This Easy Chicken Enchilada Soup is the best cozy dinner! Made with healthy ingredients in the instant pot, crockpot, or on the stove! This post is sponsored by my friends at ButcherBox.
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There are few things better than a cozy bowl of soup on a chilly fall day! This easy chicken enchilada soup is the ultimate cold weather meal!
Made with lots of chicken, enchilada sauce, beans, and corn – this delicious soup is hearty, filling and so easy to make in your instant pot, slow cooker, or on the stove!
why we love this chicken enchilada soup
There is a lot to love about this yummy soup recipe. It’s one of our favorites for a healthy dinner because:
- Easy to make: We love a quick and easy meal. This soup can be made in your instant pot, crock pot or on the stove in basically no time!
- Simple Ingredients: This soup is made with basic pantry staples that you probably already have!
- Made in one pot: One pot = less dishes! Regardless of if you cook this in the slow cooker, instant pot, or on the stove- you’ll only need one pot!
Ingredients for Enchilada Soup
Here’s what you’ll need to make chicken enchilada soup:
- olive oil
- onion & garlic
- bell peppers
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- enchilada sauce
- diced green chiles
- chicken broth
- paprika, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano
- black beans
- frozen corn thawed
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded box.
We always use ButcherBox chicken when we’re cooking!
If you’ve never heard of ButcherBox, they’re a meat delivery company that delivers super high quality meat right to your door! They have grass fed & grass finished beef, free range, organic chicken, wild caught seafood, and so much more.
It’s so convenient because the meat arrives completely frozen. We keep it in the freezer and defrost as needed throughout the week depending on what we’re having for dinner.
We’ve used their boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this chicken enchilada soup recipe. ButcherBox chicken is my absolute favorite chicken to cook with. Unlike grocery store chicken, it has barely any fat on it and it cooks beautifully!
Right now when you try ButcherBox they’ll give you free chicken for a year! Yes, you read that right! You’ll get 2 lbs of chicken for free in every box for 12 months!
How to Make Easy Enchilada Soup
Making this soup is so easy! Here’s how to do it (stovetop, slow cooker, instant pot instructions below):
- In a pot, heat olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic. Add bell peppers and sauté.
- Add in chicken breast, enchilada sauce, green chiles, water, broth, spices, beans and corn.
- Stir together. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Remove chicken from the pot. Shred the chicken and add the chicken back to the pot.
- Stir to combine & enjoy with your favorite toppings.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil, butter, or ghee.
Onion/Garlic: We don’t recommend omitting the onion/garlic. It really adds flavor!
Peppers: Feel free to skip the peppers or add in more
Chicken Breasts: You can substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts with boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenders. You can also make this chicken enchilada soup recipe with ground beef. ButcherBox has so many options!
Cooked Chicken: You can substitute cooked shredded chicken in place of raw chicken. Use 2-3 cups cooked shredded chicken. You can also use a rotisserie chicken. Pull all of the meat off of a rotisserie chicken and add it to the pot in place of raw chicken. If you use cooked chicken, cut the cook time in half.
Enchilada Sauce: Red enchilada sauce can be high in sodium. Look for a low salt version.
Diced Green Chiles: Are optional. Feel free to omit them.
Chicken Broth: Any broth or stock (broth and stock are the same) can be used in any soup recipe. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. I always use low sodium chicken broth or no salt chicken broth. I recommend doing no sodium chicken broth in this chicken enchilada soup recipe because enchilada sauce is high in salt.
Black Beans: Any beans will work in this recipe. Just make sure they are fully cooked, rinsed & drained. We like to use low/no salt added black beans- always drained. In place of black beans you can use navy beans or pinto beans.
Corn: You can omit the corn in this recipe and it will still taste delicious!
Enchilada Soup Topping Ideas
This soup is completely delicious on its own, but it’s even better with toppings. Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- Cheddar, Monterey Jack or Mozzarella Cheese
- Lime
- Sour cream or plain Greek Yogurt
- Avocado
- Green or red onions
- Crushed Tortilla chips
- Fresh Cilantro
What to serve with this Chicken Soup Recipe
This chicken enchilada soup is a complete meal in itself. If you’re looking for other things to pair it with try:
- tortilla chips
- a salad – this Kale Quinoa Salad is delicious
- toppings: Go crazy with the toppings here! See above for our favorite topping ideas. cheddar cheese, lime and avocado are my favorite!
- bread
Chicken Enchilada Soup FAQ
Chicken enchilada soup is made of chicken breast, peppers, onions, chicken broth, black beans, corn and enchilada sauce.
You can thicken enchilada soup with corn starch, or even a little bit of flour.
Yes, you can freeze enchilada soup. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Enchilada Soup with Chicken
Storage: This soup will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing: This soup freezes very well! You can freeze in airtight containers and store for up to 3 months.
We like these containers for freezing – code CLEANEATINGCOUPLE works to save $$ on our favorite silicone molds! Check out this post on How to Freeze Soup.
Reheating: You can reheat this enchilada soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. It should heat through in about 2-3 minutes.
Other healthy dinner recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Ideas. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Don’t forget-try ButcherBox today and get 2 lbs of chicken for free in every box for a year! Click here to try it!
Easy Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion chopped- 1 medium onion
- ½ tablespoon garlic minced (about 4 cloves)
- 1 cup bell peppers chopped
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup jar enchilada sauce low sodium
- 4 oz can mild diced green chiles
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups chicken broth low or no salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained & rinsed – low or no salt
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- In a soup pot, heat olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes until cooked. Add bell peppers and saute for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add in raw chicken breasts, enchilada sauce, green chiles, water, broth, spices, beans and corn.
- Stir together. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Remove cooked chicken from the pot. Shred chicken with two forks (tip: shred chicken using paddle attachment in stand mixer!) Add shredded chicken back to the pot.
- Stir to combine & enjoy with your favorite toppings.
Crockpot Instructions:
- Optional but recommended: In a sauté pan, heat olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes until cooked. Add bell peppers and sauté for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add onion/garlic/pepper mixture to the crockpot base with raw chicken breasts, enchilada sauce, green chiles, water, broth, spices, beans and corn.
- Stir together. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Remove cooked chicken from the pot. Shred chicken with two forks (tip: shred chicken using paddle attachment in stand mixer!) Add shredded chicken back to the pot.
- Stir to combine & enjoy!
Instant Pot Instructions.
- Set the instant pot to Sauté for 7 minutes. Sauté onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes until cooked. Add bell peppers and sauté for an additional 3 minutes. Make sure to scrape up any browned bits to avoid a burn notice.
- Add in raw chicken breasts, enchilada sauce, green chiles, water, broth, spices, beans and corn.
- Stir together. Cover and set the instant pot to sealing, Manual Pressure for 14 minutes.
- It will take about 10 minutes for the instant pot to come to pressure.
- Once cooked, quick release the pressure.
- Remove cooked chicken from the pot. Shred chicken with two forks (tip: shred chicken using paddle attachment in stand mixer!) Add shredded chicken back to the pot along with cooked beans and defrosted corn.
- Stir to combine & enjoy!
Nancy says
Very tasty and easy soup to make. I used chicken I cooked previously and froze. Doing so, cut down on prep time. Will make this again.
Laura says
So easy and delicious! We topped it with Monterrey Jack cheese , guacamole, and tortilla chips and it made the perfect Friday night treat meal.
ABird says
Excellent!! Will be permanently in the soup rotation for sure.
Nathan says
Amazing! I just added a few slight tweaks including using rotel 10 oz can and adding fresh lime at the end. SO GOOD!
Nathan says
Oops and I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts.
Marsha says
Such a quick and easy dinner with lots of flavor. I used rotisserie chicken, so prep was super fast. Always find easy, flavorful, macro friendly recipes here!
Melanie Tegeler says
This soup was so delicious! I added extra spices to make it spicier, but I wouldn’t recommend that! Stick to the recipe! I plan to make this for our Christmas Eve soup dinner! Thanks for sharing!
Gabby says
Made it in the instant pot! It was quick, easy, and delicious! Needs some salt, but otherwise perfect for a cold night! The whole family loved it
emma says
loved this soup. my husband loves chili’s version and he said this one was on point with the flavor. He did however want it to be thicker like chili’s. any ideas on a healthy thickener? i also used smoked paprika because its all i had. i also squirted in some lemon juice. great recipe! loved it.
emma