Be sure to try my Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Fajitas, and Chicken Quesadillas next!
Chicken Enchilada Soup
This is definitely one of my favorite cozy soups to make in the Fall and Winter months. It’s fun to play around with different ingredients. I like to UP the spice factor with some spicy cheese and an extra pinch of cayenne, but you can steer clear of spicy ingredients if preferred and just keep it mild. This is a great recipe to make with chicken breast, chicken thighs, or even leftover chicken. Check out how to make it below and don’t miss my PRO tips below!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions. Note: See notes section of the recipe card for crock pot instructions. Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic in olive oil/butter until softened. Add seasonings, enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, hot sauce, chicken broth, and chicken.
Boil gently for 15-20 minutes. Remove chicken and use 2 forks to shred. Return to soup. Add softened cream cheese and stir to combine.
Stir in the shredded cheese and serve!
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (This soup freezes well!)
To soften the cream cheese quickly: Heat 2 cups of water in the microwave. Place cubed cream cheese in the microwave and close the door. Let it soften for 5 minutes. Feel free to spice it up with 1/2 cup Cabot Hot Habanero Cheese or another kind of spicy cheese if you like heat. (This would be in place of the Monterey jack.) Shred the cheese from a block, it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese. Make sure the base isn’t too hot when the cheese is added or the dairy will separate and the consistency will be grainy.
Chicken:
Cooking the chicken: You can let the chicken simmer over very low heat for a longer period of time. This makes the chicken extra juicy and the broth extra flavorful. Bone-in chicken thighs may also be used and create a very flavorful broth. If you plan on simmering for an extended period of time, add the black beans and corn when you remove the chicken from the soup to shred it. Using rotisserie or leftover chicken: 2 cups cooked chicken can also be used. You can add it at the same point as the chicken breast is added in the recipe and simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors blend, but no need to bring it to a boil.
Enchilada Sauce:
An 8 oz. can of tomato sauce may be used as an alternative to enchilada sauce but I prefer the depth of flavor that enchilada sauce adds. My homemade enchilada sauce tastes great in this soup. You can also try my Chicken Taco Soup which uses salsa, or try my Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe!
Try These Next
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4.5-Quart Dutch Oven– this is the one I use the make this soup. Box Cheese Grater– Shredding from a block tastes and melts much better than packaged cheese. Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.) Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer. Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time. Soup Ladle 16 oz. storage containers – I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
