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Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken enchilada soup with a thick, smoky, dark red broth made on the stovetop and simmered until richly flavored. Loaded with shredded chicken, black beans, corn, and finished with melty cheddar, sour cream, crunchy tortilla strips, and fresh avocado.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken Enchilada Soup
  • 3 cup cooked chicken, shredded
  • 1 can (28 oz) red enchilada sauce
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel), undrained
  • 3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 shredded cheddar for topping
  • 1 sour cream for topping
  • 1 avocado for topping
  • 1 cilantro for topping
  • 1 tortilla strips for topping

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Build the soup base
  1. Combine red enchilada sauce, chicken broth, diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel), black beans, corn, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large pot and place it over medium-high heat, stirring to combine.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes so the flavors meld, stirring occasionally.
Add chicken and finish
  1. Stir in shredded chicken and simmer for 10 minutes until heated through.
  2. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with more cumin, chili powder, or salt as desired.
Serve
  1. Ladle the soup into bowls.
  2. Top generously with shredded cheddar, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and tortilla strips, then serve immediately.

Notes

For the best texture, keep tortilla strips and fresh avocado for the top right before serving so the strips stay crisp. Store leftover soup (without toppings) in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat on the stove over medium until hot. Freezing is not recommended if you want the same fresh topping texture, but the soup base freezes well up to 2 months. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cheese and sour cream while keeping the same spice and simmer time.