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 made this this past weekend and it was delicious! I added a few extra veggies (onion, celery, carrot) and it worked great. Also I didn’t have chili powder so I used my own curry chili spice mix. It was done at 3.5 hrs on high for me.
It ended up being more like a stew so next time I might add some more broth.
Love the addition ideas!! And your spice mix sounds amazing! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and review 🙂
This sounds so delicious ! Thank you for sharing. Do you think it would be possible to substitute butternut squash for the sweet potatoes?
In my experience butternut squash gets a lot softer than sweet potatoes in the slow cooker, but if you don’t mind them being a bit mushy, I think it would work great!
Just made this last night and it was delicious and so so easy! A few modifications- I used frozen chicken breasts and they were cooked completely at 4 hrs on high. Also, I added a few shakes of oregano and dried onion for added taste. Simply delicious!
Yay so glad you liked this Kimberly!! Thanks so much for the comment and review! And thanks for sharing what you changed 🙂 I think a few people had questions about frozen chicken, so it’s very helpful you tried it out and it worked!
Yay–I just loaded up my crock pot with this for the first time ,and I used frozen breasts and was worried….glad to hear they cook just fine!
This is so, so good and easy! I just went back to work after having baby #2 and this will be a regular on our fall/winter menu – thank so much! My 4 year old and husband gobbled it right up (and they don’t even like sweet potatoes normally which I love)!
That’s so great to hear!! I’m so glad they liked the sweet potatoes (I love them too!) Thanks so much for the comment and review Andrea 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe!! It was delicious, hearty, and exactly what I wanted during a chilly October day. I modified the recipe, and only used 4 cups of broth, and I turned it into a stew.. delicious!!! Thanks so much again 🙂
You are so welcome!! So glad you tried this and thanks for leaving a comment and review 🙂 and great idea with making it a thicker soup!! 🙂
So excited to find this recipe. Stumbled upon it from pinterest and so glad I did as your other recipes look great too. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for the thanks Jen – it means a lot! 🙂
Wow, this look so easy. I am putting in my crock pot now. Nice to know hot yummy dinner will be ready on time tonight. Thanks so much for sharing!!
You are so welcome!! I hope you loved it!! And yes I’m all about easy dinners 🙂
Wow! I just made this soup today and it is delicious! I’m pretty picky when it comes to my slow cooker soups but this soup is bursting with flavor and is packed with healthy ingredients. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe!
YAY!! So glad to hear you liked this soup Cristina! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and review 🙂 Have a wonderful night!
I’ve just got this going in the crockpot! It’s a rainy day here in the DC area, so it will be perfect for dinner. I mis-read/mis-jotted down the seasoning mix and got taco seasoning instead of chili seasoning (d’oh). I’m sure it will be fine. I also missed the link to make my own seasoning, which I will do next time since I likely have all the spices anyway. Can’t wait til it starts cooking a bit more, so it starts emitting yummy smells!
Oh I bet taco seasoning will be awesome!! I would love to hear what you think about the soup with that instead of the chili seasoning 🙂 hope you love this and it makes a rainy day a bit better 🙂 thanks for the comment!
YUMMY! I made this last night.. I added a can of corn to mine. My husband even liked it! Will def be added in to our meal rotations 🙂
LOVE the idea of corn in this soup 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment and review Sarah I appreciate it 🙂 Have a great night!
I love this soup!!! I also added corn. I made it for out Fall camping trip when we do only soups. It has made it onto my request list. In other words my friends have now started requesting this along with some of my other recipes they love. Thanks for sharing!
Haha! That is SO fun to hear!! Thank you so much Kristin!! I appreciate your comment and sharing this soup with your friends 🙂