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Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken enchilada soup with a thick, smoky, dark red broth simmered with beans, corn, and shredded chicken for a weeknight Mexican chicken soup fix. Finish with melted shredded cheddar, sour cream, crunchy tortilla strips, and fresh avocado for an enchilada soup recipe that tastes like a cozy bowl of street-style flavors.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 3 cup cooked chicken shredded
Enchilada base
  • 1 can (28 oz) red enchilada sauce
  • 3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel) undrained
Beans and corn
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn drained
Seasoning
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.25 salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
  • 0.33 cup shredded cheddar for topping
  • 0.25 cup sour cream for topping
  • 0.25 avocado for topping
  • 2 tbsp cilantro for topping
  • 0.5 cup tortilla strips for topping

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the enchilada broth base
  1. Combine red enchilada sauce, chicken broth, Rotel, black beans, corn, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer (small bubbles, not a hard boil) and simmer for 15-20 minutes to let the flavors meld.
  3. Stir in shredded cooked chicken and simmer for 10 minutes until heated through and the soup looks thicker and cohesive.
Season and serve
  1. Taste and adjust seasoning with more cumin, chili powder, or salt as desired, aiming for a bold smoky-sour red broth flavor.
  2. Ladle into bowls and top generously with shredded cheddar so it melts on the hot soup.
  3. Finish each bowl with sour cream, diced or sliced avocado, cilantro, and tortilla strips for the stacked garnish look.
  4. Serve immediately while the cheese is melted and the tortilla strips still have some crunch.

Notes

For best flavor, simmer until the broth looks slightly thick and coats the back of a spoon; if it seems too thick, loosen with a splash of chicken broth. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freeze soup (without toppings) up to 2 months, then reheat and add fresh toppings. For a lighter option, swap sour cream for Greek yogurt and use reduced-fat cheddar if desired.