This Black Bean Chicken Soup with Sweet Potatoes is the ultimate healthy comfort food with so much flavor. This is an easy recipe that can feed a large family or makes amazing leftovers the next day after the flavors meld together.
It's a great way to use leftover chicken, too!
This recipe was originally developed for Randall Beans, and I am so glad to share it with you here too!
Black Bean Chicken Soup
Ahh, the start of soup weather! Arguably one of the best times of the year, at least if you forget that winter is coming.
My favorite soup recipes are a combination of healthy and comforting, and this Black Bean Chicken Soup with Sweet Potatoes is just that! It has all the delicious flavors of chicken soup, but with the delicious twist of tender, healthy sweet potatoes, hearty black beans, and a few Mexican-inspired spices added for flavor.
By the way, if you're looking for soup with an even more of a Mexican flair, check out this EASY Chicken Tortilla Soup!
The instructions for this soup include directions for cooking the chicken breast, but the soup can be made by starting with leftover chopped chicken as well.
More flavorful beany comfort foods: Black-Eyed Pea Bowls with Blackened Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts (uncooked or leftover chicken, cooked - I include instructions for both options)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika (or use chili powder or cayenne pepper for spice!)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 14-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with the juices
- 1 sweet potato, chopped into ½ inch pieces (about 2-2.5 cups chopped sweet potato, from about 1 large (12 oz) sweet potato)
- 2 14-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup fresh parsley or cilantro, finely diced (from ½ - 1 bunch)
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (optional)
Related recipe: Cauliflower Chicken Soup
Instructions
If you're starting with leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken, skip step 1 and just add the cooked chopped chicken in step 5.
Step 1: Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large soup pot with a heavy bottom, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place the chicken in the preheated skillet, and allow to cook on high heat undisturbed for 5 minutes, or until nicely browned. Flip the chicken and allow to cook for 5 more minutes.
Step 2: Move the chicken to one side of the skillet and lower the heat to medium. Add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil and the diced onion and celery. Sauté the onion and celery for about 3 minutes, or until they start to sweat.
Step 3: Add the garlic powder, ground cumin, paprika, and dried oregano (½ teaspoon each). Continue to sauté for another 3 minutes.
Step 4: Add 3 cups of chicken broth and can of diced tomatoes (with the liquid). Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Use tongs to carefully remove the chicken breasts onto a large plate or cutting board. Use forks to shred the chicken. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot. Add the diced sweet potato and drained black beans. Stir, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked and easily pierced with a fork.
Step 6: Stir in fresh parsley or cilantro, season with additional salt, pepper, or lime juice, if desired, and remove from heat. Serve hot with fresh bread for dipping, or see serving ideas below.
Related recipe: Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Ingredient notes and tips
This black bean sweet potato chicken soup is both healthy and comforting with simple ingredients found in pretty much everywhere.
Chicken breast: I like cooking chicken right in the soup pot because the browned bits give the soup more flavor, but it's totally a-okay to use cooked rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken for this soup. It can even be made with leftover turkey breast!
Sweet potatoes: These are a healthier alternative to white potatoes, but of course you can use regular white potatoes, or even noodles instead of the sweet potato. If you love sweet potatoes, here are all my best Sweet Potato Recipes, and you might LOVE my Sweet Potato Chili.
Black beans: For a less beany soup, use only 1 can of black beans. And if you love black beans, make sure to try my Blackened Salmon with Black Bean Mango Relish or Pulled Pork and Black Bean Quesadillas
Fire roasted tomatoes: I love using fire-roasted diced tomatoes whenever I find them in stores!
Related recipe: Sausage and Red Bean Soup
Serving ideas for chicken black bean soup
Here are some additional ways to serve this soup. These are great to keep in mind if you have leftovers and want to transform them into a new meal:
- Add grains. Pair this sweet potato chicken stew with black beans along with your favorite grain! Add a little bit of cooked rice (white or brown) or cooked quinoa right into the broth.
- Make it a tortilla soup: Add some crunchy tortilla chips or tortilla strips to the soup.
- Tacos! Scoop out all the bits from the soup and serve them in a taco, dipping the taco into the leftover broth. This is especially good if you want to enjoy an extra brothy soup one day and don't have enough broth/soup to make a meal for the next day, or want to make the leftovers stretch into a second meal.
Related recipe: Sweet Potato Shrimp Curry
Looking for more healthy comfort food recipes? Try these reader favorites:
- Vegan Sausage Zuppa Toscana
- Sweet Potato Sausage Soup
- Ethiopian Chicken Stew - spicy, warming, flavorful
- Sweet Potato Leek Soup - a healthier take on the classic Potato Leek Soup. Silky smooth, rich-tasting, healthy, and delicious
- Kale and White Bean Soup - a light and vegan soup full of good-for-you ingredients
- Lentil Butternut Squash Soup with toasted garlicky pita wedges
- Chipotle Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Vegetarian Grits with Roasted Cajun Sweet Potato, Chickpeas, and Kale
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Black Bean Sweet Potato Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts - or use cooked chopped chicken, see notes
- salt and pepper - to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil - divided
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 2 celery stalks - diced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika - (or use chili powder or cayenne pepper for spice!)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 14-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes - with the liquid
- 1 sweet potato - chopped into ½-inch pieces (about 2-2.5 cups chopped sweet potato, from about 1 large (12 oz) sweet potato
- 2 14-oz cans black beans - drained and rinsed, or use 1 for a less beany soup
- ½ cup fresh parsley or cilantro - finely diced (from ½ - 1 bunch)
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Special equipment
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
- In a soup pot with a heavy bottom, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place the chicken in the preheated skillet, and allow to cook on high heat undisturbed for 5 minutes, or until nicely browned. Flip the chicken and allow to cook for 5 more minutes.
- Move the chicken to one side of the skillet and lower the heat to medium. Add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil and the diced onion and celery. Sauté the onion and celery for about 3 minutes, or until they start to sweat.
- Add the garlic powder, ground cumin, paprika, and dried oregano (½ teaspoon each). Continue to sauté for another 3 minutes.
- Add 3 cups of chicken stock and can of diced tomatoes (with the liquid). Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Use tongs to carefully remove the chicken breasts onto a large plate or cutting board. Use forks to shred the chicken.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the pot. Add the diced sweet potato and drained black beans. Stir, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked and easily pierced with a fork.
- Remove from heat and stir in fresh parsley or cilantro, season with additional salt, pepper and lime juice, if desired. Serve hot with fresh bread for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.