Chicken Enchilada Soup

Creamy and cheesy with just the right amount of spice, this Chicken Enchilada Soup is simple to make and packed with flavor. It tastes just like enchiladas – in soup form!

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If you love enchiladas as much as I do, you’ll go crazy for this Chicken Enchilada Soup! Or if you’re looking for more ways to switch up your soup night, try this Homemade Bean and Bacon Soup, this Ramen Chicken Noodle Soup, or this Sausage Tortellini Soup.

Growing up in New Mexico, I feel like Mexican flavors are just part of me. Maybe that’s why I could never turn down a good taco.

So, of course, you give me a bowl of soup with Mexican flavors, you know I’m 100% in!

This Chicken Enchilada Soup is sort of similar to my Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup, but not the same. I love them both, (don’t make me choose a favorite!), but I love that this soup tastes like enchiladas in soup form. Warm, comforting, cheesy and just a tad bit spicy.

You really couldn’t ask for more!

Ingredients

• Vegetable Oil: I used vegetable oil, but you could use olive oil or butter or another oil of your choice.
• Onion, Jalapeno and Garlic: These are all to flavor the soup. Leave the seeds and ribs in the jalapeno for more heat.
• Chili Powder, Cumin and Salt: The spices are pretty basic in this soup. Feel free to get creative and add more if desired!
• Chicken Broth: You can use chicken broth or chicken stock. Stock will be richer and more flavorful, but broth is more affordable and easier to find.
• Rotel: This is a mix of diced tomatoes and green chiles. It is usually super easy to find.
• Red Enchilada Sauce: Make sure you use an enchilada sauce that you like, as the flavor will really come through.
• Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Chicken thighs could be substituted. If you really want to save time, you can use precooked, shredded chicken. If you do this, you’ll just add the chicken in step 7 (in the recipe card), and you won’t need to cook the soup for the 15-20 minutes it would have taken to cook the chicken.
• Masa: Masa harina is a corn dough flour. It is what you would use to make corn tortillas, made from dried corn kernels that are soaked in a lime solution. It is really easy to find these days, usually by the flour or in the international aisle at the grocery store. If you don’t have masa, you can tear up a few corn tortillas and add them to your soup and let them dissolve. The masa will not only add great flavor, but it will help to slightly thicken the soup.
• Cream Cheese: This is to make the soup creamy. You could use low fat, or if you want a less creamy soup, you can leave it out.
• Cheddar Cheese and Pepper Jack: I love the mixture of cheeses, but feel free to use all of one or the other. Monterey Jack cheese would work, as well.
• Corn: I like to use frozen corn, but canned corn will work if that is what you like.

How to Make Chicken Enchilada Soup

(Scroll down below to the recipe card for full instructions and amounts!)

1: Soften the onion and jalapeno in oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot, then add the garlic.
2: Add the spices and cook for another minute to toast them up. They should be pretty fragrant.
3: Pour in all but 1 cup of the chicken broth.
4: Add the Rotel.

5: Pour in the enchilada sauce.
6: Add your chicken. Make sure it is covered by the liquid – the chicken will now poach in the liquid until it is cooked through. Once it’s done, remove the chicken.
7: Take that last cup of chicken broth and whisk the masa into it. Add this to the pot.
8: Now you’ll want to shred the chicken that you cooked earlier. Use 2 forks to pull it apart.

9: Take the cream cheese and whisk it into the soup pot. You might have to use a whisk to get it melted fully.
10: Add in the shredded cheese and stir until it is melted.
11: You’re shredded chicken goes in next.
12: Then stir in the frozen corn. Now just let it cook a little bit more to heat the corn through and let all of the flavors combine.

Chicken Enchilada Soup Topping Ideas

The sky is the limit when it comes to topping ideas, but here are a few of my favorites!

• Sour Cream
• Cilantro
• Lime Juice
• Tortilla Strips
• Shredded Cheese
• Sliced Radishes
• Sliced Jalapenos
• Pico de Gallo

Tips and Tricks

If you like it spicier, choose a spicy enchilada sauce. Or add in a few shakes of hot sauce or some hot pepper flakes.

Grate your cheese yourself instead of using pre-shredded cheese. It will melt better.

Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so that it will melt into the soup easier.

Add in a can of drained and rinsed black beans for an even heartier soup.

Make Ahead and Crock Pot Instructions

Make Ahead

This soup can be made 2-3 days earlier reheated when it’s time to eat. I do not recommend freezing this soup, though, because of the cheese and cream cheese.

Crock Pot

I actually have a recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Chowder that is made specifically for the crock pot. But if you are wanting to make this recipe in the crock pot, here is what you would do:

1. In a skillet or small pot, cook the onion and jalapeno in the oil until soft. Add the garlic, then the spices. Transfer this to the slow cooker.
2. Add the Rotel, enchilada sauce, and 4 cups of chicken broth to the slow cooker. Add the chicken, making sure it is covered by the liquid.
3. Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred.
5. Mix the masa and remaining cup of chicken broth and add that to the slow cooker. Stir in the cream cheese and the shredded cheese, and return the chicken to the slow cooker.
6. Cook for another 30 minutes to an hour, stirring in the corn in the last 15 minutes.

More Favorite Soup Recipes

Lasagna Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Bacon Cheeseburger Chowder
Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Ham and Bean Soup

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Chicken Enchilada Soup

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Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

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Creamy and cheesy with just the right amount of spice, this Chicken Enchilada Soup is simple to make and packed with flavor. It tastes just like enchiladas – in soup form!

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup diced onion
• ▢ 1 jalapeño ribs and seeds removed, diced
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 5 cups chicken broth divided
• ▢ 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles (Rotel)
• ▢ 1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
• ▢ 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 1/2 cup masa
• ▢ 4 oz cream cheese softened
• ▢ 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• ▢ 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
• ▢ 1 cup frozen corn

Instructions

• Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook another minute until fragrant. Add the chili powder, cumin and salt and stir in for another minute.
• Pour in 4 cups of the chicken broth. Add the Rotel and the enchilada sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
• Add the chicken breasts, making sure they are submerged in the liquid. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes. Keep the liquid at a gentle boil to prevent cooking the chicken too fast, or overcooking the chicken, which will make the chicken rubbery.
• Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it with tongs to a cutting board.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the masa and the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth. Add this mixture to the soup pot and stir in well.
• Add the cream cheese to the soup and whisk until melted. This might take a minute or two. Add the cheddar and the pepper jack and stir until the cheese is melted.
• Take 2 forks and shred the cooked chicken on the cutting board. Add the chicken back into the soup.
• Add the corn, and stir to combine all of the ingredients. Let the mixture cook for about 10 minutes to heat the corn through and combine all of the flavors.
• Serve topped with your favorite toppings.

Recipe Notes:

SUBSTITUTIONS: Chicken thighs can be use in place of the chicken breasts. To make this soup even faster, you can use precooked, shredded chicken. Low fat cream cheese can be used instead of regular cream cheese. If you can’t find masa, you can tear a few corn tortillas into pieces and let them dissolve in the soup.

FREEZE: I do not suggest freezing this soup.

STORE: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You can reheat in the microwave or on the stove. If the soup thickens up too much, add more chicken broth.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide. Nutrition information does not include any toppings.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/8 of recipe, Calories: 334kcal (17%), Carbohydrates: 16g (5%), Protein: 26g (52%), Fat: 17g (26%), Saturated Fat: 8g (50%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 80mg (27%), Sodium: 910mg (40%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 5g (6%)

Keywords: chicken enchilada soup