You might have heard of white Mexican chili, but have you heard of Chicken Enchilada Soup? I thought I invented this recipe. But like most recipe ideas, lots of other people had this same notion, too. But mine is the best!
Cravings have inspired some of my best recipes. And one day when I couldn’t decide between fixing my favorite white chili or fixing red-sauced chicken enchiladas, I thought, Why not combine these two cravings into one satisfying, flavor-packed culinary concoction of delight? And with that, my Chicken Enchilada Soup was born.
I use chicken broth—homemade, if I have time—in just about everything. To add a dimension of flavor to soups, definitely, but also mashed potatoes, pork dishes, even beef dishes. Who doesn’t want more flavor? And meat flavors don’t really clash— hence, the four-meat pizza, right?
This Chicken Enchilada Soup takes chicken enchiladas and adds a brothier sauce through the use of chicken broth.
You couldn’t ask for a more delicious, satisfying soup that even the manliest men in my family (i.e., all of them) enjoy. It’s a hearty dish that anyone can get behind, with every spoonful brimming with delicious tidbits of cheese, sauce, chicken, peppers, onions, and that red broth. It’s a zesty dish that will delight family and friends alike.
The Secret to Delicious Layered Soups
The secret is in the title. Layer your flavors, making sure that each is fragrant and flavorful before adding the next.
Like this:
First, even when using a slow cooker, always sauté your aromatics and cook them till they’re just that—aromatic. You simply add oil to the slow cooker or Instant Pot and sauté by turning the slow cooker on high or IP on sauté.
By the way, soup-stews like this are a great place to make sure your family is getting their eye nutrients. Orange peppers are loaded with lutein and vitamin A, crucial for eye health. So, serve them with fat on top so they can absorb all that eye-nourishing vitamin A. Full-fat sour cream will do this nicely.
Layers two and three are your meat and broth. If you don’t have homemade broth, you can use bone-in chicken pieces to create broth as you slow-cook through the slow extraction of marrow from bone, or add in some marrow and collagen-rich chicken paws and remove them later.
How do I prep and store this soup?
Soups and stews are refrigerator and freezer friendly. That’s because everything is already nicely cooked. You’ll want to store it in an airtight bowl. This soup will refrigerate for several days and freeze for up to two months. But leave the sour cream and cheese off—dairy does not freeze well.
Serving Suggestions
My Chicken Enchilada Soup makes a great addition to a Mexican feast full of fun flavors. Try it with some crunch-rich sides and mains like my Oven-Baked Nachos or my Loaded Totchos (Mexican tater tots!) and, for dessert, my delicious Sopapillas or my Tres Leche Cake, both are majorly delicious.
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1 pound
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/4 cup red enchilada sauce
- 2 cans black beans 14 ounces each, rinsed and drained
- 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 14 ounces, with juice
- 1 can whole-kernel corn 15 ounces, drained
- 1 can diced green chiles 4 ounces
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 white onion diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- Optional garnishes: chopped fresh cilantro diced avocado, diced red onion, shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except for the optional garnishes into a large slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or on low heat for 6-8 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and can be easily shredded with two forks.
- Shred the chicken inside the slow cooker, then stir to mix the chicken back into the soup.
- Serve the soup warm with any combination of the optional garnishes.
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