This Chicken Enchilada Soup can be made on the Stove Top or the Crock Pot and is easy to make with chicken breast, thighs, or leftover chicken! It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, and it’s made with simple ingredients. Perfect for cozy soup weather.
Be sure to try my Chicken Enchiladas, Steak Fajitas, and Chicken Quesadillas next!
Chicken Enchilada Soup
This is definitely one of my favorite cozy soups to make in the Fall and Winter months. It’s fun to play around with different ingredients. I like to UP the spice factor with some spicy cheese and an extra pinch of cayenne, but you can steer clear of spicy ingredients if preferred and just keep it mild.
This is a great recipe to make with chicken breast, chicken thighs, or even leftover chicken. Check out how to make it below and don’t miss my PRO tips below!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Note: See notes section of the recipe card for crock pot instructions.
Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic in olive oil/butter until softened. Add seasonings, enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, hot sauce, chicken broth, and chicken.
Boil gently for 15-20 minutes. Remove chicken and use 2 forks to shred. Return to soup. Add softened cream cheese and stir to combine.
Stir in the shredded cheese and serve!
Pro Tips
Cheese:
- To soften the cream cheese quickly: Heat 2 cups of water in the microwave. Place cubed cream cheese in the microwave and close the door. Let it soften for 5 minutes.
- Feel free to spice it up with 1/2 cup Cabot Hot Habanero Cheese or another kind of spicy cheese if you like heat. (This would be in place of the Monterey jack.)
- Shred the cheese from a block, it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese.
- Make sure the base isn’t too hot when the cheese is added or the dairy will separate and the consistency will be grainy.
Chicken:
- Cooking the chicken: You can let the chicken simmer over very low heat for a longer period of time. This makes the chicken extra juicy and the broth extra flavorful. Bone-in chicken thighs may also be used and create a very flavorful broth. If you plan on simmering for an extended period of time, add the black beans and corn when you remove the chicken from the soup to shred it.
- Using rotisserie or leftover chicken: 2 cups cooked chicken can also be used. You can add it at the same point as the chicken breast is added in the recipe and simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors blend, but no need to bring it to a boil.
Enchilada Sauce:
- An 8 oz. can of tomato sauce may be used as an alternative to enchilada sauce but I prefer the depth of flavor that enchilada sauce adds. My homemade enchilada sauce tastes great in this soup.
- You can also try my Chicken Taco Soup which uses salsa, or try my Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (This soup freezes well!)
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 4.5-Quart Dutch Oven– this is the one I use the make this soup.
- Box Cheese Grater– Shredding from a block tastes and melts much better than packaged cheese.
- Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
- Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time.
- Soup Ladle
- 16 oz. storage containers – I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
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Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
Seasonings
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 pinch cayenne, optional
Soup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced with seeds removed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 oz. red enchilada sauce
- 10 oz. diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
- 15 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. canned whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast (or 2 small.), see notes if using cooked chicken
- 4 oz. cream cheese, cubed and softened
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded. (Can also use more cheddar.)
Instructions
- Prep Work: Combine the seasonings and set aside. Take out the cream cheese and allow it to soften. (See notes for a quick way to do that.) Shred cheddar and Monterey jack cheese from a block and set aside.
- Heat butter and olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and the peppers. Soften for 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Pat the chicken dry and season each side with salt and pepper. Add it to the soup pot along with all remaining ingredients except for the cream cheese and shredded cheese
- Bring the soup to a gentle boil and allow the chicken to slowly cook through (a rapid boil will make it tough). About 15-20 minutes. Remove the chicken and use two forks to shred. Return it to the soup.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in the softened cream cheese until combined, then stir in the shredded cheese until melted.
- Taste and add any additional seasonings as needed, then serve!
Notes
- To soften the cream cheese quickly: Heat 2 cups of water in the microwave. Place cubed cream cheese in the microwave and close the door. Let it soften for 5 minutes.
- Feel free to spice it up with 1/2 cup Cabot Hot Habanero Cheese or another kind of spicy cheese if you like heat. (This would be in place of the Monterey jack.)
- Shred the cheese from a block, it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese.
- Make sure the base isn't too hot when the cheese is added or the dairy will separate and the consistency will be grainy.
Chicken:
- Cooking the chicken: You can let the chicken simmer over very low heat for a longer period of time. This makes the chicken extra juicy and the broth extra flavorful. Bone-in chicken thighs may also be used. Any variety of bone-in chicken creates a very flavorful broth as well.
- If you plan on simmering for an extended period of time, add the black beans and corn when you remove the chicken from the soup to shred it.
- Using rotisserie or leftover chicken: 2 cups cooked chicken can also be used. You can add it at the same point as the chicken breast is added in the recipe and simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors blend, but no need to bring it to a boil.
Enchilada Sauce:
- An 8 oz. can of tomato sauce may be used as an alternative to enchilada sauce but I prefer the depth of flavor that enchilada sauce adds. My homemade enchilada sauce tastes great in this soup.
- You can also try my Chicken Taco Soup which uses salsa, or try my Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe!
Crock Pot Method
- Place all ingredients in the slow cooker except for the shredded cheese, cream cheese, corn, black beans, and garnishes.
- Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Turn off heat. Remove the chicken, shred it, and add it back to the soup along with the corn and black beans.
- Gradually mix in the softened cream cheese and shredded cheese and stir to incorporate.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (This soup freezes well!)
Phenomenal! 🤤 I used rotisserie chicken. I omitted the spicy ingredients because I know my kiddos. But and I added another can of beans to go further. It’s definitely a do over!
I’m so happy it was a victory! Rotisserie chicken is a great time saver and it’s so flavorful. Thanks so much for the review!❤️
Our FAVORITE soups to make! I wouldn’t change a thing! 🤌
I’m so happy you’re enjoying it Megan! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!🩷
Looks so good! My family will love it, or at least, I will🤣 ( picky kids).
Thanks so much Hillary! I think even the picky kiddos will love it. Enjoy!🩷
This was very good. I do not like spicy so I left out the hot sauce. I was worried with the jalapeno it would be too hot already, but the dairy really calms it down. My husband loved it before the cheese/ cream cheese was added (He’s not the cheese lover that I am) so I think next time I will divide it before adding the dairy. Thank you for this amazing soup recipe.
You’re very welcome Ann! Thanks so much for the review!
I don’t have cream cheese, can I just add sour cream instead? Thanks!
Sour cream will work, yes! ❤️
This is absolutely delicious! Made it for a soup day at my elementary school for my co-workers and they loved it! So easy. I added bell pepper instead of jalapeño pepper. Used Costco rotisserie chicken and it was so easy and quick to make!
Thanks so much for the great comments Meg!❤️ I love that you made it for your coworkers, soup day sounds like something I should be a part of lol.
Super yummy! Ran out of chili powder. Substituted paprika, cumin and a titch of cayenne.
Nice work making tweaks Sheila! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thanks so much!❤️
This soup is so delicious! I used precooked shredded chicken, doubled the spice recipe (which made no hot sauce necessary), and topped with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla strips. Heavenly and making again very soon!
Nice work Sara! Pre cooked shredded chicken is such a great time saver. I’m so happy you enjoyed this one, thanks so much for the review!🩷
Very good
Thanks so much Lorna!💗
Made this with leftover turkey. It was superb!! Didn’t have jalapeños but we don’t like super spicy but did add the pinch of cayenne. It was perfect!! Just the right amount of spice without being overpowering. We had it with Fritos. Will definitely make this again.
I’m so happy this was such a success Jules! Definitely a great way to use leftover turkey. Thanks so much for the great review!❤️