It is no secret that chicken soup recipes are the way to go when you need to warm yourself from inside out. I think you feel the same way as well because recipes like my Chicken Wild Rice Soup, Chicken and Vegetable Soup, White Bean Chicken Chili, and Crock Pot Chicken Stew are among the most popular recipes on my blog.
Today, I am adding one more recipe to the collection with this Tomatillo Chicken Soup made in a slow cooker. If you are a fan of Mexican recipes, especially tomatillos, give this easy soup recipe a try.
I Love This Recipe Because:
- Made with less than 10 ingredients. Simply put it all in the slow cooker and let it do the cooking for you.
- Requires no more than 15 minutes of hands-on time
- Packed with Mexican flavors coming from tomatillos, tortillas, and jalapenos
- It can be customized with any of your favorite toppings.
Ingredients You Will Need:
- Chicken: I used boneless chicken thighs, but chicken breasts would also work.
- Tomatillos: Pick ones that are bright green and not too soft. Remove the outer husk and rinse well. It will be sticky, and that is totally fine.
- Jalapenos & Garlic: If you are not a fan of spiciness, remove the seeds. If not, just slice it thinly.
- Chicken Stock: I make my own chicken stock, but store-bought would also work. If you buy it from the store, I recommend picking up a low sodium stock so that you can adjust the seasoning easily.
- Toppings: I used fresh cilantro, avocados, and fresh lime but feel free to use other toppings like sour cream, tortilla chips, and even crumbled queso fresco.
How To Make:
If you have never made soup with tomatillos before, let this Mexican tomatillo soup be the one to get you started. Here are the steps:
- Season the chicken: Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Prep tomatillos: Remove the husk, give them a quick rinse, and cut them in quarters.
- Assemble: Place tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic, chicken, and chicken stock. Give it a stir.
- Cook: Put the lid on and set it to cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Blend: Once cooked, transfer the chicken from the stew and shred it on a plate. Using an immersion blender, blend the tomatillo soup until the vegetables are roughly pureed.
- Add in cilantro: Put the shredded chicken back into the crockpot and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.
- Assemble & Serve: Ladle into bowls and top it off with sliced avocados, tortilla chips, and jalapenos.
A Quick Word on Blending:
When the cooking time is completed, you will realize that there is quite a bit of liquid in the crockpot. That is normal.
That is also why we are using an immersion blender to puree the vegetables. However, the amount of blending you do is up to you. I personally like my chicken tomatillo soup more on the chunky side, so I only blend it until the tomatillos are broken into big chunks but not fully pureed.
If you are a fan of more of a pureed soup, then feel free to blend longer.
Do not own an immersion blender? You can use a food processor or an upright blender as well. I highly recommend blending in small batches and using the pulse feature for safety reasons.
How To Cook Tomatillos For Soup
In this recipe, tomatillos cook slow and low in the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients. However, if you want to take things up a notch and have some extra time, you can turn this into a roasted tomatillo soup by roasting the tomatillos on the grill or using a grill pan on the stovetop.
Simply heat your grill (or grill pan) and roast them for a few minutes on each side or until they are lightly charred before adding them into the crockpot.
How To Store & Freeze:
Bring leftovers to room temperature, place in an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.
If you freeze, thaw the soup overnight in the fridge and warm it up on the stovetop right before serving.
I do not recommend storing and freezing the soup with the toppings. Instead, add them to the soup right before serving.
Stove Top Cooking Instructions:
If you’d rather make this on the stovetop. Simply put everything in a dutch oven, bring it to a boil, and let it simmer on the stove until the chicken is cooked through and tomatillos are softened, somewhere around 30-40 minutes.
Shred the chicken, blend the rest of the soup until it reaches the desired consistency, put the chicken back in, bring it to one final boil, and serve with your favorite toppings.
Other Chicken Soup Recipes You Might Also Like:
- Healthy Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Healthy White Chicken Chili Recipe
- Easy Chicken Chili Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Chicken Potato “Noodle” Soup
- Need more inspiration? Check out all our Slow Cooker recipes.
If you try this Chicken Tomatillo Soup recipe or any other recipe on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It is a great help to others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
Crockpot Chicken Tomatillo Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, (910gr) Chicken breasts can also be used
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut in quarters, (680 gr)
- 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
- 3 cups homemade chicken stock, (720 ml) or store-bought chicken stock would also work
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoon lime juice, and more as garnish
- 1 ripe avocado, cubed as garnish
Instructions
- To prep the chicken: Throughly dry the chicken thighs using paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Let them sit on the counter as you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Place the tomatillos, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and chicken stock in the bowl of your crockpot.
- Transfer the chicken into the bowl.
- Set it to low heat setting to cook for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.
- When cooked, using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl. Shred it in leaving it in large chunks and set aside.
- Add in the cilantro into the slow cooker. Using an immersion blender, puree the tomatillo mixture until smooth.
- Return shredded chicken into the bowl.
- Stir in the lime juice. Taste for seasoning and add in if necessary.
- Garnish with slices of jalapeno pepper and avocado.
Notes
- We love spicy food so I left the seeds of one of the jalapenos intact and added it into the soup. However, if you are not a fan of hot spicy foods, feel free to leave the seeds out.
-
To store & freeze: Bring leftovers to room temperature, place in an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.
If you freeze, thaw the soup overnight in the fridge and warm it up on the stovetop right before serving. - Want to cook this on the Stovetop? If you’d rather make this on the stovetop. Simply put everything in a dutch oven, bring it to a boil, and let it simmer on the stove until the chicken is cooked through and tomatillos are softened, somewhere around 30-40 minutes. Shred the chicken, blend the rest of the soup until it reaches the desired consistency, put the chicken back in, bring it to one final boil, and serve with your favorite toppings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is adapted from Slow Cook Modern: 200 Recipes for the Way We Eat Today (affiliate link) with minor changes.
This recipe was originally published in September 2017. It has been updated with new photos and more helpful information in March 2021.
I added 2 cups of cream to recipe and served with parmesan cheese and a slice of bread. I would try it again with artichoke hearts. But alone I love the recipe.
I also kept the tomatillos quarted.
I made this recipe and I thought it was really good.
I have been looking for a meal I had at the Sydney’s restaurant that has closed many years ago. In looking for it, I saw yours and tried it. What was missing was the cream. That I could remember. So I made it and at the last part of it I added 2 cups of cream. I think I could have added more. We ate it with parmesan cheese on top with a slice of bread. It was delicious. Thank you. Artichoke would be another thing I could add in it in the future.
Happy to hear that you liked it Sandy. I love the addition of parmesan. I’ll be sure to try it next time.
This is a really good basic recipe. I did add sauteed onions, cooked carrots, and a can of green chilis. Took it over the top. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Happy to hear that you liked it Mary Ann. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Really Good 5 stars for cost, ease, taste. Next time I’d add more stock….for more soup. (And…rookie tip…..peek inside the tomatillo husks to be sure you get pretty ones – not blemished shriveled ones)
I agree with what you are saying: This stew was so easy to make and so good. My son, who loves Mexican food, could not get enough of it. Similarly, I never know what to do with tomatillos so I am happy to have found a good recipe to put them to good use.
Thank you!
This is music to my ears Samantha. Thanks for letting me know and coming back to leave a comment and rating.
I really appreciate it. Best, Ice
This looks delicious. I’d like to make this but am wondering how long on high for slow cooker if I cannot do the 8 hours or have you ever done it in an Instant Pot? If so, how long? Thanks for posting this.
Hello Erin,
Thanks for your kind words. I am so happy to hear that you liked it. It is a favorite in our house for sure.
In terms of your questions:
– I would say 5-6 hours on high should suffice. Though I highly recommend making sure that the chicken is cooked at least to 170 F. If you don’t have a thermometer, just be sure to slice a piece and see if it is fully cooked.
– In terms of Instant pot. I did and it was awful. ? The tomatillos lost their shape and chicken was overcooked. I am not just not good at converting regular recipes to Instant pot recipes yet. However, I am working on it. After so many fails (with other recipes as well), I needed a break from Instant pot.
With that being said, if I can figure it out I will be sure to update the recipe.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
I just made this in my instant pot, high pressure for 8 minutes. It was great.
Oh so good to know. Thanks for letting me know Jori! I am going to try making it in my Instant Pot next time.
Sounds delicious! Can I substitute a 28oz can of tomatillos I have been trying to find something to make with?
Hi Cheryl,
I have never used canned tomatillos before. Are they cooked? If they are, I do not know if they can stand the heat for 8 hours. However, I think it is worth a try. Also, you could cook them in a pot instead of slow cooker for shorter amount of time.
I hope this helps.
Sounds good! And I love how bright your photos are, it’s very welcoming.
Thank you Jenny. This recipe is one that I know I’ll be making a lot. 🙂
It is so sad what is going on with the hurrican and the fires. The fire in Oregon is getting really close to the town I used to live in. It’s so scary. I can’t even imagine how they must be feeling! Your friends are so lucky to have you guys! They were in the right place at the right time! xO
You are so SO sweet Stephanie. It has been a crazy summer/autumn (so far) with all these natural disasters. Unfortunately, all we can do is to cling to each other. I hope you are well. Thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful wishes.