I’ve had a chicken fajita soup like this on the brain ever since I posted The Best Chicken Fajitas.

I thought if I took the flavors in that recipes and simply made a soup out of it, I’d end up with what I had envisioned.

Nope. I ended up with a so-so soup. That soup went to a church potluck and was entirely eaten in an hour, so it wasn’t necessarily bad.

But, I thought it still needed some tweaking.

Turns out what was missing was THE FIRE.

How to make Chicken Fajita Soup

I don’t know what it is about fajita leftovers, but they are my favorite leftovers ever.

Make extra chicken fajitas

It’s the LEFTOVERS that make this soup so dang delicious.

I think those flavors come from the chicken and veg being slightly charred on a grill, caramelized, and then marinating in those charred, caramelized juices overnight in the fridge.

THAT is what I wanted my soup to taste like.

See all of those gorgeous little black specks? That’s what you need.

Chop up the leftovers & add ingredients to make the soup

When my kids peeked in there they saw their worst nightmare — chunks of onions, peppers, and tomatoes. *eyeroll*

I blended part of it to make it thicker and creamier, and my kids actually liked the blended part better so I blended more for them.

I liked it partially blended. Blending the whole thing (which I’ve also tried) makes the texture kind of mealy because of the chicken.

See? Better.

It’s still missing something, though…

Add toppings (like avocados)

Of course you need an avo rose.

And psst… this recipe is Whole30 compliant! Just use ghee or avocado oil when you start the soup.

Go add The Best Chicken Fajitas to your next meal plan and make extra so you have two meals in one!

More Recipes on Perry’s Plate

Leftover Chicken Fajita Soup

Name: Leftover Chicken Fajita Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: Leftovers from The Best Chicken Fajitas (roughly 3 chicken breasts, 3 bell peppers, and 2 onions worth of leftovers); 3 Tablespoons ghee or grass-fed butter. Or avocado oil; 1 1/2 quarts chicken broth; 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes; 1 4-ounce can of diced green chiles; 2 teaspoons Chorizo Seasoning; 1 teaspoon minced garlic; Juice from 1 small orange; Juice from 1 juicy lime; 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste; Avocado, for serving

Yield: Serves 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Make a double batch of The Best Chicken Fajitas so you can whip up this Leftover Chicken Fajita Soup on a busy weeknight!

Ingredients

Leftovers from The Best Chicken Fajitas (roughly 3 chicken breasts, 3 bell peppers, and 2 onions worth of leftovers)
3 Tablespoons ghee or grass-fed butter. Or avocado oil
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 4-ounce can of diced green chiles
2 teaspoons Chorizo Seasoning
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Juice from 1 small orange
Juice from 1 juicy lime
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
Avocado, for serving

Instructions

If you haven't already, chop the leftover chicken, bell peppers, and onions from your recent fajita night.
Heat the butter or oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the fajita leftovers and cook until heated through.
Add the next seven ingredients. Bring the soup to a simmer and let it gently cook for about 15 minutes.
Ladle 3-4 cups of the soup into a blender pitcher and blend until smooth. Pour the blended soup back into the pot.
Stir in the cilantro and salt. Taste, and add more salt or lime if needed.
Serve with chopped avocado.

Notes

1. The Chorizo Seasoning is the same blend as you used if you made my chicken fajita recipe. It's a blend of common spices and is TOTALLY delicious.

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Lindsay

Friday 15th of April 2022

Thanks for the recipe inspo! I made this last night and it was delicious. Some changes to make it work for me: I didn't have leftover fajitas, but wanted to infuse the flavor profile you talked about. I used 1 part Roasted Red Pepper Soup, 1 part chicken stock + 1 lb. chorizo instead of seasoning + used a pressure cooker after sautéing veggies. This built in a ton of flavor. The chorizo gave it a fair amount of heat, but it wasn't overwhelming. Also I appreciated the tip about not overblending. I used a hand held blender (my Mom calls this tool, "The Daily?") and I got the consistency just right!

Natalie Perry

Thursday 21st of April 2022

That's an impressive improvisation without fajita leftovers! I love this idea and I bet the chorizo gave it such a wonderful flavor. Thanks for sharing!

Lisa

Tuesday 8th of March 2022

Has anyone tried adding black beans or rice to this?

@Lisa, I made rice and ladled the soup right over the top. I bought beans and intended to add them but forgot at the last minute :)

Wednesday 6th of April 2022

You can definitely do that. If you plan on blending it at all, i'd add those in afterwards.

Bob

Thursday 20th of January 2022

Very good! Could have been a bit thicker but I know my ratio of leftovers to broth was not right. Topped mine with tortilla chips, avocado, and a dollop of sour cream!

Friday 21st of January 2022

Yum! Glad you liked it!

Chris

Thursday 22nd of April 2021

Really good and easy!

Aileen Chetcuti

Sunday 8th of November 2020

Natalie, this soup was amazing! I didn’t have leftover fajitas so I chopped up peppers and onions and sautéed them. I will roast next time. I used some homemade bone broth and chicken I had smoked. The blending was the kicker adding body. Will certainly put it in the soup rotation. Many thanks!

Tuesday 10th of November 2020

Aileen! I'm glad you liked it! Smoked chicken would be SO GOOD in this. Thanks for the suggestion!