Pull on your coziest sweater, pump the jams, and whip up a big batch of this simple, creamy, and filling Enchilada soup in under an hour. Chili, cumin, and lime flavors will quickly remind you why Mexican-inspired dinners are always a family favorite (hello Mexican Stuffed Peppers). And the plethora of toppings allow you and your family to customize each bowl to make it your own. If you loved the flavors in this recipe, be sure to try our healthy chicken enchiladas or our chicken enchilada casserole.
Looking for More Delicious Soup Recipes?
If you love them as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Chicken Tortilla Soup!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, & estimated nutritional information.
- chicken broth – to add even more depth of flavor try a chicken stock or chicken bone broth!
- tomato paste – for recipes that call for a smaller amount of tomato paste we love having a tube of tomato paste on hand in the fridge instead of opening a whole can.
- chicken breasts – we tested this recipe with boneless skinless chicken breasts and bone-in chicken thighs. Both options worked great and boneless, skinless chicken thighs would also be good, so use the one that works for you.
- green chiles & corn – both really help to round out the flavors of this enchilada soup.
How To Make Chicken Enchilada Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Soften the onion and garlic with butter in a skillet on the stovetop. Then transfer to your slow cooker. Add in the remaining ingredients, stir, & cover.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or on low heat for 6 hours.
- Once the cooking time is complete, remove the chicken, shred it, and place it back in your crock pot and mix thoroughly.
Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Use the sauté setting to soften the garlic and onion with butter. Mix in the remaining ingredients except for the optional black beans.
- Place the Instant Pot lid on and move the tab to sealing. Set the instant pot to cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Then let the steam release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release.
- Remove the chicken, shred it, place it back in the instant pot along with the optional beans and stir.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- double batch + freezing – This is truly a crowd favorite so do yourself a favor and make a double batch and freeze half in mason jars or soup containers, to be used on a night when you just don’t feel like cooking. Just be sure to leave a little room at the top for expansion during the freezing process. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- storage – Store your chicken enchilada soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Made this recipe and loved it?!
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Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Description
An absolutely delicious Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe that is PACKED with flavor for soup season! Makes amazing leftovers!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 tablespoons butter or ghee
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons flour (gluten-free works)
- 3 tablespoons chili powder (more if desired)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4–5 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice (more to taste)
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast OR approx. 6 bone-in chicken thighs
- 10 oz can diced green chiles
- 1 15oz can corn, drained
- (optional) 1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese and chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Prep: Gather all the ingredients and measure them out ahead of time + have your broth in a container with a little spout – this will help this recipe go much smoother and very quickly!
- Sauté: Bring a dutch oven to medium-high heat; add butter to melt. Add 2 teaspoons garlic and diced onion; move around the pan until the onions softens, approx. 1-2 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons flour and whisk immediately until fully combined with the butter to create a bit of a paste.
- Seasonings + Broth: Add in 3 tablespoons chili powder, 3 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves, & 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the pot. Whisk to combine. Continue to whisk while slowly pouring in the broth, adding about 1/2 cup or so at a time.
- Simmer: Once the broth has been added, turn up the heat a bit and bring liquid to a low simmer. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice and the raw chicken breasts. Cover and let simmer 15-20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
- Shred + Finish: Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Return to pot along with a can of green chiles, can of corn and can of beans (if using). Taste and add additional salt, lime juice or chili powder, as needed (everyone’s tastes are different so definitely feel free to adjust).
- Serve: Divide between bowls and serve with lots of shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped red onion, tortilla chips, and fresh cilantro!
Notes
- Chicken: I prefer to use 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because it adds even more wonderful flavor, BUT you can easily use a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you prefer. Or pick-up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store!
- Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe: if you want to make this a creamy, thicker soup, you can add some shredded cheese (about a 1/2 cup) and 2 or 3 1-inch cubes of plain cream cheese directly into the pot and move around until it melts!
- Dairy-Free: simply use a vegan butter, dairy-free sour cream and a dairy-free shredded cheese.
- Gluten-Free: swap out the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour.
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 189
- Sugar: 5.6 g
- Sodium: 906.3 mg
- Fat: 6.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.6 g
- Protein: 14.9 g
- Cholesterol: 44.7 mg
Heather says
The whole family loved this dish! Delicious! Quick and easy week night meal.
Stefanie T says
Loved it!! Super easy and delicious. I put it in my crockpot for 4 hrs on high. My family loved it!! Thanks Erin for a great weeknight recipe.
Dee says
Glad I found your website. That enchilada soup was a big hit in my house, rich-tasting, flavorful, and with a bit of heat. I didn’t have beans so used diced potatoes instead. With a dollop of sour cream and some crumbled tortilla chips I was in Autumn heaven. Thank you.
Erin says
I am so happy to hear that, Dee! And thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review and rating – I really appreciate it!
Tina says
This soup was amazing! I just threw all the ingredients in a crock pot with frozen chicken breasts since I was short on time, and it turned out great! I have loved every recipe I have tried from Wooden Skillet. Lemon orzo chicken soup next. Thanks for all you do!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Tina!!
Holly says
I have been looking for a great enchilada soup for years ever since having Tastefully Simple Cha Cha Enchilada soup. This is far superior. Thank you so much for sharing!
Erin says
That’s awesome to hear – glad you enjoyed it, Holly!
Suzan says
This is an excellent recipe. I used cannellini beans instead of black beans since that what I had. All the ingredients are staples in my pantry so it was a quick and easy meal to throw together. My family of five loved it. Even had a little leftover for lunches
Roslyn Bourak says
Phenomenal! I rarely leave reviews on recipes, but had to share that this was perfect.
Erin says
Thank you, Roslyn!! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Karen says
This soup is SO good!! This is my kind of recipe. Super easy to put together and everyone in my family loved it.
Erin says
Glad to hear that, Karen!
Amy says
I can’t stop thinking about this soup! Absolutely fabulous! Perfect for a cold night. I prepped everything before I started per the instructions – 100% recommend. It was so easy!! This needs to be on your menu this week!!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Amy!
Lauren says
Per my husband’s request I made this twice in one week. Adjusted it to use up leftover Costco rotisserie chicken and it turned out delicious. We also add taco sauce to our bowls when serving for added pop.
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Lauren!
Charity says
If I could give this recipe more than 5 stars, I would! Wow it’s so good! My husband loved it! I made this recipe in my Instant Pot using FROZEN chicken breasts and the recipe still duplicated perfectly! I sautéed the onions and garlic on the medium heat setting, added the flour, spices, everything as instructed, 4 cups chicken broth, 1 4 oz can diced green chilis + one small jalapeno, deseeded and chopped very small, etc.. Once I got to the “add chicken” part, I plopped in 3 frozen chicken breasts, then pressure cooked on high for 20 minutes. Released the steam, removed the chicken breasts to a separate bowl to shred with my hand mixer, added the chicken back in along with the chiles, corn, and beans, and it was perfect! I also used Dark Chili Powder for an even greater robust “enchilada” flavor. We really enjoyed this. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe that I was able to improvise a little on making in my Instant Pot!
Erin says
Thank you so much, Charity! So glad you enjoyed it!
Sara says
This soup is amazing! My husband isn’t big on soup, but he loved it & requested it 2 weeks in a row. I think it might be even better the next day! The only difference I made was using 1 small can green chiles & 1 small can diced jalepenos. This will definitely be on repeat at our house. Thanks for the great recipe!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Sara!!
Rachael Yeakel says
This soup was amazing! I used chicken breasts and added the beans and corn. I would not change a thing. It was so flavorful but not overpowering. This will definitely be in our soups rotation!
Erin says
I absolutely LOVE to hear that, Rachael! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review!
Alysse says
Could this be made in the crockpot?
Margot says
Loved it!
Erin says
Yay!!! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!
Abozic says
Loved this! I did a minor tweaking by omitting the beans and since drumsticks were the only meat with bones/skins on hand I boiled them with chicken thighs (love us some chicken fat in soup). It was a hit! Thanks for easy and healthy soup. It’s a keeper.
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Abozic! And great call on tossing the drumsticks in – love it!
Teri says
I just made this soup for dinner and it is so delicious! I added corn, black beans, cheese and crushed tortilla chips that helped thicken the soup. It was a very hearty and tasty meal!
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed it, Teri! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review – I appreciate it!