The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
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 Baked Tacos 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.
Try These Next
-
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
-
- Steak Fajitas
-
- Cajun Chicken
-
- Beef Lo Mein
-
- Chicken Enchiladas
-
- Chicken Corn Chowder
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Chicken Enchilada Soup
This EASY Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe can be made on the stove top or in the Crock Pot! Use chicken breast, chicken thighs, or leftover chicken along with simple pantry ingredients.
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
Cheese:
Chicken:
Enchilada Sauce:
Crock Pot Method
Storage
- 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!)
Nutrition
Calories: 242kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 697mg, Potassium: 433mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 670IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 154mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
My six year old had seconds! Easy and delicious. I added a can of garbanzo beans.
I am so happy that your six year old loved this recipe, that’s excellent!!! This is one of my favorites too, so much flavor. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂 -Stephanie
This was a hit in my house! I used the jalapeño and a dash of cayenne but did not add the hot sauce (my 10 year old daughter is not a big fan of heat) and it was perfect, just enough spice without being overwhelming or spicy! I used boneless chicken breast, and to cut down on time (since I was making in while kids were at sports practice) I cubed the chicken so it would cook faster. It was creamy and delicious! We serviced it with tortilla chips and topped with avocado. Absolutely delicious! My 14 year old son made sure we had zero leftovers. We will definitely add this to our winter soups.
I’m so happy this was such a hit Jessica, thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!💖
This was so delicious! I used bone in chicken thighs as well as extra jalapeños and heat spices for my family! They loved it!!!❤️
Chicken thighs and extra spices is yummmm Denise, nice work!🙌 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, I’m so happy everyone loved it!💖
This was delicious. I used chicken thighs instead of chicken breast, I took out jalapenos and hot sauce cause the cayenne pepper was right amount of heat, I didn’t add the shredded cheese but kept the cream cheese and added a little bit of salt. My 8 yr old loved it. I will be making this a staple.
So happy that you enjoyed it Danielle!
This was delicious. I swapped chicken breast for boneless thighs. I didn’t add the hot sauce or jalapenos, the pinch of cayenne powder was enough heat for us. Made my own black beans. My 8 yr old daughter loved it. I will definitely make this again. Thanks.
You’re very welcome Danielle! Happy to hear you enjoyed this with chicken thighs, yum! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review💖
It took over an hour for the cream cheese to melt. I must’ve done something wrong.
Hi Phil, it needs to be cubed and softened, (was it)? Did you use a generic brand maybe? I always use Philadelphia and it melts well. I also ensure it’s at room temp. Either way, it shouldn’t take over an hour to melt.
First let me start off by saying I’m pre-diabetic and hypertensive so I need to control carbs, sodium, and fat. But I also love good food. So the modifications I made are based on my health status. But I love this recipe. With exception of diced tomatoes with green chiles & hot sauce, I used all the ingredients you outlined just used less of the cheeses. I did use all of the beans and corn but I think next time I may reduce by half to further limit the carbs. I also doubled the chili powder & cumin. But because I used rinsed canned beans & corn as well as canned enchilada sauce there was no need to add additional salt. I did double the amount of enchilada sauce to make up for the missing green chiles.
To bump up veggies next time and there will be a next time, I will add grated zucchini or possibly frozen leaf spinach. I didn’t add hot sauce because I didn’t have it.
Good thing about this recipe is that I can easily make this on my truck (I drive a semi) with basic ingredients I typically stock on my truck. Way better than truck stop food.
Very happy with this and thanks for posting it.
I love that you can make this in your truck with your dietary restrictions Jonni, nice work!🙌 Thanks so much for the great review!
Hit the spot!!! Loved how creamy it was. Can I freeze this? And how long will it last in freezer?
Hi Sharon, this soup freezes very well! I usually say for up to 3 months, but longer would be fine if frozen properly:)
Amazing!! I used leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. EVERYONE loves it!
Such a great way to use leftover Thanksgiving Turkey! I always make soups or casseroles with the leftover turkey😋 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review Stacey!
This soup, like all of your recipes, is delicious and no-fail. I’m just learning to cook so I appreciate the photos, pro tips and lists of tools needed. I started with your crock pot recipes (all no-fail and fabulous) and now I’m working through your soups. I’m 65 years old and this is the first time I’ve felt confident about cooking and am having fun doing it. And loving the compliments and encouragement from my husband and friends. Thank you!
Wow Cheryl these wonderful comments made my day! I love that you’re feeling confident now in your cooking and appreciate the pictures and pro tips. Thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!💗💗💗