Home » Soup » Chicken Enchilada Soup
by Stephanie on October 4, 2021 (Updated August 8, 2024)429*This post may contain affiliate links. Read more »
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This Chicken Enchilada Soup can be made on the Stove Top or the Crock Pot and is easy to make with chicken breast, thighs, or leftover chicken! It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, and it’s made with simple ingredients. Perfect for cozy soup weather.
Be sure to try my Chicken Enchiladas, Steak 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.
Boilgentlyfor 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!
Pro Tips
Cheese:
- 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!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.(This soup freezes well!)
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 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 asnapto 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.
Try These Next
- Steak Fajitas
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Beef Lo Mein
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Corn Chowder
- Chicken Quesadillas
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Chicken Enchilada Soup
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
4.98 from 183 ratings
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This EASY Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe can be made on the stove top or in the Crock Pot! Use chicken breast, chicken thighs, or leftover chicken along with simple pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
Seasonings
- ½ teaspoon EACH: chili powder, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 pinch EACH: cinnamon, cayenne pepper
Soup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced with seeds removed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 oz. red enchilada sauce
- 10 oz. diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
- 15 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. canned whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast (or 2 small.), see notes if using cooked chicken
- 4 oz. cream cheese, cubed and softened
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded. (Can also use more cheddar.)
Instructions
Prep Work: Combine the seasonings and set aside. Take out the cream cheese and allow it to soften. (See notes for a quick way to do that.) Shred cheddar and Monterey jack cheese from a block and set aside.
Heat butter and olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and the peppers. Soften for 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Pat the chicken dry and season each side with salt and pepper. Add it to the soup pot along with all remaining ingredients except for the cream cheese and shredded cheese
Bring the soup to a gentle boil and allow the chicken to slowly cook through (a rapid boil will make it tough). About 15-20 minutes. Remove the chicken and use two forks to shred. Return it to the soup.
Reduce heat to low. Stir in the softened cream cheese until combined, then stir in the shredded cheese until melted.
Taste and add any additional seasonings as needed, then serve!
Notes
Cheese:
- 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. Any variety of bone-in chicken creates a very flavorful broth as well.
- 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!
Crock Pot Method
- Place all ingredients in the slow cooker except for the shredded cheese, cream cheese, corn, black beans, and garnishes.
- Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Turn off heat. Remove the chicken, shred it, and add it back to the soup along with the corn and black beans.
- Gradually mix in the softened cream cheese and shredded cheese and stir to incorporate.
**If using rotisserie/leftover chicken:Add it at the beginning. For even more flavor, leave the meat on the bone (if that’s an option), and then remove the bones at the end! 🙂
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.(This soup freezes well!)
Nutrition
Calories: 242kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 697mg, Potassium: 433mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 670IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 154mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Author: Stephanie
Chicken Recipes Crock Pot Freezer Food Healthy Mexican Popular Slow Cooker Soup
posted by Stephanie on October 4, 2021 — 429 Comments »
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Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe
429 comments on “Chicken Enchilada Soup”
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Denise E Morelli — September 7, 2024 @ 8:17 pm Reply
I love this recipe. It tasted so good the first time I keep making it. Thank you!
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Stephanie — September 7, 2024 @ 8:30 pm Reply
You’re very welcome Denise! Thanks so much for the great review!🩷
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Beth — September 2, 2024 @ 4:05 pm Reply
I made this for dinner tonight, but wound up having a serving for lunch. I followed the notes on how to make the soup with precooked rotisserie chicken, and it came out great! Given how quickly the sodium levels can creep up, I made the conscious decision to use low sodium broth, no sodium added corn, and no sodium added beans. Doing this allowed me to better control the sodium content. Lastly, to reduce the fat content slightly, I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese, which melted perfectly and made the soup creamy. Overall, the soup was quick to throw together and was absolutely delicious. I will definitely be putting this on our soup rotation.
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Stephanie — September 2, 2024 @ 6:39 pm Reply
Nice work Beth!!! I like what you did with the salt. I definitely agree, it’s much better to be able to control it at the end according to taste. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and review!💖
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Julie — August 27, 2024 @ 8:45 pm Reply
My whole family was skeptical, including me. It was absolutely fantastic. I didn’t add beans because I made them as a side. Thank you so much.
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Stephanie — August 28, 2024 @ 7:58 am Reply
I’m so happy everyone liked it Julie! Nothing like making a believer out of a skeptic! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️
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Ashley — August 27, 2024 @ 4:57 pm Reply
This soup is soooo good. I used pre-made Cajun seasoning in place of chili powder or cayenne. Also didn’t use any cheese as we are dairy free, so instead used a can of full fat coconut milk and stirred in fresh chopped basil at the end. So good! None of us can put our spoons down!
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Stephanie — August 27, 2024 @ 7:09 pm Reply
Nice work making it dairy free Ashley! Sounds like a huge hit with the family. Thanks so much for sharing the great comments!❤️
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Angelika Kabrielian — August 25, 2024 @ 7:23 pm Reply
Yesterday I made a chicken broth, using thighs, in my instant pot. I then cooked black beans, also in my instant pot. Today I made your Enchilada sauce, amazing sauce! With everything prepped, I made a pot of your Chicken Enchilada Soup, following your recipe. I prefer to follow recipes to a T , to give an accurate rating and comment before any adjustments are made. This soup is amazing, nothing needs to be changed!! Everyone in the family went for seconds……thank you
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Stephanie — August 25, 2024 @ 7:44 pm Reply
I like your style Angelika🩷!!! Sounds like you’ve been doing some yummy cooking 🙌. Thanks for the great comments and review!
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Helen — August 14, 2024 @ 4:08 pm Reply
Delicious and easy to make! I did not have all the seasonings but had taco seasoning and that worked great. My husband is happy. His fav soup! Will definitely make again.
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Stephanie — August 14, 2024 @ 4:20 pm Reply
I’m sooo happy that it worked out with what you had on hand, and that this has become your husband’s favorite! Excellent news! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, you’re the best! -Stephanie
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Jan — July 27, 2024 @ 12:50 am Reply
This soup was so flavorful and absolutely delicious! I made your enchilada sauce recipe, which is amazing on its own. I had to use creamed corn since I didn’t have whole kernel corn and it made the soup so creamy. The flavors were even better the next day. Everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing your lovely recipes.
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Stephanie — July 27, 2024 @ 9:21 am Reply
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it Jan! And I love that you made the homemade enchilada sauce! I never thought of using creamed corn in soup, genius! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! 🩷🙌🏻
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