Low Carb Chicken Fajita Soup {Keto Friendly}
If you love chicken fajitas but are following a keto or low carb diet, I’ve got the perfect alternative for you-this Low Carb Chicken Fajita Soup! It has all the same delicious Mexican flavors without all the carbs from the tortillas! It is the perfect keto soup comfort food recipe for a delicious gluten-free, low carb and meal.
How to make low carb chicken fajita soup
I love experimenting with new low-carb/keto recipes, especially when they are easy, and my entire family enjoys the finished product- like my Queso Soup recipe. So, I thought, why not change out the ground beef for some shredded chicken and add some Mexican spices to the mix! The result is a deliciously creamy, flavorful soup that is high in protein and low in carbs!
Make sure to check out more keto soup recipes in my recipe index for quick and easy meal ideas.
Chicken Fajita Soup Ingredients:
Cooking and shredding your chicken is what takes the longest, so if you have your chicken pre-shredded and ready to go, this recipe is super quick!
- Chicken breasts- I will make my shredded chicken using my slow cooker in advance in bulk. This speeds this recipe up big time!
- Chicken broth– This is the base of the soup and adds lots of flavors. It is also used to cook your chicken in your crockpot.
- Green peppers, onions, garlic– Low carb veggies give this fajita soup nutrients and lots of added flavor!
- Cream cheese, heavy cream, butter- These fats will add richness to your soup as well as creaminess.
- Taco seasoning- I like to use my homemade keto seasoning since store-bought seasoning packets contain some non-keto ingredients.
Steps for making your chicken fajita soup:
Step 1: I begin this recipe by preparing the chicken so it is easy to shred later. I add boneless skinless chicken breasts to my slow cooker. It isn’t necessary to make it this way; it just makes my life easier around dinner time to have the chicken already cooked. Also, if you prefer a different cut of chicken, feel free to make substitutions that best suit your needs. You could also use a rotisserie chicken if you like!
Step 2: Saute the onion and bell peppers in butter to bring out the incredible flavor in your chicken fajita soup.
Step 3: Add in some homemade taco seasoning if you are following a strict keto diet. I like to make my seasoning in bulk and keep it in my pantry.
Step 4: Once all the ingredients are in your pot, simmer on low so that the cream cheese melts completely and that all of the different spices and flavors are infused together.
Step 5: Garnish with more shredded cheese and freshly chopped cilantro leaves! Serve hot!
Other chicken fajita soup toppings
Toppings are everything, so feel free to have fun topping your fajita soup! Make sure you keep your toppings low in carbs and keto-friendly! Here are some toppings I like to add to my soup:
- sliced jalapenos
- a dollop of sour cream
- guacamole or fresh avocado slices
- more diced tomatoes
- freshly chopped cilantro
- more shredded cheese
- freshly chopped green onions
- sliced black olives
- lime wedges
How to get this fajita soup on the table quicker!
If you are super busy and do not have time to wait for your chicken to cook, I suggest you do one of two things.
1. Speed up the process by purchasing a rotisserie chicken from the food store. The chicken is already cooked, so all you need to do is cut off the breasts and legs and shred/chop that up to add to your soup. This will cut your cooking time by more than half!
2. Cook shredded chicken in advance in bulk. Then portion it out into one pound baggies and freeze them. This way, you can quickly defrost your chicken a few hours or the night prior and have it ready to go! This saves you lots of money, too, and can be used for many other shredded chicken recipes like my Keto Buffalo Chicken Casserole (w/ Cauliflower). How to make crockpot shredded chicken is a life-saver to save time! Check out Keto Meal Prep Ideas to save you time for more helpful tips like this.
Variations to this Easy Keto Soup Recipe:
- Instead of 3 fresh garlic cloves, use 1 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- Substitute the fresh onion for 1 tablespoon onion powder
- Add celery, cauliflower rice, spinach, or kale to make the soup a bit more hearty
Is this Recipe for Low Carb Chicken Fajita Soup Dairy-Free?
Often get asked about dairy-free keto recipes. As is, this recipe is not dairy-free as it contains several ingredients such as butter, cream cheese, and heavy whipping cream that are all dairy products. There are dairy-free options of cream cheese that I have seen at the grocery store. Many people sub sugar-free coconut cream made from coconut milk for heavy whipping cream and coconut oil can be subbed for butter. Personally, I haven’t tried any of these substations and cannot give a personal recommendation of how it would taste, but I did want to offer dairy-free options.
How to Store this Keto Chicken Soup Recipe:
It can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days. It can be frozen in a freezer-safe container, but the soup’s texture may change when it thaws due to the high dairy content.
Best Keto Soup Recipes:
- Jalapeno Popper Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Keto Soup Recipes: 20+ Delicious & Hearty Ideas
- Down Home Keto Vegetable Soup with Ground Beef
- Keto Tuscan Soup – An Olive Garden Copycat low carb friendly version
- Keto Pumpkin Soup
- Low Carb Cheesy Smoked Sausage Soup
Don’t miss out!
If you aren’t already following my easy keto/low carb recipe page on Facebook, where I post all my new recipes, I’d love for you to join us! Also, make sure to follow me on Pinterest.
If you are just getting started following a keto diet and would like more information, many fantastic resources are available. Amazon has several great books you may want to check out here.
Low Carb Chicken Fajita Soup {Keto Friendly}
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chicken broth (this is to pour over chicken in slow cooker)
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 6 oz cream cheese
- 2 10 oz cans diced tomatoes with green chilis
- 2½ cups chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2½ tbsp homemade taco seasoning (recipe here or 1 packet of taco seasoning)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook boneless skinless chicken breasts in a slow cooker for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low in a cup of chicken broth. Season with salt/pepper.
- When chicken is cooked through, remove from slow cooker and shred. (You can strain the leftover broth for the soup.)
- In a large saucepan, saute green pepper, onion, and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter until translucent.
- With a spoon, mash the cream cheese into the veggies so that it will combine smoothly as it melts.
- Add the canned tomatoes, chicken broth, heavy whipping cream, and taco seasoning.
- Simmer on low uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Add the shredded chicken, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy hot!
- Optional: Top each bowl with shredded cheese, cilantro, green onions, avocado, and/or sour cream.
Video
Notes
- Option 1: Turn this 3-hour recipe into a 30 minute one by purchasing a rotisserie chicken from the food store. The chicken is already cooked, so all you need to do is cut off the breasts and legs and shred/chop that up to add to your soup!
- Option 2: Cook shredded chicken in advance in bulk. Then portion it out into one pound baggies and freeze them. This way, you can quickly defrost your chicken a few hours or the night prior and have it ready to go the day of! This saves you lots of money, too, and can be used for many other shredded chicken recipes like my Keto Buffalo Chicken Casserole (w/ Cauliflower).
Other chicken fajita soup toppings
Toppings are everything, so feel free to have fun topping your fajita soup! Make sure you keep your toppings low in carbs and keto-friendly! Here are some toppings I like to add to my soup:- sliced jalapenos
- a dollop of sour cream
- guacamole or fresh avocado slices
- more diced tomatoes
- freshly chopped cilantro
- more shredded cheese
- freshly chopped green onions
- sliced black olives
- lime wedges
Nutrition
This was delicious! I’m making for a friend who has a dairy free diet. I can use coconut milk for the cream but wondering what to do with the cream cheese. Do I just leave it out and add more coconut milk at the end?
Hi Rachel, that is so nice of you. I have only made this recipe as is and have not tested a dairy-free version. I did Google dairy-free cream cheese and several options popped up that might be helpful.
I could barely use 1 lb shredded chicken with the amount of liquid. Is it correct saying to use 2 lbs?
Yes, that’s correct. Just wondering if you added the additional chicken broth after you shredded the chicken.
Can this taco soup be froze?
I’m not sure how it would freeze but you can give it a try.
Hi. If I cook the chicken from frozen, how long should I cook it in the crockpot?
Thank you!
Very good!
I’m really glad you enjoyed it.
This is a new favorite of mine. I did switch out the taco seasoning out for fajita seasoning though. Excellent for cold weather!
Glad it’s a favorite!
I have made this before & we love it! I had no fresh onions or green peppers, but i did have a frozen bag of 3 pepper + onion blend, so I used that. I also added cumin & Adobo seasoning, since last time it wasn’t “Mexican” enough. It was ABSOLUTELY, pefectly delicious!!!
Kasey I love your recipes the most of all I’ve tried in this WOE journey. Thank you for such amazing recipes!
Why don’t the recipes include how much (ie. grams) is in one serving?
The nutritional information is at the bottom of the recipe card.
Is the nutritional information per serving? If so, what size is a serving?
The nutritional info is per serving. I haven’t measured a serving size. I just divide it evenly into the number of servings.
What is the serving size? I see it says calories are 306 kcals per serving.
I just divide it evenly by eight servings.
OMG!!!! So good!!!!!! My new favorite!!
Awesome! Glad it’s your new favorite!
Could you just throw all the ingredients in a slow cooker on low for the day? Have you tried that? Thanks!
Ingredients like heavy whipping cream and cream cheese can break down when they are slow cooked over a long period of time so I wouldn’t leave them in the slow cooker all day.
When you say 1 onion chopped and 1 pepper chopped, how much should we use?
You would use the entire onion and pepper.
No where can I find what a serving size is. I see the calories fats and such break down but is that per a cup of soup??
I haven’t measured it out. I just divide it evenly into the number of servings.
What would be the best way to make this in an instant pot?
I would only cook the chicken in the IP then add the dairy products after it is done cooking under pressure because dairy products like cream cheese, cheese, and heavy cream often break down when they are cooked under pressure.
This is wonderful!
I’m really glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you. Super easy. Super good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This soup it DELICIOUS! It is my favorite!!
I’m glad you love it and it’s your favorite!
This soup is absolutely delicious! It will be a staple for is the rest of the winter. Yummy!
That’s great! Glad you enjoyed it.
Great recipe, Kasey! I change it up a bit because I like to experiment, and soup is easy to experiment with! Here goes.
I use one 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (instead of two 10 oz. cans that have green chilis in them), a separate can of green chili’s (4 oz.), a 10 oz. can of green enchilada sauce, and an 11 oz. can of white shoepeg corn. I omit the half and half and instead use a full 8 oz. block of cream cheese, instead of the suggested 6 oz.
For the chicken, I sear the breasts on the stove in a cast iron pot, then cook them in the oven using the same cast iron pot. (I’m big on minimizing dishes/cookware.) I add some taco seasoning and 1 cup chicken broth into the pot, place a lid on, and cook for about 30 mins at 375 degrees. I then use a special chicken shredding scissors (yup, they make those…who knew…well, I do now and they are a game changer) to shred the chicken.
Oooorrrrrr, sometimes I cheat and get fresh shredded chicken from the deli. 🙂
This is even better if it sits in the fridge overnight and served the next day — which makes life easier when hosting family and friends.
Cook on friends!
Perfect! That sounds delish. So glad you loved it and your tweaks sound so good.