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
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, 24 ounces
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3-1/2 cups diced sweet potatoes 2 to 3 large sweet potatoes
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.25-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 (1.25-ounce) packet chili seasoning mix see note 1
- 5 cups chicken broth or stock
- Fresh cilantro or parsley, optional
- Optional toppings see note 2
Instructions
- Spray the slow cooker with cooking 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 (see note 3). Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into small 1/2-inch cubes.
- Add the chicken thighs or cut chicken breasts into the slow cooker. Add the rinsed quinoa, diced sweet potatoes, drained and rinsed black beans, undrained diced tomatoes, minced garlic, packet of chili seasoning, and chicken broth/stock to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours (see note 4).
- Using tongs, remove the chicken to a small bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken, 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, but add until the flavors sing.
- 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.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Chelsea!
I am currently taking a wellness class at my college and for a big assignment, we are required to find an easy but healthy recipe to put in our class-made cookbook! This recipe would be perfect and of course, I would credit you without a doubt. I was just wondering if you had any of the nutritional facts about this recipe. I’ve noticed this recipe serves 6 to 8 people, but do you know how many calories and grams of fat, fiber, carbohydrate, and protein this recipe has per serving? These are required for my assignment. Thank you and let me know! I look forward to trying this recipe out too 🙂
THIS WAS AMAZING! It took just over 3.5 hours on high for mine to be done but if I had time, I probably would’ve given it the full 4 hours to let the flavors soak in even more. I added carrots and used reduced sodium taco seasoning but those were my only changes! Next time, I’ll add another can of black beans because I love them. It made 6 2-cup servings and I plan to freeze the leftovers! Thanks for this affordable, tasty, healthy, and easy recipe 🙂
It won’t let me rate it for some reason but I’d give it 100/5 stars!
Haha! Yay!! Thanks so much for your kind comment! I’m so glad you loved this dish – and I’m excited to try it sometime with taco seasoning — that sounds delicious! And great idea with the freezing individual portions 🙂 Thanks again for such a nice comment!
Can’t wait to make this tonight. Do I use 2 1/2 tablespoons of the homemade chili seasoning you recommended? Thanks so much!
I would recommend doing it by taste since the homemade one is not identical to the store bought one.
This was really good! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs and made my own chili seasoning mixture to cut down on salt. Thanks for sharing it…..
I made this last night and it was AMAZING! So delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
I have now made this twice: the first time it tasted great but because I had the unfortunate idea of adding everything to the ink-black cooking water of my dried black beans, the whole soup (even the chicken) turned an unappealing gray. I learned my lesson, and the second time, the soup tasted–and looked–delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you’ve enjoyed this soup! I am glad you tried it twice 🙂 Thank you for your comment!
It’s in the crockpot now, looking forward to trying it when I get home from work. I put it in the crockpot at 9 am and won’t be home till 6. Hopefully it won’t overcook, yikes!
I’m excited to try this recipe on this cold day! Do you have nutrition info? How much is one serving? Is it one cup? Thanks.
This soup looks amazing! But I was wondering, what size crock pot did you use?
A 6-quart!
I made this soup yesterday, and my family and I loved it! I used the mild chili seasoning and it gave it the perfect amout of zing. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you for sharing Cheasea!!