Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Creamy chicken enchilada soup is cozy, comforting and easy to make. You’ll love the flavor of classic enchiladas in a hearty soup. You can make it in your slow cooker or Instant Pot, too!
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large pot
Servings: 8
Chicken Enchiladas…in Soup Form
A steaming bowl of mildly spicy soup really seems to hit the spot on a cold winter day. With just a bit of spiciness that’s reminiscent of the warm Mexican sun, a bowl of soup can 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 roasted poblano peppers has long been one of my favorites. It’s not surprising that chicken enchilada soup has become one of my family’s most-asked-for meals! (Not a fan of soup? Try my chicken enchilada skillet!)
What makes it special:
- Weeknight-friendly comfort food: The soup is made one pot, it’s ready in about 45 minutes, and it’s hearty enough to be dinner all on its own. That’s a win!
- A mash-up that makes sense: Classic chicken soup meets chicken enchiladas, with fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn, peppers, and Mexican spices. (Be sure to try my slow cooker green enchilada soup, too. It only has five ingredients!)
- So deliciously creamy: The soup is made all nice and creamy with lots of shredded cheese stirred into a creamy base. (Because what are enchiladas without cheese?)
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Chicken is a good source of protein and boneless skinless chicken is so easy to prep. You could also use leftover cooked chicken if you happen to have extra.
- Veggies: Hearty vegetables like onion, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, and corn add lots of flavor to the soup.
- Black beans: I like to throw in a can of black beans but pinto beans would work well, too.
- Red enchilada sauce: Chicken broth and canned enchilada sauce form the base of the soup. Using canned sauce is so easy and it adds a lot of enchilada flavor to the soup. If you prefer, you can make your own enchilada sauce.
- Seasonings: Along with fresh garlic, chicken enchilada soup is seasoned with south of the border spices like cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, and of course, salt and pepper.
- Cheese: Cream cheese is melted into the soup to give it a creamy texture, along with either cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese. Shred your own for the best results. Pre-shredded cheese contains an anti-clumping additive that keeps it from melting as smoothly.
- Optional toppings: The soup is very good just as it is, but if you want to embellish it with a couple of toppings, try extra shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, diced avocado, sour cream or Greek yogurt, lime wedges, crushed tortilla chips or crispy tortilla strips.
How To Make Chicken Enchilada Soup
Sauté the savories. In a large pot, heat a little oil, add chopped onions, and cook until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and the seasonings, stirring constantly, and cook for another minute. Lightly toasting the spices enhances their flavor.
Simmer the soup. Add the enchilada sauce, tomatoes, corn, beans, chicken broth, and chicken to the pan. Turn the heat up until the soup comes to a light boil, then lower the heat, just enough to maintain a simmer. Cover the pan and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken from the soup and place it on a cutting board or in a large shallow bowl. Using two forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces and return it to the soup.
Add the cheese. Remove the soup from the burner (or turn it off). Dice the cream cheese into small pieces and slowly stir it into the soup. You don’t want to add it as one big chunk; small pieces will melt more quickly. Add the shredded cheese, a handful at a time, stirring as you go.
Finish. If you’re not ready to serve the soup immediately, keep it warm over low heat. Serve in shallow bowls with your choice of toppings.
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.
- Add noodles. Originally this recipe was published as creamy chicken enchilada soup with noodles. If you like that idea, add thick egg noodles (8 ounces), either frozen or dried, to the soup.
- Turn it into a vegetarian meal. Simply omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. This soup is hearty without it. You could add an extra can of beans if you like.
- Garnish with crispy tortilla strips. It’s easy to make your own tortilla strips (or make baked tortilla chips). 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.
Freeze: The soup can be frozen as is, but if you are planning on freezing some or all of the soup, for the best results, wait to add the cream cheese and shredded cheese to the soup until you reheat it. The soup will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat: Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave. Reheat larger amounts in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Try not to boil the soup; high heat may cause it to curdle a bit. It won’t affect the flavor but it won’t look quite as creamy.
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, add the chicken, heat briefly, then stir in 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.
Video
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!