Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Creamy chicken enchilada soup is cozy, comforting and easy to make. You’ll love the twist on classic enchiladas with thick, hearty noodles swimming in a delicious creamy broth. Enchilada soup is thick and satisfying, with plenty of flavor.
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large pot
Servings: 6
Soups with southwest-style seasonings really seem to hit the spot on a cold winter day. With just a bit of spiciness and reminiscent of the warm Mexican sun, they really warm you up from the inside out.
We love chicken tortilla soup with those crispy corn tortilla strips. Creamy queso chili is like eating queso for dinner. Chile relleno soup with chicken has been one of my new favorites, with roasted poblano peppers.
Homemade soup warms you up, it’s hearty and filling, and most of the time you can make it in one pan. All things I love! (Not a fan of soup? Try my chicken enchilada skillet!)
Hearty Chicken Enchilada Soup
Two favorites in one recipe. This chicken enchilada soup recipe is a fun mash-up of traditional chicken noodle soup and chicken enchiladas. Imagine plain chicken noodle soup enhanced by all the flavor of chicken enchiladas: Mexican spices, tender chicken, peppers and onions. Sound good? It is!
So deliciously creamy. The soup is made all nice and creamy with Monterey Jack cheese stirred into a creamy base. (Because what are enchiladas without cheese?) Add a sprinkle of cheese as a garnish if you want your bowl of soup to be extra cheesy!
Noodles! Everything is better with noodles, am I right? I love to fill this soup with thick, homestyle egg noodles. I encourage you to try frozen eggs noodles; they are thicker and more like homemade pasta. You feel like you’re in grandma’s kitchen eating a hot bowl of soup.
Ready to eat in 45 minutes. It’s just the cozy and comforting thing you need after a chilly day, whether you spend it inside or outside.
Easy Recipe Variations
- Try a different kind of meat. Substitute ground beef (or turkey) for the chicken. Boneless skinless chicken thighs are fine if you prefer dark meat. Leftover or rotisserie chicken can be substituted as well.
- Turn it into a vegetarian meal. Omit the chicken and substitute canned black beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained.
- Try a different pasta. Cook the pasta as directed on the package.
- Make it chicken tortilla soup. Leave the noodles out and serve the soup with crispy tortilla strips. It’s easy to make your own: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, avocado oil, or olive oil spray. Cut corn tortillas into thin strips. Arrange in an even layer on prepared baking sheet; spray lightly. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, stirring once, until golden brown and crispy. Check frequently to make sure they don’t burn.
Refrigerate: Leftover soup may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan or the microwave. Do not boil.
Freeze: If you are planning on freezing some or all of the soup, for the best results, I have a couple of tips. Noodles tend to get mushy when frozen and thawed. To prevent this, wait to add the noodles until you reheat the soup. Simmer the soup until the noodles are tender. I would also do the same thing with the cheese. Add it to the soup when you are reheating it, or serve the cheese separately as a topping. The soup will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Soup Recipes
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion (1 medium onion)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 can (10 ounces) red enchilada sauce
- 1 can (15 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (15.25 ounces) corn, drained (or 1 ½ cups frozen corn, no need to thaw)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese (shred yourself for best results)
Optional toppings:
- extra shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, diced avocado, sour cream or Greek yogurt, lime wedges, crushed tortilla chips or crispy tortilla strips
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, or until soft.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 cup diced onion, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Add garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder to the pan, and continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, or until fragrant.2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Add enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, chicken broth, and chicken. Stir well and make sure the chicken is fully submerged in liquid.1 can (10 ounces) red enchilada sauce, 1 can (15 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, 1 can (15.25 ounces) corn, drained, 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Bring soup to a simmer, then cover the pan and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes (or until the chicken is fully cooked at 165°F).
- Remove pan from heat. Take the chicken out of the soup, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot.
- Cut cream cheese into cubes and stir it into soup until fully melted. (Keep the soup off the heat, this helps prevent the cream cheese and shredded cheese from curdling.) Gradually stir in the shredded cheese, continuing to stir until soup is smooth and creamy. If needed, gently reheat the soup over low heat until ready to serve.4 ounces cream cheese, softened, 1 cup shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
- Ladle into bowls and top with desired toppings.
Notes
- Lower sodium: I prefer to use reduced sodium beans, corn, tomatoes, and broth whenever possible. This allows you to control the amount of salt in the recipe. If you don’t buy reduced-sodium items, you may want to eliminate the kosher salt in this recipe, as the enchilada sauce and cheese also add salt.
- Cooking tip: Often boneless skinless chicken breasts are quite large. If you halve each one lengthwise, they’ll cook more quickly. If you want to speed things up even more, cut the raw chicken into small pieces. It will cook more quickly and you won’t have to shred it. Another option is to use already cooked chicken. Just bring the soup to a simmer, then add the cheese.
- Make it spicier: Use hot enchilada sauce or add canned diced jalapeños.
- Slow cooker instructions: Add all ingredients except cream cheese and shredded cheese. Cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, then remove and shred the chicken. Turn off heat and stir in shredded chicken, cream cheese, and shredded cheese until cheese is melted.
- Instant Pot instructions: Sauté onion and garlic using the Sauté mode. Add all remaining ingredients except cream cheese and shredded cheese. Pressure cook for 12 minutes. Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then shred the chicken. Stir in shredded chicken, cream cheese, and shredded cheese until smooth and melted.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
We added chopped Hatch green Chile’s to give it a little spice. Very tasty!
Great addition!
I made this. It’s a hearty soup but lacked a lot of flavour. I had to almost quadruple all the spices to give it decent flavour
Thanks for your feedback. :)
Soup is always special for me. Thanks for giving me some healthy soup ideas. And I like more the chicken soups. This one is my favorite. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy to hear you love this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
My pleasure Rachel!
I love tuna noodle casserole with egg noodles, the home style ones sound wonderful.
Yes, for sure!
I have to give it to Beef Tips and Noodles! They are so good!
My dad’s gumbo with homemade andouille sausage always takes me back to my childhood.
Love it!