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Creamy Chicken Soup With Poblanos And Black Beans

Creamy chicken soup with poblanos and black beans features smoky roasted poblano strips and a rich broth made silky with cream cheese and heavy cream. This Tex-Mex style soup simmers until the chicken is tender and the beans absorb the warm cumin and smoked paprika flavors.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 610
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken breast
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast, cooked and shredded
Poblano peppers
  • 2 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, and diced
Black beans
  • 15 oz black beans, drained
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
Chicken broth
  • 4 cup chicken broth
Heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Sour cream
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
Ground cumin
  • 2 tsp cumin
Smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
Chili powder
  • 0.5 tsp chili powder
Cream cheese
  • 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
Toppings and serving
  • 1 cilantro, lime, and tortilla strips for serving
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Roast and prep the poblanos
  1. Roast the poblanos directly over a gas flame or under a broiler until charred, then peel, seed, and dice.
Build the flavor base
  1. Sauté the diced onion over medium heat for 4 minutes, until softened with a light golden edge.
  2. Add the minced garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder, and cook for 1-2 minutes while fragrant.
Make the creamy soup
  1. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, then stir in the cubed cream cheese until melted and smooth.
  2. Add the shredded chicken, drained black beans, and diced poblanos, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Stir in the heavy cream and sour cream, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve
  1. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro, lime wedges, and tortilla strips.

Notes

For the smoothest texture, add cream cheese off the boil and stir until fully melted before simmering again. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; the flavors deepen after resting overnight. Freezing isn’t recommended due to cream-based separation. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and half-and-half instead of heavy cream, keeping the soup just at a gentle simmer after adding dairy.