↑

Will Cook For Smiles

The Best of Homecooking

  • Home
    • About Me
    • Work With Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Subscribe!
  • Recipes
    • Popular Posts
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Healthy Dishes
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Sandwich
    • Cauliflower
    • Drink
    • Cocktail
  • How To
  • Instant Pot
    • Instant Pot Main Dishes
    • Instant Pot Side Dishes
    • Instant Pot Soups
  • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Chicken
    • Beef
    • Seafood
    • Pork
    • Chili
    • Pasta
    • Slow Cooker
    • Vegetarian
  • Dessert
    • Cheesecake
    • Cake
    • Cookies
    • Chocolate
  • Holidays
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Super Bowl Recipes
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Mother’s Day
    • Father’s Day
    • BBQ
    • 4th Of July
    • Fall Recipes
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas Dinner
    • Christmas Baking
    • Holiday Leftover Recipes
    • New Year’s
Home » Dinner » Chicken » Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Created: January 11, 2023 Updated: January 11, 2023 by lyuba 29 Comments

41.1K shares
Jump to Recipe

Chicken Enchilada Soup has all of the flavor you love in the classic enchilada! It’s so easy to make, comforting as can be, and bursting with bold enchilada flavor. Top it off with sour cream and a sprinkle of shredded cheese to really send it over the top!

If you’re looking for more easy and light soups, don’t miss our Chicken Tortilla Soup and Chicken Gnocchi Soup!

spooning out some enchilada soup from a bowl.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

We’re in the thick of comfort food season, so I thought there would be no better time to re-introduce my favorite soup! Chicken Enchilada Soup is so hearty and filling while also being bold and flavorful. It checks all of the right boxes when it comes to classic comfort food requirements. If you love the flavors of classic, cheesy, slightly spicy chicken enchiladas, you’ll love all that this easy to make soup has to offer.

And when I say easy to make, I definitely mean it! While this soup is made from scratch, all of the steps are clear, concise, and simple enough for even the most novice of home cooks to follow along with ease. You start off by making a very easy broth, then just toss in the remaining ingredients to complete the soup itself. It’s a one-pot recipe that you’ll be happy to serve and say “yes, I made this from scratch!” After all, with a soup this good, why not brag a little bit?

While my favorite toppings include sour cream and shredded cheese, there are so many more ways you can garnish your bowl. This protein-packed soup is so very versatile! Add some freshness and spice with sliced jalapeños or a salty crunch with tortilla strips. Or, if you’re satisfied with the soup itself (and I have a feeling you will be), you can always enjoy a flavorful bowl without any garnishes at all. You’ll love the many different ways you can enjoy this show-stopping soup!

ingredients for enchilada soup in the cutting board.

Ingredient Notes:

For The Broth:

  • Olive Oil – You can use avocado oil instead if preferred.
  • Yellow Onion – In a pinch, a white onion can be substituted.
  • Chicken Breasts – you can use boneless and skinless or use bone-in and skin on but discard the skin and bone after cooking the chicken. You can also use chicken thigh meat if proffered.
  • Water
  • Bay Leaf
  • Salt

Chicken Enchilada Soup:

  • Olive Oil
  • Yellow Onion
  • Tomatoes – use tomatoes on the vine, heirloom tomatoes, or any other large tomatoes.
  • Garlic – Be sure to use fresh cloves, not pre-minced!
  • Tomato Paste
  • Spices – You’ll need a bold medley of ancho chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, white granulated sugar and dried oregano for this soup. They all blend together to create the most mouthwatering signature enchilada flavor!
  • Heavy Whipping Cream – This is what gives the soup such a creamy consistency. (If you need to keep it lactose free, use lactose free half and half and lactose free sour cream. There are some plant-based whipping cream options if needed, check your grocery stores.)
  • Cilantro – Use fresh cilantro only, not dried.
  • Lime Juice – Freshly squeezed lime juice is always preferred for the best flavor.

Cooking Instructions:

sautéing sliced onions and bay leaves in a pot.
adding water to to the pot for soup.
cooking chicken breasts in a pot in a broth.
four blanched tomatoes ready to be peeled.

Make the broth.

Add some oil to a Dutch oven or soup pot. Sauté the onions until fragrant.

Add in the water, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil.

Scald the tomatoes by making a crisscross cut at the bottom of each tomato. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and let them cook for just under a minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes and set them aside.

Add the chicken breasts to the pot. Lower the heat to low and let them cook for about an hour and a half. Note that a white foam will appear at the top when the meat is first added – just remove it with a spoon and discard.

sauteeing diced onions and garlic in a pot.
adding diced tomatoes and chili pepper to the pot.
adding pulled chicken to the soup in a pot.
adding chicken broth to the pot with soup.

Shred the chicken and sauté the veggies.

Remove the cooked chicken from the broth and place the breasts in a bowl. Shred them with two forks.

Pour the broth through a strainer. Discard the cooked onions and bay leaf.

Return the pot to your stove-top and increase the heat to medium. Add the oil.

Sauté the onions until golden, then add the diced tomatoes and cook until softened. Make a well in the middle of the pot and add the garlic. Sauté until fragrant.

adding seasoning to the soup in a pot.
adding heavy whipping cream to the soup.

Add the final ingredients.

Stir in the shredded chicken, followed by the tomato paste, broth, and seasonings. Stir well and bring to a simmer.

Lower the heat so the simmer becomes slow and gentle. Cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. After cooking for a few moments, stir in the heavy cream and allow it to heat through before taking the pot off of the heat.

stirring the soup in a white Dutch oven with spoon.

Topping Options:

Here are just a few of my favorite garnishes for this soup!

  • Sour cream
  • Shredded cheese
  • Tortilla strips
  • Green onions
  • Sliced jalapeños
enchilada soup in a bowl inside a wide place with a spoon.

Storing and Freezing Instructions:

Make sure to store leftover soup in an airtight food storage container, in the refrigerator. Properly stored, Enchilada Soup should be good for up to 3 days.

Freezing Instructions:

You can also easily freeze this soup, but do so without the heavy cream. If you plan to freeze the soup, make it up to the step of adding the cream, then take the pot off of the heat. It’s important to cool the soup before freezing and it’s best to cool it quickly. To help speed up the cooling process, place the pot of soup into an ice bath and stir from time to time as it cools.

Once the soup has fully cooled to room temperature, you can transfer it into a large freezer zip-top bag or a freezer storage container with an airtight lid. Make sure to get as much air out as you can, seal, label, and freeze for up to 3 months.

To thaw, do so slowly in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Transfer the thawed soup into a pot and heat it up. Once heated, you can finish it with the cream, cilantro, and lime juice as instructed in the recipe.

top view of enchilada soup in a bowl with toppings.

PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER

squared closeup image of spooning out enchilada soup.

Homemade Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken Enchilada Soup has all of the flavor you love in the classic enchilada! It's so easy to make, comforting as can be, and bursting with bold enchilada flavor.
4.38 from 8 votes
Print SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chicken Enchilada, Enchilada, soup
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 (Makes 6-8 servings)
Calories: 250kcal
Author: lyuba

Ingredients

For The Broth:

  • 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
  • 1/2 large yellow onion sliced
  • 1.25-1.5 lbs chicken breasts
  • 6-7 cups water
  • 1 whole bay leaf
  • 1 tsp salt

Chicken Enchilada Soup:

  • 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
  • 1/2 large yellow onion diced
  • 0.75 lb large tomatoes skin peeled off, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed and minced
  • shredded chicken breasts from above
  • 4-5 cups chicken stock from above
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp minced fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 lime – juice only

Optional Toppings:

  • shredded cheese
  • sour Cream
  • toasted tortilla strips
  • chopped green onions
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat a large Dutch oven or a soup pot over medium heat as add oil. Add sliced onions and sauté for a couple of minutes, until fragrant.
  • Add water, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to boil and you can scald the tomatoes at this point, before adding the chicken.
    To scald the tomatoes in order to make it easy to peel: Make a crisscross cut at the bottom of each tomato, just enough to slice the skin. Drop the tomatoes into boiling water and let them boil for just about 45 seconds. You will see that the skin will start to come off. Take the tomatoes out with a slotted spoon and set the aside.
  • Add chicken breasts to the pot, lower the heat to almost low and cook the broth for about 1 1/2 hours.
    (White foam-like substance will appear at the top, in the beginning, just take it off with a spoon and discard.)

Chicken Enchilada Soup:

  • Take the chicken breast out of the pot, place them into a bowl, and shred using two forks, You can also dice shredded chicken for a smaller, bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
  • Pour the broth through a strainer and discard the cooked onions and bay leaf.
  • Return the pot to the heat, set the heat to medium, and add the oil.
  • Add diced onions to the pot and sauté until starts to golden. Add diced tomatoes and cook until starts to soften. Make a little well in the middle of the veggies and add minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant.
  • Add shredded chicken chicken and mix. Stir in tomato paste, then broth and seasoning. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
  • Lower the heat so the soup is cooking on a slow and gentle simmer and let it cook for about 15 minutes.
  • Add the lime juice and freshly minced cilantro and cook for a few seconds. Add in heavy whipping cream, let it heat through, and take off heat.
  • Top each serving bowl of soup with any of your favorite toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 567mg | Potassium: 624mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1149IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles
collage of two chicken enchilada soup images and title.

Originally posted on Will Cook For Smiles on January 2, 2014.

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

41.1K shares

Filed Under: Chicken, Cinco de Mayo, Gluten Free, Soup Tagged With: chicken, enchilada, soup

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Trish - Mom On Timeout says

    January 3, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    What a great soup to kick off the New Year with Lyuba! I love all of your soup recipes and this one is no exception – YUMMY! Pinned!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      January 3, 2014 at 1:52 pm

      Thank you, Trish 🙂

      Reply
  2. Robyn @ simply fresh dinners says

    January 4, 2014 at 7:39 am

    Fantastic soup, Lyuba! Your collection of soups looks so tantalizing. I can’t get enough of soup in these cold winter months. Beautiful!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      January 4, 2014 at 6:28 pm

      Me either! I love soups 🙂
      Thank you, Robyn!

      Reply
  3. Becca from It's Yummi! says

    January 4, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    It’s been so cold here in Wisconsin that I’ve wanted to eat soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the past week! This recipe looks SO good, Lyuba!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      January 4, 2014 at 6:30 pm

      Go for it, Becca!! Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  4. Tonia says

    January 6, 2014 at 10:46 am

    My daughter was just telling me that she is REALLY craving soup. This would be perfect!

    Reply
  5. Carrie @Frugal Foodie Mama says

    January 7, 2014 at 8:59 am

    Yum! I could certainly go for a bowl of this on a cold day like today!
    Thank you so much for sharing at Marvelous Mondays this week- pinned & sharing!

    Reply
  6. Miz Helen says

    January 10, 2014 at 1:00 pm

    We just can’t get enough soup lately, we will just love your Chicken Enchilada Soup. Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great weekend!
    Miz Helen

    Reply
  7. Kerry C says

    January 10, 2014 at 10:37 pm

    Your enchilada soup looks so good. We would love for you to share it with us on our link party, Saturday Dishes. http://www.coffeewithus3.com/soups-saturday-dishes/

    Reply
  8. Donna says

    January 12, 2014 at 4:04 pm

    Can you use diced canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones? I’m thinking the fire roasted diced might be good.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      January 26, 2014 at 3:46 pm

      So sorry for the late response, Donna!
      Yes, you can use canned. The taste will be different though because canned and fresh tomatoes taste pretty different. Not a bad thing 🙂 it will just be a little different.

      Reply
  9. Karly says

    January 13, 2014 at 10:06 pm

    This is calling my name! So comforting! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!

    Reply
  10. Kristen Duke says

    January 15, 2014 at 9:27 pm

    This looks so yummy for a cold, winter night!

    Reply
  11. Maggie Swain says

    June 22, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    I just came across your site and I love soups, so I will be trying them out. Thank you for your site.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      June 22, 2014 at 10:40 pm

      Thank you, Maggie! I hope you enjoy them!

      Reply
  12. Connie W says

    October 6, 2016 at 10:35 am

    I have a work luncheon and would like to make ahead and keep warm in crock pot for serving, I was wondering if it would tend to scorch?

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      October 17, 2016 at 10:32 pm

      Connie, as long as you will keep the crock pot on a warm setting as opposed to actual cooking, you should be good. You can add a little extra stock while cooking it, just in case.
      I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  13. Susan says

    October 8, 2016 at 12:33 am

    The Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup is delicious! Easy to make (I used left over rotisserie chicken), and my family loved it. I’m looking forward to trying your other recipes.
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Lyuba says

      October 17, 2016 at 10:28 pm

      Thank you, Susan! I’m happy to hear that 🙂 Enjoy!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

Soup Recipes

spooning some beef soup from a bowl

Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup

closeup of Italian wedding soup topped with shaved Parmesan

Italian Wedding Soup

closeup image of crab soup in a bowl centered in a photo

She Crab Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Chicken Meatball Soup

closeup of top view of Cioppino in a bowl

Cioppino – Seafood Stew

A bowl of white bean soup is presented with a spoon on a countertop.

White Bean Soup

vegetable broth in two canning jars next to fresh carrots, garlic, and celery

Vegetable Stock

Our Popular Recipes

Margarita Recipe

The Best Butternut Squash Soup

closeup of top view of Cioppino in a bowl

Cioppino – Seafood Stew

Spatchcock Chicken

The BEST Borscht Recipe

blue baking dish filled with spicy creamy shrimp enchiladas on a white cloth as viewed from above

Spicy Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

Top Rated Recipes

The Best French Toast

Cauliflower Parmesan Crisps

Christmas Cheesecake (Cranberry Jam White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake)

Avocado Salmon Rice Bowl

round decorative bowl filled with apple pie bread pudding topped with ice cream and a fork leaning on the side of the bowl viewed close up.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Smores cheesecake on a wooden table

S'Mores Cheesecake Recipe

Sides

30 Min

Pasta

Salads

Breakfast

Drinks

Soups

Gluten Free

FEATURED ON:

featured on

[cp_popup display="inline" style_id="32674" step_id = "1"][/cp_popup]
Buffalo Chicken Wrap with Homemade Ranch

Buffalo Chicken Wrap with Homemade Ranch

January 30, 2023
Delicious,...
The Best Classic Tiramisu

The Best Classic Tiramisu

January 14, 2023
Tiramisu...
Baked Ham with Orange Honey Ham Glaze

Baked Ham with Orange Honey Ham Glaze

December 2, 2022
This...
Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata

August 11, 2022
Chicken...
Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew

August 10, 2022
Pad...
Chicken Meatballs

Chicken Meatballs

July 15, 2022
These...
Baba Ganoush

Baba Ganoush

July 1, 2022
Baba...
Painkiller

Painkiller

June 30, 2022
A...
Truffle Fries

Truffle Fries

June 28, 2022
Truffle...
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

June 21, 2022
Thai...
Privacy Policy
©2023, Will Cook For Smiles. Design by Pixel Me Designs