This Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe is so creamy, thick, and easy to make. Loaded with hearty shredded chicken and beans, it is a crowd-pleasing soup that’s full of your favorite Mexican flavors and very comforting and delicious.
Enchilada soup is one of the most flavorful soup recipes that is not only filling and comforting, but it is full of flavor and a crowd-pleasing soup recipe that will put a smile on everyone’s face. This soup is loaded with beans, chicken, and all the Tex-Mex flavors you love all in one delicious bowl of soup. Easy-to-make Creamy Chicken Enchilada soup is perfect for any night of the week. Especially on a busy weeknight when you need dinner ready in no time.
Reasons to love this soup
- Best-tasting soup ever: The taste of this soup is seriously out-of-this-world good.
- Filling: This soup will keep you full, happy, and satisfied. Perfect for lunch or as a light dinner.
- Healthy and good for you: Packed with fiber and protein, this soup is good for you in every way.
Ingredients you will need
- Butter or Ghee: to keep this on the healthier side, you do not have to use butter. You may use avocado oil.
- Onion: use white sweet onions or cooking onions
- Veggies: Celery Stalks, Carrot, Red Bell Pepper,
- Beans: Red Kidney Beans and Black Beans
- Seasonings: Ground Cumin, Chili Powder, Dried Oregano
- Garlic Cloves: do use fresh garlic
- One can of Diced fire-roasted Tomatoes
- Tomato Paste
- Fresh or Frozen Sweet Corn: you may use canned corn if that’s all you have and you don’t want to make a trip to the grocery store.
- Shredded Cooked Chicken: make your own chicken or get a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. To prepare your own, check out our post on How to poach chicken breast.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth– If you plan to poach your own chicken you may save the broth from that.
- Mexican Shredded Cheese Blend for garnishing, or you may also use Monterey jack cheese
- Salt and pepper, to your taste
- Optional: If you prefer to add some enchilada sauce, you can. We didn’t but it certainly won’t hurt and will add some flavor to the soup.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP
This chicken enchilada soup recipe is made on the stovetop. We will also be showing you further how to make it on your crockpot, slow cooker, and instant pot.Â
Note: Recipe calls for cooked shredded chicken. Either get a storebought rotisserie chicken and use that or cook your own at home using chicken breast (scroll down to learn how to cook the chicken for your enchilada soup).
To make enchilada soup on your stovetop:
- Prepare vegetables and ingredients: Set up all the ingredients and get your shredded chicken ready.
- Cook vegetables: Add butter or oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. First, add the onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and cook until softens, about 5-6 minutes. Then, stir in seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Cook and prep soup: Lower the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until veggies are very tender.
- Blend: remove from heat and using a hand blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. (This is optional if you don’t want to blend you can skip this step).
- Add beans and chicken: Place the soup back over medium heat and add in beans, corn and shredded cooked chicken. Stir to combine and boil for a couple of minutes, just to heat it all up.
- Serve: Pour into bowls and top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
SOUP TOPPING Options
Endless toppings to come up with, but here are some optional toppings you can add to your creamy chicken enchilada soup are:
- Chopped avocado
- Sliced jalapeño
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Green onions
- Lime wedges
- Crushed Tortilla Chips
- Sour cream or yogurt etc.
- Shredded Cheese
How to cook chicken for enchilada soup
Cooking the chicken is quite simple. You can use any pot or a dutch oven. It would be easiest to use a rotisserie chicken but you can certainly cook your own. We recommend using skinless and boneless chicken breasts.
- Add chicken into a pot full of water
- We like adding some sort of herbs to give the chicken some flavor. Use half an onion and a bay leaf. sometimes we use a cinnamon stick but not for this particular recipe.
- Allow boiling for about 15-20 minutes until you easily insert a knife or a fork through the chicken.
- Then, drain it in a colander and let it cool off. Or you can just remove the chicken and place it on a cutting board while you save the chicken stock.
- Finally, using your hands or forks, shred chicken.
- If you have an Instant pot, you can simply make this Instant Pot Chicken Breast to use in this enchilada soup.
How to make enchilada soup using an instant pot, crockpot or slow cooker
There are other ways to make chicken enchilada soup other than using your stovetop. Here are other ways to cook up your soup.
How to use an Instant Pot:
- Using the saute option, add the oil or butter in the instant pot, then add the onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and cook until softens, about 5-6 minutes.
- If using raw chicken, add in with the veggies in the previous step at the bottom.
- Add in the seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth.
- Next, add in the beans, corn, and shredded cooked chicken (if using pre-cooked shredded chicken). Stir to combine.
- Then, place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal. Using the “manual” setting, cook on high pressure for 10-12 minutes.
- Allow the instant pot to natural release for 10 minutes or so before doing a quick release.
- Finally, remove the lid from Instant Pot, shred the chicken (if used raw whole chicken breast), and serve with your favorite toppings.
- Note: You may remove a portion of the soup towards the end. Blend it and then add it back into the soup. Mix and serve.
How to use a crock-pot or slow cooker
- In a pan or skillet, add oil or butter over medium-high heat add the onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and cook until softens, about 5-6 minutes.
- Transfer to crockpot or slow cooker and add in the seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth.
- Then, add in beans, corn, and shredded cooked chicken. Stir to combine cover and set it on High for 2 hours or low for 4 hours if using cooked chicken.
- Note: You may add raw chicken breasts to the crockpot or slow cooker right before you add in the veggies at the very bottom and set it to cook longer. 6 hours on low and 4 hours on high. Then towards the end use a fork to shred the chicken.
- Also Note: You may remove a portion of the soup towards the end. Blend it and then add it back into the soup. Mix and serve.
Frequently asked questions
To thicken your enchilada soup, mix about 1-2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour with some cold water add over the soup, and let it cook for a few more minutes.
Another option would be to blend some of the beans and add them back in to make the soup thicker.
Place your creamy chicken enchilada soup in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Store in the freezer for 3-4 months. To reheat, place in a pot/pan and reheat on the stovetop or microwave in a bowl.
You can get creative with what you serve with your enchilada soup. Some ideas for you would be some toasted garlic bread, cornbread, biscuits, grilled cheese sandwiches, roasted corn like this street corn on the cob, Tacos, Mexican Rice, etc
More amazing soup recipes to check out
- Italian Chicken Veggie Soup
- Creamy Chicken Broccoli Soup
- Vegetable Beef Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Homemade Roasted Tomato Soup
- Healthy Lasagna Soup
- Taco Soup Recipe
- Mexican Sweet Corn Soup
- Beef and Barley Soup
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Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Butter or Ghee or avocado oil
- 1 Medium Onion diced
- 2 Celery Stalks sliced
- 1 Medium Carrot thinly sliced
- 1 Large Red Bell Pepper diced
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 1½ Tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
- 15 oz Diced fire-roasted Tomatoes 1 can
- ¼ Cup Tomato Paste
- 4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 14.5 oz Red Kidney Beans drain and rinsed, 1 can
- 14.5 oz Black Beans drain and rinsed, 1 can
- 1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Sweet Corn
- 2 Cups Shredded Cooked Chicken
- 1 Cup Mexican Shredded Cheese Blend for garnishing
- Salt and pepper, to your taste
Instructions
- Melt butter or ghee (add avocado oil if using) in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
- Add onion, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and cook until softens, about 5-6 minutes.
- Stir in seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until veggies are very tender.
- Remove from heat and using a hand blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Place the soup back over medium heat and add in beans, corn and shredded cooked chicken.
- Stir to combine and boil for a couple of minutes, just to heat it all up.
- Then pour into bowls and top with shredded cheese or your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Fresh, frozen, or canned corn
- Oil- avocado, olive oil, or vegetable oil
- Try Shredded turkey, ground chicken, or ground turkey
Mary Ann V says
I made this a couple of days ago, it is fabulous. The only thing I did different was instead of fire roasted tomatoes, i used 2 cans of rotel because that’s what I had on hand. I will be making this again.
Rena says
That’s even better! Thanks for the feedback.
Natalia says
This soup is sooooooo good. I absolutely love it. Thank you.
Rena says
Thanks. Glad you loved it.
Melissa says
Just made this for dinner, cooked the chicken inside the soup, took it out, shredded it and put it back in. AMAZING
Rena says
Thanks for the feedback. So glad you loved it.
Barbara Erickson says
This was by far the best soup ever. My husband is so fussy about certain ingredients and by looking at the pot of soup he was salivating. Unbeknownst to him…He absolutely loved it!!! I myself am sharing this recipe to everyone!!!! Love it!!!!
Wendy Rindels says
Excellent! I put all in a crockpot and let it cook all day! Wonderful!!!
Rena says
Just perfect! Glad you loved it.
Karen Kelly says
I made this last night…delicious. Lots of flavor …I decided to not puree the vegetable so my hubby could take out the peppers and make it seem heartier to him. He loved it too. Will be making for my son when he comes home soon. Love all your recipes!
Rena says
Great idea to not blend! Thanks for the feedback Karen
Antonio says
How many chicken breast do you recommend ?
Rena says
Hello Antonio. Two large chicken breasts should do. About 1lb
Tara says
Great soup and a simple staple to always have on hand. Added some extra heat but otherwise this is perfect as is! Thanks for this.
— FYI Recipe says Oregano however video shows Thyme
Rena says
Thank you. Yes, it should be oregano, not thyme.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Rena says
Yes. It will keep for up to days in the fridge
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great lunch meal prep for the week!
Rena says
Thanks
DJ says
Wow, just wow. What a great way to sneak in some vegetables. My husband is a tough critic, and just keeps going on and on. Thank you!
Rena says
Best feedback ever! Thank you
Nicole says
Delicious, thank you for the recipe. I will definitely make this again.
I used shredded pork instead of chicken because it’s what I had on hand. It’s delicious with or without the meat though.
Rena says
Thanks for the feedback.
Akira says
I’ve made this recipe about four times now and every time I make it is just incredible. It’s got a lot of flavor and if you don’t fully blend it with the stick mixer you can get little chunks of carrot and celery that add some nice texture. I am known for being picky and lazy when it come to cooking and this recipe is very easy to make. Honestly I don’t think it even needs the chicken as there’s so much protein and flavor already. I can already tell that I’ll be making this for years to come. I am also looking through your other recipes now.
Rena says
This is one of our favrorite! So glad you liked it.
Amber says
Wow! I made this tonight and it was an absolute winner!! I served it with brown rice and corn chips… it was an 11/10! One of my new favs! Thank you for sharing this superstar dish! I look forward to cooking my way through many of your other meals on your beautiful Instagram page and website.
Rena says
Love that! We love this so much too and glad you will be trying more of our recipes
Diane Miller says
What is a serving size?
Rena says
Hi Dianne, One bowl, which comes out to about 2 cups
kerry says
FIVE STARS!! I changed a little. After the veggie finished cooking (5-8 min), I added spices and let them bloom for 2-3 minutes before adding the tomatoes, paste and chicken stock. I also used Jidori chicken breasts and thighs that were boiled for 10 minutes in vegetable broth (1 cup) and Chicken stock, low sodium (1 cup), 1 bay leave and 1/2 white onion sliced. After 10 min boil, reduced to simmer for 7 min and then covered and turned off stove and let sit for 20 minutes. Strained the liquid, shredded the chicken and added to the soup. Great flavor. If you haven’t tried Jidori chicken… you have been missing out on life!!
Rena says
Thank you! I will definitely give it a try.
Sian says
Hi Rena
I just recently found your page on Instagram, your beautiful pictures drew me in. This is the first recipe of yours I’ve tried but let me tell you it wont be the last.
This was perfect for a busy midweek evening meal. I had to substitute the tin of tomatoes, but threw in some fresh chopped tomatoes and a carton of passata as that’s all I had but it all worked out great. thumbs all round from the family. now the only decision to make is shall we try the chicken frissace next or the Mongolian chicken, haha thanks xxxx
Rena says
Hi Sian. Thank you. So glad you loved it.
That’s a hard one. Both are so good but my kids love the Mongolian more.
Virginie says
Ooh I love it, I love how you prepare and explain it. It’s delicious. Thank you so much for sharing
Rena says
Thank you!
Dana says
What exactly is making it creamy with no milk/cream added? Is it more broth based, thinner than a cream based soup? The pic looks creamy and was trying to figure out how. Either way, Looks good.
Rena says
Hi Dana. You are right. No cream or milk. Blending gives it that creamy look, texture and taste without having to add milk.
Julianne says
Huge hit with my family. I put in extra Chile powder , chipotle and garlic. We are going to have this again soon, and double the recipe!
Rena says
Yummy. Thanks for the feedback.
Morgan says
Hi! I was wondering if there is an idea on how to make this vegetarian friendly? It looks delicious! But my friend won’t eat any meat. Thank you!
Rena says
Hi Morgan. You can skip the chicken and add maybe tofu for added protein or skip entirely. For the broth just use vegetable broth.
Dimo says
Delicious.
Rena says
Thanks!
Donna says
All my family members really like your soup. Just the right amount of heat and spices. We have a three generation household, and it is hard to make a meal all will like. Stomach can tolerate the spice mix. My daughter that it was not very spicy, but that is her (she eats hot peppers like they are candy).
Rena says
So glad to hear that everyone loved it
Patty says
The recipe doesn’t mention the shredded cheese. When is that added?
Rena says
Hi Patty. I fixed it. The cheese is added at the end for garnishing which is optional.
Sandy says
I plan on making this for my coworkers next week. I thought the calories seemed high, but I see that is for 6 servings. How big is a serving? I’m curious how much I should make!
Rena says
I would say a bowl or approximately 2 cups.
Lissa S. says
Holy shnikies! This stuff is amazing! It’s so simple and easy, filled with veggies that the kids can’t even see, and they all downed it! We just finished dinner, but my 13 month old is working on his 3rd bowl. I’ve never commented on any recipes because they never pop out, but this one really does! I will definitely be making this again! It’ll probably be a family favorite!
Rena says
Thanks for the awesome review. Glad your family loved it.
SADE says
Made this in the instant pot with raw cubed chicken. Added 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper at the end then used a hand blender to break the chicken up a bit.
Topped with shredded cheese and sour cream which gave it the creamy flavour.
Delicious!
I’m making a second batch now to freeze.