Go Back

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken enchilada soup with a thick, smoky dark red broth made by simmering enchilada sauce, Rotel, and beans until the flavors meld. Loaded with shredded chicken and topped like enchiladas—with melted cheddar, sour cream, tortilla strips, and fresh avocado.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 large pot

Method
 

Build the enchilada broth
  1. Combine enchilada sauce, chicken broth, Rotel, black beans, corn, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir until the mixture looks evenly dark red and well combined.
  2. Bring to a boil in the pot, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer for 15-20 minutes. You should see steady bubbles and the broth thicken slightly as flavors meld.
Finish with chicken
  1. Stir in shredded chicken and simmer another 10 minutes over gentle heat. The chicken should be warmed through and the broth should look hearty and cohesive.
  2. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with more cumin, chili powder, or salt as desired. Keep the pot at a low simmer while seasoning so it distributes quickly.
Serve
  1. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top generously with shredded cheddar, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and tortilla strips.
  2. Serve immediately. The cheese should begin melting right on top while the tortilla strips stay crisp.

Notes

For the best texture, use shredded chicken that’s fully cooked (rotisserie or leftover works) so it just warms in the simmer. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stove. Freezing is not ideal because toppings like sour cream and avocado will change texture—freeze soup only, then add fresh toppings after reheating. For a lighter option, swap sour cream for plain Greek yogurt and use reduced-fat shredded cheddar.