Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken Enchilada Soup is rich, creamy, and full of bold Mexican flavors. Packed with tender shredded chicken, beans, and a perfectly seasoned enchilada base, it’s hearty enough to satisfy the whole family. Best of all, it comes together in just about 30 minutes, making it an easy and comforting dinner everyone will love.

Love More Soup Recipes? Try My Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup or this Easy Chicken and Rice Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This soup is easy to make, loaded with plant-based protein, and full of bold, zesty flavor that keeps everyone coming back for seconds. Naturally gluten-free and perfect for meal prep, it’s a hearty option you can feel good about serving any night of the week.

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Ingredient List

Seasonings (pre-mixed):

• ½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp mustard powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• A pinch of cinnamon
• A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional for heat)

Soup:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 oz red enchilada sauce
• 10 oz diced tomatoes with green chiles (undrained)
• 15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 oz whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (or 2 small), or about 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 4 oz cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Why These Ingredients Work

Okay so the cinnamon sounds weird but stay with me here. My neighbor Rosa told me her grandma always added a tiny bit to Mexican dishes and it makes everything taste deeper somehow. People always ask what’s different about my soup and that’s literally it.

The enchilada sauce does most of the work flavor-wise. I tried making this with regular tomato sauce once when I was out and it tasted like sad cafeteria food. Cream cheese turns everything silky without making it taste like queso dip. Black beans make it filling enough that Mike doesn’t immediately raid the fridge after dinner.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Big pot with a heavy bottom (thin pots burn everything)
• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Two forks for shredding chicken
• Measuring stuff
• Can opener that actually works
• Wooden spoon

How To Make Chicken Enchilada Soup

Stovetop Version:

Mix your spices

Dump all the seasoning stuff in a bowl now because once things start cooking you’ll be scrambling. Also pull your cream cheese out to soften or you’ll hate yourself later.

Start with the good smells

Melt butter and oil in your biggest pot over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeño, cook about 4 minutes until your kitchen smells amazing. Throw in garlic for another minute.

Everything goes in

Pat chicken dry, season with salt and pepper, then add it with your spice mix, enchilada sauce, tomatoes, beans, corn, hot sauce if you want it, and broth. Let it bubble gently for 15-20 minutes. Don’t let it boil like crazy or your chicken turns into rubber.

Shred the chicken

Fish it out and shred with two forks. Should fall apart easily if it’s done right. Stir it back into the pot.

Add the creamy stuff

Turn heat down to low, then slowly mix in that cream cheese until it disappears. Add both cheeses and stir until melted and gorgeous.

Taste and serve

Add more salt, pepper, whatever it needs. Serve immediately before anyone realizes how easy this was.

Crock Pot Option:

Do the onion thing first

Sauté those onions, jalapeños, and garlic on the stove like above.

Dump it all in

Add sautéed veggies and everything except cheeses, beans, and corn to your slow cooker. Cook on low 6 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Finish it

Shred chicken, stir in beans, corn, cream cheese, and shredded cheeses until smooth.

You Must Know

Never add cheese to boiling soup. Just don’t. I made that mistake exactly once and ended up with something that looked like chunky milk. Always turn your heat down first.

My other big mistake was using cold cream cheese straight from the fridge. It takes forever to melt and leaves weird lumps. I cube it up and microwave for 10 seconds now.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Buy rotisserie chicken – why cook raw chicken when the grocery store already did it? Just add 2 cups shredded at the end and heat through.
• Sauté those vegetables – I tried skipping this step once when I was being lazy. The soup tasted flat and boring. Those few minutes make a huge difference.
• Real cheese only – pre-shredded cheese has weird anti-clumping stuff that makes your soup grainy. Shred it yourself, takes like 30 seconds.
• Don’t boil anything – gentle simmer is your friend. Boiling makes chicken tough and breaks dairy.

Flavor Variations / Suggestions

My sister makes this with green enchilada sauce and white beans instead. Tastes completely different but equally good. Sometimes I throw in leftover bell peppers or whatever vegetables are getting sad in my crisper drawer.

Mike likes extra heat so I started keeping a jar of diced jalapeños to add to his bowl. Kids get it plain, adults can spice it up however they want. Win-win.

Make-Ahead Options

This soup tastes even better tomorrow. I make it Sunday and we eat it for lunches all week. The slow cooker version is perfect for this – prep everything the night before, dump it in before work, come home to amazing smells.

Freezes great too. I always make extra and freeze half for those nights when I forgot to plan dinner again.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

The soup gets thicker as it sits, so don’t panic if it looks thin at first. If you reheat leftovers and they’re too thick, just add more broth.

This recipe doubles perfectly if you’re feeding a crowd. Just use your biggest pot. I learned this at Jake’s birthday party when I made my normal amount for 20 people. Oops.

Serving Suggestions

Toppings are where this gets fun. We do sour cream, extra cheese, and crushed tortilla chips. Emma always wants avocado on hers. Mike dumps hot sauce on everything so that’s his thing.

Cornbread goes perfect with this. So does crusty bread if you want to get fancy. Sometimes I serve it over rice when I need to stretch it further.

How to Store Your Chicken Enchilada Soup

Fridge for up to 3 days in whatever containers you have. Freezer for up to 3 months but honestly it never lasts that long here.

Reheat gently on the stove over low heat. Might need to add some broth or milk if it thickened up too much. Microwave works fine too, just stir it halfway through.

Allergy Information

Has dairy obviously – butter, cream cheese, both kinds of shredded cheese.

No gluten unless your enchilada sauce has it, so check labels. My cousin does dairy-free with coconut milk instead of cream cheese and says it’s still good. Not the same but good.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I make this spicier?

Leave seeds in that jalapeño, add more hot sauce, or throw in some diced chipotle peppers. Start small because you can’t take it back.

What if I don’t have enchilada sauce?

Salsa works okay in a pinch but it won’t taste the same. Enchilada sauce is worth buying – I stock up when it’s on sale.

Can I use chicken thighs?

Yes, they’ll be even more tender. Might take a few extra minutes to cook through.

Is this kid-friendly?

My picky kids love it. Skip the jalapeño seeds and hot sauce for little ones. The creamy cheese base wins them over every time.

Can I add rice?

Sure, add cooked rice at the very end. Raw rice will get mushy and gross if you cook it in the soup.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to hear what toppings your family likes best.