone who deals with Celiac Disease, having a good spice blend is huge since packets aren’t usually GF friendly. My soup ended up being really thick after putting the shredded chicken back in but a couple extra cups of chicken stock did the trick. Putting this into the winter rotation!
Yay!! I am soo happy to hear you enjoyed this!! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
Thank you for the wonderful soup recipe. I will be giving it a try tomorrow….and yay for soup season!
Thanks so much for the comment Laura! I hope you love it! And isn’t soup season the best?! It’s my favorite!
I’m excited- it’s in the crockpot now!!! I did some substitutions- I didn’t have quinoa so I used barley, and I had chicken thighs so I used them also. Can’t wait!!!!
Yay!! The substitutions sound great! I hope you loved it 🙂
YES!!! It was fabulous!! I’m making it again today!!!
Made this last night, and it was my first time using a crockpot! The smell was amazing when it finished cooking. The only comment I have for this soup, other than that it is delicious, is that I craved more salt and a more spice. I decided to put a lot more cayenne pepper and salt, along with cilantro once I poured myself a bowl. Perfect soup for fall, and it almost has the consistency of stew because of the thickness- love it!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review! I bet cilantro would definitely be a great addition! 🙂
This soup is AMAZING! I added a chopped onion, just bc i love things cooked with onion. Next time I might add a couple drops of hot sauce, because I like spicy things. I froze this soup in individual sandwich bags, and it generously filled 6 bags. Already wanting to make it again and get my freezer stocked!!
I would love to add chopped onion I bet that made it amazing (my hubby just wouldn’t eat it then haha!) And hot sauce sounds awesome! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment Kimberly! 🙂
Dude, I just made this and it turned out really good!
So glad to hear!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
I am really getting into the soup mode, and this is a delicious addition to the regulars.
Is there any way to convert this to a freezer meal? I’m thinking I could assemble everything beforehand, but I’d need to leave out the quinoa until I cook it?
I’m sorry Melanie, I’m not sure. I don’t see why you couldn’t, but I haven’t tried this out so I can’t vouch for it working. If you do try it, let me know how it works!
I made this soup for dinner last night and everyone loved it! Even my boyfriend, who isn’t fond of sweet potatoes are it and enjoyed it. I used low sodium broth and I also added a little but of brown sugar to balance the spice vs sweet. Very good! Can’t wait to make it again!
Melanie, I commonly freeze soups that contain cooked quinoa and I have never had an issue! I have this one in the crockpot now – looking forward to some yummy lunches the next few days!
Thanks so much for the help on this one Kimberly! Hope you loved this soup 🙂
It’s never too early for soup! Especially ones that involve sweet potatoes. 😉 I have been working my crock pot to the bone and here’s yet another reason to break it out. I bet the quinoa makes it so filling too!
The flavors in this sound amazing. I bet your house smelled wonderful while this was cooking.