Soup recipes like this dairy free Roasted Poblano Soup with chicken are meal prep heroes! With plenty of veggies and a spicy broth, this soup is Whole30, gluten free, low carb, and keto-friendly.
Cold weather calls for a healthy supply of soup recipes - and let's face it, you can never have too many good ones on deck.
With shredded chicken and roasted poblano peppers, this soup recipe is my low carb, dairy free approach to a classic combo!
Ingredients needed for dairy free roasted poblano soup
The ingredients list may look somewhat long, BUT many of the ingredients are spices or other necessities for the soup base. So don't let the length intimidate you!
- Poblano peppers: Of course! You'll roast the poblano peppers in the oven beore making the soup.
- Red onion: To me, the flavor of red onion pairs SUPER well with poblano peppers. However, you can sub white onion if that's all you've got.
- Green bell pepper: A boost of extra pepper flavor.
- Spices/Herbs: Garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, oregano, cumin, all to provide a little heat and a touch of taco flavor.
- Chicken broth: My favorite is Kettle & Fire Chicken Broth!
- Non-dairy milk: To keep this recipe dairy free, you'll need to use non-dairy milk or additional chicken broth. Choose a non-dairy milk that's somewhat neutrally flavored, like cashew milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. Otherwise, you can use half and half or cream for a dairy version!
- Shredded chicken: For the easiest soup, use leftover shredded chicken. If you've got to prep it, though, I have suggestions below!
- Toppings: One must-have for this recipe! My go-to toppings are sliced red bell pepper, avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.
How to roast poblano peppers in the oven
This soup wouldn't be the same if you didn't roast the poblanos. Fortunately, it's quick and easy to "fire-roast" your poblanos without a fire!
To make fire-roasted poblanos in the oven:
- Broil the peppers: Move a rack of your oven to the topmost slot. Turn the broiler on high. Place the poblanos on a baking sheet and broil on the topmost rack for 5 minutes. Flip the peppers, then roast for 5 more minutes. The peppers should be blackened and blistered in most spots.
- Steam the peppers: As soon as you take 'em out of the oven, put them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, a zip-top plastic bag, or some other sealed container and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Peel the peppers: After the wait's over, take the peppers out and peel the skin off. It should slough off fairly easily after steaming in the container. Discard the stem and seeds and we're ready to rumble!
Alternatively, if you have a gas stovetop, you can roast and blister the peppers over the flame. Just be very careful when dealing with an open flame!
Do you have to peel the poblanos for soup?
Yes, for best results!
Fortunately, peeling the poblanos is VERY easy after roasting them.
As soon as you've taken the poblanos out of the oven, put them in a bowl covered in plastic wrap or a zip-top bag.
Let the poblanos hang out for 10-15 minutes.
After that, the skin should slough off pretty easily!
Remember this tip, as it works well with all peppers and beets!
How to remove seeds from roasted poblano peppers
To me, removing the seeds from the poblanos AFTER roasting is easiest!
Here's how I do it:
Once you've roasted the poblanos, let them steam, and removed the seeds, it should be pretty easy to cut the stem away.
Then, cut vertically down the pepper to create two halves. Flatten the halves out, insides facing up (so the seeds are exposed). Use the back of your chef's knife to scrape the seeds and ribs off of the peppers and onto the cutting board.
And that's it! Note that this is going to be a LOT harder using just a paring knife. I always recommend learning to use a chef's knife to make ALL chopping/cutting/slicing tasks instantly easier!
Ways to prep shredded chicken for soup recipes
Another prep-ahead portion of this recipe is the shredded chicken.
You have many, many ways to prep this ahead of time (even if you don't want to use leftovers).
- Dutch oven shredded chicken.
- Poach a chicken breast.
- Use rotisserie chicken meat - this would be especially great in this recipe!
- Use leftover chicken breast from a roast chicken.
Ways to customize this soup recipe
One of my favorite parts of cooking is tweaking a recipe to make it fit what I've got in the fridge.
Here are some tips if you want to make a few changes:
- Use half red bell peppers, half green - adds more color!
- Want it a little spicier? Add more jalapeno.
- Use leftover turkey instead of chicken.
- Use cream instead of non-dairy milk.
- Add a can of drained black beans.
Can I make the soup creamy?
Yes, you sure can!
A simple way to make this a creamy poblano soup without using cream or dairy would be adding a cup or two of diced potatoes and/or cauliflower when adding the poblanos to the soup. Don't add the chicken yet. Simmer until the potatoes/cauliflower are soft, then blend with an immersion blender.
Add chicken and serve!
How to make the soup spicier (or less spicy)!
The most straightforward way to manage the spiciness of this roasted poblano soup is with the seeds - do you leave them in or out?
The recipe calls for removing the seeds after roasting the poblanos, but the seeds contain lots of capsaicin, which the "spiciness" in peppers. Remove the seeds, and the soup will be less spicy.
On the other hand, if you leave the seeds in, the soup will be much spicier! I'd start with leaving the seeds in for 2 poblanos and maybe the jalapeno.
To make the soup less spicy, start by omitting the jalapeno.
Equipment for roasted poblano soup
For this recipe, you'll need a good stock pot or dutch oven. Those are the most important parts!
To see my favorite soup pots, check out my dream kitchen collection on Food52.
Or shop my Amazon Page, where I've rounded up my top kitchen picks!
More soup recipes to try out
- Dairy Free Potato Leek Soup w/ Roasted Red Pepper
- Easy Stovetop Hamburger Soup (Whole30, Gluten Free)
- Creamy Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
- Creamy Ham & Potato Soup
📖 Recipe
Roasted Poblano Soup with Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 100 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This dairy free Roasted Poblano Soup with Chicken recipe is a meal prep hero! With plenty of veggies and a spicy broth, it's Whole30, gluten free, low carb, and keto.
Ingredients
- 6 large poblano peppers
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons diced jalapeno
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 pound cooked, shredded chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Turn on the broiler. Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet and roast the peppers on the topmost rack for about 5 minutes on each side, until blistered and blackened in spots. Remove from the oven and immediately place in a sealed container or plastic food-storage bag, steaming for at least 20 minutes. After steaming, remove from the container, peel off the skin, and remove the stem and seeds. Chop into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeno, and bell pepper, cooking for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the roasted poblano pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, sea salt, black pepper, broth, non-dairy milk, and shredded chicken.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Partially cover the pot and let simmer for 1 ½ hours.
- Before serving, squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and garnish with cilantro and avocado slices. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Sheri says
I made this recipe today. I couldn't get the poblano peppers to peel very easy after broiling them 5 minutes on each side and steaming them for 20 minutes in a plastic bag. I left some peeling on them. I didn't think it would matter. I added a little brown rice penne pasta and extra broth. It is a delicious recipe!! Thank you.
Kelly W Nord says
When do put in bell pepper?
Chelsea says
Good catch! Add it with the jalapeno so it can soften a little. Updating the post now!
Kelly Nord says
Soup tasted amazing! I love the flavor of the roasted pablanos. I didn't have any issues with my coconut milk curdling as in on post. I made two changes to the recipe. One, when to add the bell pepper was missing so I added it to the onion and jalapeno. Two, I added the spices after the garlic for 30 seconds to open up their flavors before adding the chicken stock. I loved this recipe for using 3 kinds of peppers all which have come in this and last months farm share that I had no ideas what to do with.
Caroline says
My milk seemed to separate and curdle from the broth :/ any ideas why?
Chelsea says
What kind of milk did you use? When I make this, I typically use a storebought coconut milk/almond milk blend. The soup may have boiled too long or been too hot (instead of simmering) - higher heat could cause it to separate.