Creamy Chicken and Potato Soup

4.80 from 5 votes

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On the lookout for a comfort food recipe that’s sure to warm you up? Try my creamy chicken and potato soup recipe! This classic South American soup recipe has hatch green chiles, corn, peas and cotija cheese.

 Locro de Papa creamy chicken and potato soup in white bowl


There are so many different directions that you can take with soup. I love serving recipes like my famous lobster bisque, and this Pozole Verde shrimp soup, and you can never go wrong with French onion.

On my hunt for the perfect chicken soup recipe, I started experimenting with unique flavors. This is my take on the Peruvian/Ecuadorian Potato Cheese Soup with Chicken, known as Locro de Papa. It’s hearty, filling and is loaded with fresh corn, potatoes and melting cheese that elevates this easy-to-make soup into something you’d think took a long time to make, but doesn’t. No one needs know but us.

This creamy chicken and potato soup is made with green chiles! It features hatch green chiles, rotisserie chicken, and vegetables, plus a secret ingredient that makes it extra special.

Another secret to creating the perfect soup recipe is to add the ingredients in layers. Yes, it does take longer, but the overall flavor of a dish is always going to be better for it. I’m referring to slow-roasted meals like birria de res, pork mole, and authentic chicken adobo.

That said, I completely understand that life is busy. So, I’m going to show you how to build a flavor-packed green chile chicken soup in just 40 minutes!

Andean Potato Cheese Soup with Chicken.

INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS

  • Cooked Chicken – I personally prefer to use rotisserie chicken for my chicken and potato soup. Because the chicken is already seasoned and cooked, the deep layers of flavor are ready to use. Of course, you could also use leftover cooked chicken, or quickly grill a couple of chicken breasts or thighs.
  • Hatch Green Chiles – These flavorful chiles are slightly similar to a white onion in taste, but with sweet, spicy, and smoky notes. If you can’t find canned Hatch green chiles other substitutes can be any mild green chile: Green Bell Peppers, Anaheim Peppers, Poblano Peppers.
  • Garlic – I like to start my soup by satuéeing fresh garlic in order to bring out its flavor.
  • White Onion – Onions work wonderfully with the other ingredients, mainly the vegetables and garlic!
  • Corn kernels and green peas – round out the vegetables.
  • Cotija cheese – Cotija is a Mexican cheese made from cow’s milk that’s salty in flavor and crumbly in texture. I think of it as Mexico’s feta cheese.
  • Salt & Pepper – To taste.
shredded chicken in a bowl and some potatoes

HOW TO MAKE CREAMY CHICKEN AND POTATO SOUP

  1. Prep The Chicken & Veggies. Shred the chicken and cut the vegetables.
  2. Get cooking. Add the potatoes and salt. Cook until the edges of the potatoes are beginning to soften and turn a golden brown, about another 5 minutes. Add the green chiles, garlic, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the stock to the pan and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the soup until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. Add the corn kernels, peas, cheese, milk and shredded chicken to the soup. Stir and bring back to a simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and season with black pepper and additional salt, as needed.
white bowl with creamy chicken and potato soup

What To Serve With Green Chile Chicken Soup?

As mentioned, this is a hearty, filling soup that covers the food groups pretty well. All you really need to round off the meal is a nice loaf of crusty bread to sop up the broth. Or, you could take the Southwest route and serve Mexican cornbread. If you want to serve something else, make a Mexican Caesar salad.

What Makes A Soup Creamy?

There are many ways to make chicken and potato soup creamy! The first and most obvious way is to add milk or cream. But, if you don’t want to weigh your recipe down with added dairy products, you can always add a bit of flour as a thickening agent or mash some of the ingredients (like potatoes). It works like a charm every time!

Do You Cook Chicken Before Adding It To Soup?

It makes the process a whole lot quicker and easier! Plus, when you use precooked chicken like a rotisserie, it comes already packed with even more flavor. It’s a win-win!

creamy chicken and potato soup in a white bowl

This recipe post, originally published on Kevin Is Cooking May, 2016, and was updated with new content, photos and/or video in December, 2022.

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Locro de Papa creamy chicken and potato soup in white bowl

Creamy Chicken and Potato Soup

4.80 from 5 votes
This creamy chicken and potato soup is made with sweet and smoky hatch green chiles, tender chicken, hearty potatoes, and tons of veggies!
Servings: 6
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Set a large stock pot (at least 5 quarts) over medium-high heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot, add onion and cook until translucent, 6 minutes.
  • Add the potatoes and salt. Cook until the edges of the potatoes are beginning to soften and turn a golden brown, about another 5 minutes.
  • Add the green chiles, garlic, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the stock to the pan and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the soup until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Add the corn kernels, peas, cheese, milk and shredded chicken to the soup. Stir and bring back to a simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and season with black pepper and additional salt, as needed.

Notes

  1. If you can’t find canned Hatch green chiles other substitutes can be any mild green chile: Green Bell Peppers, Anaheim Peppers, Poblano Peppers.
  2. Using fresh sweet corn adds corn milk to the broth for a nuanced flavor. 3 cups frozen corn can be substituted if fresh is unavailable though.
  3. Mexican Cotija cheese is a moister, fattier, and less salty version of feta. Queso fresco is a good substitute, if needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 68.4g | Protein: 27.5g | Fat: 22.5g | Saturated Fat: 7.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9.3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 61.4mg | Sodium: 554.7mg | Fiber: 8.3g | Sugar: 12.9g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Course: Soups
Cuisine: Melting Pot
Have You Made This Recipe? Let Me Know on InstagramTag @keviniscooking or tag me #keviniscooking!

Kevin

Whether in the kitchen or on the grill, you’ll find me cooking American favorites with a love for BBQ, Mexican and Tex Mex. I’m passionate about making tasty food because life’s too short to be bland!

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34 Comments

    1. I have it mentioned in the Notes section, but if you can’t find canned Hatch green chiles other substitutes can be any mild green chili: Green Bell Peppers, Anaheim Peppers, Poblano Peppers. Enjoy this one Sandi. 🙂

  1. 5 stars
    Kevin,
    I made this soup over the weekend for me and my sister. It was quick and simple to make, but so flavorful. I have never used Mexican oregano before — you introduced me to a new spice! My sister isn’t a fan of cheese soups per se, but this is well-balanced and still seems “light” even though it is hearty.
    Thank you for all your recipes — I come here first when looking for ideas and you have never yet steered me wrong.

  2. 5 stars
    Hi Kevin,
    Although this looks like a lovely recipe, it’s not from Peru but Ecuador! I said the same thing when I saw a similar recipe posted in The Splendid Table. There seems to be a confusion around the name, so I wrote to them and posted the corresponding links. Regards, Susy 🙂

    1. Thanks so much for the input Susy. I’ve read from several places too both countries claim it. Whomever this is originally from, it sure is a winner!

      1. Can you recommend a good main dish recipe from Jerusalem? I’m having a dinner theme party .

      2. This Hummus Kawarma is great for parties. Other than that I would suggest any brisket recipe here on the site or the Jerusalem cookbook by Yotam Ottoleghi is amazing.

  3. I wish I could put corn into soup as much as I like, but unfortunately Dean hates it. I also wish we could get queso fresco here in Sydney. Nobody sells it!

    1. Unfortunate Dean dislikes corn in soup! I love the pop and flavor. Funny I hear the lack of Mexican cuisine or at least products in Sydney quite often. Wonder why that is… We should set up a export/import business. 🙂

  4. 5 stars
    Okay, I’m green with envy about hanging out with you and David and Nagi – wonderful people on this little blue planet. 🙂 This soup looks fantastic…well done, my friend!

    1. Awe, thanks Marissa. It was such a fun visit and we were such food nerds – loved it! We even called Dorothy one evening, it was great to hear her and Gary finally. Did she send you a pic of them? Too cute. Let me know and I can send you one of them. Great to put a face to the name finally.