Creamy chicken enchilada soup filled with flavor and protein. Made with the perfect amount of spice, chicken breast and black beans, then topped with fresh avocado slices for the ultimate bite. Easy meal prep for a quick weeknight dinner or lunch.
Looking for more soup recipes? Try this Minestrone Soup or this Broccoli Cheese Soup!
Cozy Homemade Enchilada Soup
If you’re anything like me, you love a bowl of warming soup during the colder winter months. This chicken enchilada soup is just the ticket! It has all the flavor of classic chicken enchiladas in soup form. Plus it’s made in one pot, which means you won’t have a pile of dishes to clean after dinner. Talk about a win-win situation.
Besides being easy to make, this soup is loaded with flavor and protein. Fire-roasted tomatoes, enchilada sauce, poblano peppers and chipotle add a spicy kick, while chicken breasts and black beans provide a healthy source of protein. Frozen sweet corn kernels add a burst of vitamins and color, then everything is given a creamy finish by mixing in a modest amount of cream cheese.
This soup is ready in less than 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights. Leftovers reheat well, so you can pack up any extras for lunch the next day.
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this soup:
- Avocado oil: You can also use olive oil.
- Yellow onion: White or red onion will also work.
- Poblano: This is a mildly spiced chili pepper that adds tons of flavor to your soup.
- Garlic: There are 3 cloves in this recipe, adding flavor and immune boosting properties.
- Red Bell pepper: You could also use a yellow or green pepper.
- Chipotle peppers: Canned peppers, diced and added to the soup with a bit of the adobo sauce they come packed in.
- Sweet corn: I used frozen corn but you could also use canned corn that has been drained.
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes
- Black beans: Rinsed and drained canned beans. You can also use pinto beans.
- Chicken breast: The chicken will be cooked right in the soup, then shredded and added back to the pot.
- Chicken broth: Vegetable broth also works if that is what you have on hand.
- Red enchilada sauce
- Cream cheese: This will be stirred into your soup at the end to add creaminess.
- Lime Juice: I recommend using a fresh lime. The bottled stuff just isn’t the same!
- Fresh cilantro: Roughly chopped. Don’t sub with dry cilantro.
- Toppings: Sliced avocado, sour cream, greek yogurt, diced red onion or shredded cheese.
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How to Make Chicken Enchilada Soup
Now that you have all your ingredients, here’s how to make this soup:
Heat a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat.
Add oil and cook some of the veggies. Add avocado oil to the pot along with onion, garlic and poblano. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until onions are translucent. Next, add in chipotle pepper and red pepper. Stir and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, enchilada sauce, sweet corn, tomatoes, black beans and chicken to the pot.
Cook the soup. Give it a quick stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Shred the cooked chicken. Remove chicken from the pan and shred with two forks. Add chicken back to the pot.
Add cream cheese, lime juice and cilantro. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until cream cheese is melted.
Serve. Add your favorite fixings and dig in!
Topping Ideas
There are so many things you and add to your soup and the best part is everyone in your family can customize their fixings without your needing to do anything else. Here are some of my favorite toppings ideas:
- Diced red onion
- Diced scallions (just the green parts)
- Sliced fresh avocado
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Lime wedges (squeeze the juice into your soup)
What Goes with Enchilada Soup?
This soup is a meal in and of itself, but if you are looking for simple sides or drinks to serve with it here are some suggestions:
- Margaritas – A classic choice for Mexican or Tex-Mex food! This spicy margarita is great too!
- Crusty bread – A thick slice of bread drizzled with olive oil is perfect for dipping into your soup.
- Quesadillas – Take two flour tortillas, add a bit of cheese in between them, and melt on a skillet for a simple side.
- Warm tortillas – You could even just warm corn or flour tortillas, then roll them up and dip them into your soup before taking a bite. Simple and tasty!
- Crackers – Serve your favorite kind of crackers on the side.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Let your soup come to room temperature, then ladle it into airtight containers and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
When you’re ready to eat some, just spoon the desired amount into a microwave safe bowl, cover with a plate, and heat until the soup is warmed through. I recommend pausing halfway through the heating time to give the soup a good stir and make sure it heats evenly.
You can also reheat the soup in a small pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
Can I Freeze This?
Yes, this soup freezes well! I recommend freezing it in individual portions to that it’s easier to heat up your soup back up when you’re ready. Ladle it into airtight, freezer safe containers and leave at least one-inch of headspace to give the soup room to expand in the freezer. It will keep for up to 3 months.
Reheat on the stovetop in a pot placed over medium-low heat until warmed through. Just add the frozen soup straight to your pot and heat until it’s ready.
Description
This creamy chicken enchilada soup is filled with flavor and good-for-you protein. Made with the perfect amount of spice, chicken breast and black beans, then topped with fresh avocado slices and a dollop of sour cream.
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 poblano, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
- 1 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn
- 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 15 oz. can low sodium black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 lb. chicken breast
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz. red enchilada sauce
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- juice from 1 lime (2–3 tablespoons)
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven or large soup pot to medium high heat.
- Add avocado oil to the pot along with onion, garlic and poblano. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until onions are translucent.
- Next, add in chipotle pepper and red pepper. Stir and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, enchilada sauce, sweet corn, tomatoes, black beans and chicken to the pot. Give it a quick stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken from the pot and shred with two forks. Add chicken back to the pan along with cream cheese, lime juice and cilantro. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until cream cheese has melted.
- Serve. Optional toppings: cheese, avocado, diced red onion, sour cream or greek yogurt.
Keywords: chilis enchilada soup, winter soup recipe, creamy soup recipe
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