Tender-crisp veggie noodles make a wonderful low-carb pasta replacement in this delicious, Latin inspired Chipotle Chicken Zucchini “fideo” soup combined with bright fresh cilantro, creamy avocado and some crumbled queso fresco on top.
Chipotle Chicken Zucchini “Fideo” Soup
The best part, it’s easy to make, all made in the slow cooker or Instant Pot which is also gluten-free, Whole30 and paleo if you leave out the cheese. More soups you might enjoy are Chicken Enchilada Soup, Cheeseburger Soup and Chicken and Avocado Soup.
Most of you know how much I love my Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer, well my friend Ali of Inspiralized created her own spiralizer called the Inspiralizer which I tested out just for this soup. A few things that I love about the Inspiralizer are the blades are built in, so there’s only 2 parts and the suction on the bottom is really great. She has 4 blades that cut perfect vegetable noodles.
See more Soup Recipes here.
And since so many are asking, although I have and love my Instant Pot, I still love my slow cooker! I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker (affil link). I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it’s done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This slow cooker is so great, I actually own several!
Chipotle Chicken Zucchini "Fideo" Soup (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)
Ingredients
- 16 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- fresh black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon chipotle chile in adobo, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 7 ounce zucchini
- 1 medium, 5 oz avocado, pitted and sliced
- 2 ounces crumbled queso fresco or queso blanco, omit for Paleo, Whole30
Instructions
- For Slow Cooker:
- Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in the slow cooker.
- Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, add oil, onion and garlic and saute until soft, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer to the slow cooker with chicken broth, tomato sauce, chipotle, cumin, oregano, half of the cilantro and bay leaves.
- Cover and cook low 4 to 6 hours.
- Meanwhile spiralize the zucchini using a spiralizer with the thinnest noodle setting. Cut the zucchini into 6-inch strips.
- Discard the bay leaves and remove the chicken, shred with 2 forks and place back in the slow cooker along with the zucchini and cook on high until the zucchini is tender crisp, about 5 minutes.
- To serve, ladle into bowls and serve topped with sliced avocado and remaining cilantro.
- For Instant Pot:
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Press saute button on Instant Pot, add oil, onion and garlic and saute until soft, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, chicken, chipotle, cumin, oregano, half of the cilantro and bay leaves.
- Cover and cook high pressure 20 minutes. Quick or natural release.
- Meanwhile spiralize the zucchini using a spiralizer with the thinnest noodle setting. Cut the zucchini into 6-inch strips.
- When the pressure releases, open the Instant Pot, discard the bay leaves and remove the chicken, shred with 2 forks and place back in the pot along with the zucchini.
- Press saute and cook until the zucchini is tender crisp, about 2 to 4 minutes.
- To serve, ladle into bowls and serve topped with sliced avocado and remaining cilantro.
Last Step:
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A keeper! I used some extra cumin and added some chili powder. I also bloomed the spices near the end of cooking the onion to add more flavor instead of adding with the broth. Turned out great and got a “Holy crap, this is good!” from my husband.
Now that you’ve told us how to make this soup in two space-hogging appliznces , how can one make it on the stovetop or in a conventional oven?
Are you serious?!? Follow the instructions for the slow cooker but put everything in a pot. I would saute the veggies in the pot as step one and build from there, one less pan to clean. Boil until chicken is done and then steps 6&7.
It turned out a little bland for my taste. The chipotle in abodo I used did add smoky flavor but was not spicy. I added cayenne to the soup and it tastes better.
I wasn’t able to find chipotle chile in adobo without either sugar, corn or soy in it, so I couldn’t make this while on Whole30. Do you have a particular brand that is Whole 30 compliant?
We buy dried chipotle powder online from The Spice House in Chicago and use it instead of the canned stuff.
This brand on Amazon doesn’t have sugar….it is peppers, vinegar and salt…..
Chipotle – Louisiana Pepper Exchange – Fresh Pepper Replacement (Chipotle Pepper Puree) 1 Jar – Plant-Based, Gluten-Free. Replace Chipotle in Adobo. Smoky and Sweet, Add to Ranch Dressing, Marinades, BBQ Sauces, and Taco Sauces for Extra Flavor and Spice – Chipotle Pepper Replacement https://a.co/d/9P55GOh
SO dang good! I also tossed in a TBSP of Penzey’s Southwestern seasoning, used a 12 oz can of tomato sauce and sweated my zoodles before placing into the slow cooker. Super excited to have this for leftover lunch!
What setting on the instant pot do you use for this?
This soup was delicious and enjoyed by my picky husband, nephew and daughter . My husband recently went on the keto diet and my nephew appreciates healthy recipes so this soup fit the bill.
Thank you so much Gina for sharing all of your amazing recipes! I always use your website for inspiration and now so even more, because you have so many kepo friendly recipes!
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Hi Gina do you get the 4 points from the avocado and the quest blanco?
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I made this today and loved it!!
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Oh my – this was sooooo good. This was made for the purpose of taking lunch to work. Made pretty much exactly as written for the IP, but instead of spiraling the zucchini, I cut it in bite-sized pieces and did not cook it until it was time to reheat. The bites perfectly al dente the way I like. I find it unpleasant to eat avocado that has been open for awhile, so I left that out. And because I’m Whole30ing right now, left off the cheese. It was still better soup than I’ve had in a very long time. In my kitchen, this recipe will be in continuous use. Gooood recipe.
Thank you!
What are the rest of the nutrition details? I am trying to cut back on sodium and was curious what this number would be
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I’m planning to make this tomorrow in my newly acquired instant pot and want to make sure i’m reading the directions correctly….saute the onions and garlic before cooking in ip but NOT the chicken…correct?
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This is another one of my favorites ????
This is another one of my favorites ????
This is amazing! My 15 and 11 year old boys LOVE it! my slow cooker cooks the chicken in about 1.5 hours even tho I put it on the 6 hour mark. This time I made it instead of spiraling the zucchini, I cut it lengthwise and then sliced it up and steamed it to add to the crock pot. this was easier to eat than wrestling with the strips of zucchini on a spoon. CHEESE: I already had sharp cheddar freshly grated so we just used that and it was awesome.
Hi Gina – How do you adjust this for the Instant Pot? I would love to try this one, and prefer Instant Pot to slow cooker, as we are typically out of the house 12+ hours a day!
Thank you!
The Instant Pot directions are there at the bottom.
Hi~ I used the Insta Pot with Slow Cooker setting and it barely got warm? Have you had this issue? Thank you!! Love your recipes!!!
Just a reminder – be sure to get that vent pushed back to the closed position or it may not get hot enough to build high pressure. As you may guess, I know this because of experience.
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I’ve made this so many times that now I make big batches and eat it for lunch every day. It’s so delicious. Thank you so much!
My lil sis got me into the instant pot and your recipes. well, I just made this recipe in the instant pot and it turned out sooo good! I added the zucchini on low pressure for 5min and it cooked great! can’t wait to try more recipes!!
Could I use the leftover pork from your breaded pork cutlets?
Can you make this soup without a Slow cooker? if so, can you please tell me how.
Gina, I just made this soup over the weekend (I omitted the avocado and queso fresco because hubs doesn't like it) and let me tell you…it was SO DELICIOUS!!! This is why I love your site SO much! Healthy and hearty and food for the soul!
Thank you : )
I really enjoyed this soup. I cooked the chicken, broth, etc. for 6 hours on low and it came out surprisingly tender for such a lean cut. My one substitution was eggplant (julienned, sauteed, added to cooled soup before storage) for zucchini, since my grocery store was out. I got less of a "noodle" texture – and lots of little seeds – but it works fine to add veggies and body to the soup. I also blended the chipotle with the adobo sauce and scooped out 1/2 TBS of that mixture, versus slicing the pepper. Overall, lots of good flavor, and the avocado on top gives it a nice punch of creaminess. I didn't even need the cheese. Will make again!
how much cheese and avocado to stay within the 7 points?
—per serving. thank you
This was a hit. I didn't add the zucchini to the soup until it was ready to serve. I nuked it in the microwave quickly, then added it to the soup bowls. This way I can add the zucchini to the leftovers when we are ready to eat them and not have soggy zoodles.
Great recipe– I've never made anything like this before and really enjoyed it!
can you make this without a slow cooker?
Hi Gina!! Cannot wait to make this tomorrow while camping!! What do you suggest as a cheese substitute if I cannot find the queso cheese?? Thank you for all your delicious and clean recipes!!
How long would/how would you cook this in a pot if you don't have a slow cooker?
I whipped this up this morning when I felt a cold coming on. Just had my first taste and I am VERY impressed with how much flavor this soup has with such simple and healthy ingredients.
I am on a low-fat diet so I opted out of the cheese and avocado, and it is still hearty, filling, and delicious.
Tried this for lunch today instead of dinner. Couldn't get past the Chipotle flavor. Will definitely substitute next time that a recipe calls for this. This was the first recipe that my husband and I were not totally impressed with. No substance….Tons of flavor – just not impressed. Gina, please keep the recipes coming. Can't count how many we truly love and use on a regular basis. LOVE your cook book! Thanks for all of your hard work.
I love your website so much! So many fantastic go-to recipes. I don't generally like to post before I have tried one, but this is smelling delicious in the crock pot right now and I cannot wait to try it. Think I'll add some spinach with the zucchini.
LOVE this! Excited to throw this together for dinner soon. Keep the slow cooker recipes coming, Gina! 🙂
This looks so warming and delicious! Perfect for this time of year!
Rachel – Cake Doesn't Count x
Does the cumin go in with the other herbs/spices? Not sure if I missed it in the directions! Thanks for your wonderful recipes 🙂
Yes, sorry!
Thanks and it turned out great. We had the leftovers for dinner last night and it was still delicious and the zoodles were fine!
Do you have an alternative to the chipotle chile in adobo sauce? Way too spicy for the kids. I love love the sauce but wish i knew an alternative method for other recipe items as well.
Sure, add 1/2 jalapeno with the seeds scooped out, it won't be spicy.
We have sometimes just added some of the adobo sauce to her recipes & left out the actual "chili" too. Also make sure not to include any of the seeds (they are sometimes in the sauce). I love the flavor of the adobo sauce but my kids can't handle the heat of the full chipotle chili in adobo sauce either.
Can you eat leftovers from this? I didn't know if the zucchini would hold up.
It's best eaten right away as they get softer when you reheat them.
Or, leave the zucchini out until you are ready to reheat. Then cook just until the zucchini is the texture you like.
I have the Inspiralizer and I LOVE IT!! Worth every penny.
How would you work the zucchini if you don't have a spiralizer?
You can julienne it with a mandolin or a food processor if you have the correct blade.
I grate mine with a cheese grater, super quick and easy. Just grate down the length of it to make long strands, and watch out for your fingers.