I may have mentioned this before, but I love soup (like, LOVE love), especially when it takes just minutes to pull together, like this easy chicken enchilada soup. I could eat it all day, every day, even in 80 degree weather. Especially now that fall has brought brisk weather and shorter days, I crave the warmth of a cup of soup--feels so cozy!
The other evening, I was looking for a new easy soup recipe to make for dinner and my girlfriend (hi, Annie!) suggested this quick recipe from The Wanderlust Kitchen, which I adapted to include tomato paste, garlic and a bit of a spice kick, and let me tell you, it's good! So good, I ate it for three, count 'em, THREE meals in a row!
You'll love this recipe because there's minimal cleanup--all it takes is one pot, a cutting board and a bowl for mixing the cream cheese with the enchilada sauce.
This easy chicken enchilada soup is creamy and hearty, perfect for chilly fall days. The creaminess comes from the Greek cream cheese, which also gives it twice the protein as regular cream cheese and half the fat. I usually find my Greek cream cheese right next to the regular cream cheese in the dairy section of the grocery store, but if you can't find the Greek version, you can easily swap in regular cream cheese to get the creamy texture.
In the mood for more? Check out all of my soup recipes.
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Easy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 (14-ounce) can enchilada sauce
- 1 (8-ounce) package Greek cream cheese
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (10-ounce) bag frozen corn
- 1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes with chilies
For Topping
- 5 small corn tortillas, sliced into thin strips
- 1 avocado, sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- 6 tablespoons sour cream
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven (at least 3 quarts) over medium-high heat. Add tortilla strips in a single layer and fry on one side until crisp and brown before flipping. Remove tortilla strips with a fish spatula or slotted spoon when brown and toasted, about 2 mins. Set aside on a paper towel to drain.
- Pour remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the pot. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the diced chicken and cook 7-10 minutes, until chicken is browned and cooked through.
- While chicken is cooking, puree the cumin, cayenne pepper, tomato paste, enchilada sauce and cream cheese in a food processor (or mix by hand until well combined).
- Once chicken is cooked through, slowly add chicken broth to the pot, followed by the cream cheese mixture. Combine well and then add the black beans, frozen corn, and diced tomatoes with chilies. Simmer soup over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, until corn is cooked and the soup is heated through.
- Top with tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, sour cream and/or cheddar cheese, if desired and serve warm.
Recipe adapted from The Wanderlust Kitchen.
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