Easy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced (~1.5 cups)
• 2 red bell peppers, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (19 oz) can red enchilada sauce
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz) can corn, drained
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt to start

Sauté the Vegetables and Poach the Chicken

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and bell peppers and cook for ~5-8 minutes, until they soften. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the whole chicken breasts to the pot. Pour in the enchilada sauce and chicken broth; then stir in the chili powder, cumin, and kosher salt.

Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for ~15-20 minutes. The chicken is done when it hits ~165F internal.

Shred the Chicken and Finish the Soup

Take the cooked chicken out of the pot and shred it with two forks.

Put the shredded chicken back into the pot and stir in the black beans and corn. Let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes with the lid off.

Stir in the Cheese Off the Heat

Pull the pot completely off the heat. Stir in the shredded cheese until it’s all melted and the soup is smooth. This step is important; adding cheese while the soup is boiling can make it grainy.

Taste it and see if it needs more salt before serving.

Easy Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is basically enchiladas in a bowl, without any of the work of rolling them. The cheese gets stirred in right at the end, which makes the whole soup creamy.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion ~1.5 cups, finely diced
• 2 red bell peppers finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 can red enchilada sauce 19 oz
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 can black beans 15 oz, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn 15 oz, drained
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt to start

Instructions

• Melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Sauté diced onion and peppers 5-8 minutes until soft.
• Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
• Add whole chicken breasts, enchilada sauce, broth, chili powder, cumin, and salt.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes until chicken reaches 165F.
• Remove chicken, shred with forks.
• Return shredded chicken to pot, add beans and corn.
• Simmer uncovered 10 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat completely.
• Stir in cheese until melted and smooth.
• Season with additional salt to taste.

Notes

Do not add cheese while soup is boiling to prevent graininess.