Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Why This Recipe Works

Simple ingredients — The ingredients in this enchilada soup recipe couldn’t be any simpler. Chicken, a few spices, some cream cheese, canned beans and corn, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, and chicken broth — that’s about it and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand right now! 

Kid-approved — My kids can be picky but this is not a soup they’ll turn away. In fact, sometimes I get a bit miffed when they eat more than one serving because that just means less for me tomorrow! 

Customizable — I mentioned my kids love this dish, and that’s mostly because it’s tasty but not spicy. That’s where the customization comes in. I keep it mild for them but then add crushed red pepper flakes and hot sauce to mine. Sliced jalapenos work well too. You can also change up the kind of beans you put in, skip the corn, use a can of chili-ready tomatoes, try out some chipotles — really, anything you like to make it yours.

Ingredients

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts — You can also stir in leftover shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken if you prefer.
• Chicken Broth — I think low-sodium chicken broth is the way to go, then just add salt later to taste. 
• Cumin and Cayenne Pepper — For flavor! 
• Cream Cheese — I use light cream cheese to lighten the fat content of this dish a bit but you could also use full-fat cream cheese too. 
• Black Beans — Any kind of canned beans is great in this chicken enchilada soup recipe. You’ll want to pour them out and rinse them off first before adding to the slow cooker. 
• Yellow Corn — I use a low-salt version of canned corn kernels. Again, rinse and drain before adding to the soup. 
• Enchilada Sauce — One 15 ounce can of enchilada sauce.
• Tomato Sauce — Any kind of name brand tomato sauce is great in this recipe. 
• Chicken Broth — Chicken broth will be more flavorful in this recipe but you can also substitute water if you don’t have any broth on hand. 
• Optional Toppings: And now for the best part of any soup: the toppings! My favorites to add to this cream enchilada soup include tomatoes, shredded cheese, tortilla chip strips, avocados, and cilantro. 

Here’s How You Make It

1. Heat the oil in a large lidded saucepan or Dutch oven set over a medium high heat. Fry the onions until soft but not yet starting to color with a pinch of salt. Stir in the minced garlic. Cook for a further minute, then add the cumin. Cook for a minute more. (photo 1)
2. Add the remaining ingredients (chicken broth, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, black beans, corn and the cayenne pepper). Stir, then add the chicken breasts. Bring the soup to a simmer, then cook on medium with the lid on for 20 minutes. (photo 2-3)
3. Remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with two forks. (not pictured)
4. Whisk in the cream cheese until melted into the soup and return the shredded chicken. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the chicken is heated through. (photo 4)
5. Season to taste with fresh lime juice and salt before serving with your choice of toppings. (not pictured)