Name: Chicken Enchilada Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons olive oil; 1/2 cup onion (diced); 1 teaspoon garlic (minced); 1/2 cup masa harina corn flour; 4 cups chicken broth; 2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or cubed); 10 ounce can red enchilada sauce; 15 ounce can black beans (drained and rinsed); 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes (do not drain); 4 ounce can diced green chiles; 1/2 cup corn kernels (frozen, fresh or canned); 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped); salt and pepper to taste; assorted toppings such as tortilla strips, sour cream and avocado

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This chicken enchilada soup is loaded with shredded chicken, corn, beans, vegetables and cheese, then finished off with a variety of toppings. An easy one pot dinner that the whole family will love!

We eat a lot of soup during the winter, some of our favorites are stuffed pepper soup, cabbage roll soup, taco soup and this amazingly delicious enchilada soup.

Chicken enchiladas are awesome, but let’s face it, they can be a lot of work. Between making the filling, the sauce, then rolling up all those tortillas, it can be an hours long affair. This chicken enchilada soup has all the same great flavors but with WAY less work. It’s a one pot meal that’s on the table in less than 30 minutes.

How do you make chicken enchilada soup?

This soup starts with a saute of onions and garlic. The next ingredient is one you may not have heard of before, and it’s called masa harina which is a corn flour. It’s sold in my grocery store under the brand name Maseca in the baking aisle. If you can’t find masa harina, you can omit it, but this corn flour really gives the soup an authentic flavor and helps to thicken up the broth.

After the onions and masa harina are in the pot, the chicken, tomatoes, corn, black beans, green chiles, enchilada sauce and broth all follow.

Tips for chicken enchilada soup

You can use any kind of cooked chicken for this soup, such as leftover cubed chicken, shredded rotisserie chicken, or roasted chicken.
Not a fan of black beans? Try pinto beans instead.
I use frozen corn, but canned or fresh corn will also work just fine.
I chose a mild red enchilada sauce, but if you prefer spicy, use a hot enchilada sauce instead.

The final step to this chicken enchilada soup is to stir in some shredded cheese, which thickens the soup even more and gives it a rich and creamy flavor.

Add a little cilantro and you’re ready to eat! I love to add a variety of toppings on my bowl of soup including

More cheese!
Tomatoes
Olives
Avocado
Tortilla strips
Sour cream

Slow cooker chicken enchilada soup

You can make this soup in the slow cooker, but you’ll want to start with uncooked chicken breasts. Place the chicken breasts, along with the onion, beans, chiles, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, masa harina and broth in the crock pot. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Shred the chicken with two forks, then return it to the soup. Stir in the cheese, top with cilantro, and serve.

This soup is absolutely perfect for a cold day, it’s comfort food at its finest!

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