This 5-star Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe checks all the boxes! It’s made with clean eating ingredients, gluten-free, and delicious! You’ll love this easy-to-prepare one-pot meal on busy work nights or to add to your meal prep routine.
Broth-based healthy soup recipes are some of my favorites to make. For example, Pizza Soup, Italian Chicken Soup, and Stuffed Pepper soup are high-protein, low fat, and low carb, helping to fill my belly without a lot of fat and calories.
Now we can add Chicken Enchilada Soup to this list.
Reasons you’ll love this recipe.
- Healthy one-pot recipe. You’ll appreciate the easy preparation and clean-up on meal prep day or during the busy work week.
- Nutritious and filling. This soup is on the lower-carb side, high protein, and gluten-free. You will feel warm, fuzzy, and wholly nourished inside and out.
- Delicious. This healthy chicken enchilada soup is one of the most flavorful recipes I make. This soup is like chicken enchiladas made into a soup, and it’s spicy but still family-friendly- everyone loves it.
- Make-ahead. The flavors of this soup get better by the day, so it’s perfect for making on Sunday for the week. Or freeze this soup recipe to enjoy later on. I’ll offer more tips on how to freeze soup later on.
Ingredients
Onion and garlic. All of my favorite soup recipes start with an onion and garlic foundation.
Jalapeno pepper. This gives the soup a nice spicy kick. I use one jalapeno pepper, but you can certainly use more.
Chicken broth. For best results, I recommend using high-quality chicken broth. Some lower-quality chicken broths have fillers, additives, and often gluten.
So, to keep this a gluten-free soup recipe, choose an organic chicken broth. My favorite brands are Wegmans Organic store brand and Pacific Foods.
Boneless chicken breast. To keep this soup recipe clean, I recommend using organic chicken breasts. Most of the time, I purchase organic chicken online from Butcher Box. However, Wegmans and Whole Foods offers reasonable prices on high-quality chicken breasts.
Chili-style diced tomatoes. I always use chili-style diced tomatoes for extra depth of flavor whenever I make Mexican-inspired recipes.
Red enchilada sauce. I have this easy homemade enchilada sauce made and in the freezer most of the time. It is delicious and perfect for this recipe! Using homemade also keeps the sodium low. You can also use green enchilada sauce.
If you plan to grab a can from the grocery store, read the label to make sure it uses simple ingredients and leaves out the additives and preservatives. Wegman’s, Whole Foods, and Thrive Market have delicious store-bought enchilada sauce.
Black beans. Beans give this enchilada soup extra fiber and texture.
Half and half. This adds creaminess to the soup and balances out the enchilada sauce and jalapeno heat.
Lime and cilantro. These are optional ingredients but do add a delicious burst of fresh flavor to the enchilada soup, so I recommend using both if possible.
Shredded pepper jack cheese. Another optional ingredient, cheese gives this enchilada soup added flavor and texture. We love pepper jack, but Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese is tasty.
Cooking Tips & Substitutions
Make this soup dairy-free. You can swap non-dairy milk for half and half, and I recommend unsweetened coconut milk (in the carton) for a similar creamy texture.
You control the heat. To spice it up, add more jalapeno or if you’re brave enough to include a ghost pepper, go for it. Or stir in a can of green chiles, a pinch of cayenne pepper or adobo chili powder. Or add cumin or chili powder for extra spice and flavor. If you prefer a mild soup, then leave the peppers out altogether. It’s up to you whether or not you want this chicken enchilada soup to be spicy.
Bulk up the veggies. One of the things I love about this soup recipe is that it’s so versatile. Add in frozen corn, mushrooms, bell peppers, celery, carrots, or whatever vegetables you have.
Spoon over pasta and grains. If you want some extra bulk, enjoy some rice or pasta with the soup. To keep the soup gluten-free then make sure to use a gluten-free short pasta.
Swap in other chicken. This chicken enchilada soup recipe shows you how to quickly cook the chicken breast in the broth and then shred to stir back into the soup.
If you have shredded chicken in the freezer, you can easily use that in this soup recipe. Use about 2-cups of shredded chicken but don’t worry if you add a little extra. Or you also use leftover rotisserie chicken.
If you want, chicken thighs can also be used in the recipe. Chicken thighs will add more fat to the soup but a lot of flavors too.
Don’t forget the toppings. This soup is delicious topped with crushed corn tortilla chips, sour cream, avocado, shredded cheese, cilantro, and a squirt of lime.
FAQs
This soup is creamy, but it’s a broth-based soup making it not as thick.
If you prefer a thick creamy soup, then after the soup cooks, ladle a ½ cup of the soup broth into a small bowl and make a slurry by whisking in ¼ cup of cornstarch, masa harina, corn flour or gluten-free flour until it dissolves. Whisk the slurry into the soup and let it simmer for another 15 minutes or until it thickens.
You can also stir in cream cheese to add another layer of creaminess to the soup while thickening it up.
Yes, making this enchilada soup recipe in the slow cooker is easy.
1. Start by sautéing the onions, garlic, and jalapenos using a large skillet.
2. Add the vegetables to the crock pot insert.
3. Place the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables.
4. Pour in the rest of the ingredients, except the half and half, and stir.
5. Tightly place the lid on and set the cooking time to 6 hours on low.
6. Remove the chicken, shred, and add back into the soup.
7. Stir in half and half.
8. Place the lid back on and cook for another 20-30 minutes or until hot. Serve hot.
Shop this recipe
- Cutting board
- Sharp Knife
- 5 ½ Quart Dutch Oven or Soup Pot
Our Favorite Dutch Oven
How to Make Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 5 ½ quart Dutch Oven or soup pot. Sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper until the onion is fragrant and translucent.
- Pour in the chicken broth and bring the soup to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and add in the raw chicken breast. Cook the chicken breasts for about 10 minutes (or until no longer pink in the middle), flipping one time. Remove the chicken from the soup pot and place it on a plate. Set the chicken aside to cool. Or use two forks to shred the chicken.
- To the soup, stir in the diced tomatoes and enchilada sauce. Continue simmering for about 20 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cool to the touch, shred it and add it to the soup along with the half and half and black beans. Cook for another 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
- If you want, squeeze in the juice from 1/2 a lime and add in a little chopped cilantro—taste for salt and pepper.
- Serve hot with a couple of tablespoons of shredded pepper jack cheese and extra cilantro.
Storage Tips
Like most soup recipes, this healthy chicken enchilada soup gets better by the day, making it perfect for meal prep. Here are some tips for having this soup ready ahead of time.
For the week
After the soup cools, place it into airtight containers, and refrigerate for up to 5 days. I recommend portioning out so it’s easier to pack for healthy work lunches.
In the freezer
After the soup cools, portion out into airtight containers or freeze into portions using silicone trays (like Super Cubes) and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to Freeze Soup Tutorial. Stock your freezer with healthy soup recipes using this easy how to freeze soup tutorial. Learn all of our tips and tricks for freezing soup.
Other healthy soup recipes
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Equipment
- 5 1/2 quart dutch oven or soup pot
- cutting board
- sharp knife
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped
- 3 cups organic chicken broth
- 2 4-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 14.5 ounce can chili-style diced tomatoes
- 1 1/4 cups homemade red enchilada sauce or 10-ounce can high-quality enchilada sauce
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup half and half
- salt and pepper to taste
- lime *optional
- cilantro *optional
- shredded pepper jack cheese *optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 5 ½ quart Dutch Oven or soup pot. Sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper until the onion is fragrant and translucent.
- Pour in the chicken broth and bring the soup to a boil.Reduce to a simmer and add in the raw chicken breast.
- Cook the chicken breasts for about 10 minutes (or until no longer pink in the middle), flipping one time. Remove the chicken from the soup pot and place it on a plate. Set the chicken aside to cool. Or use two forks to shred the chicken.
- To the soup, stir in the diced tomatoes and enchilada sauce. Continue simmering for about 20 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cool to the touch, shred it and add it to the soup along with the half and half and black beans. Cook for another 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
- If you want, squeeze in the juice from 1/2 a lime and add in a little chopped cilantro—taste for salt and pepper.
- Serve hot with a couple of tablespoons of shredded pepper jack cheese and extra cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Have you tried our Healthy Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe? If so, I’d love for you to rate it and leave a comment below. We all benefit from your own personal experience with this recipe and what, if anything, you did differently. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it!
kayla says
I have made this recipe like 5 or 6 times in the last year. I love it!!!!
Shewta Singh says
I am a great lover of chicken, I have tried various chicken recepies but chicken soup is my favourite but chicken enchilada soup is looking very delicious. I will try to make this recipies at my home when there will be a cold day. How much time should I bake the chicken?
Kim says
This looks awesome. I can’t wait to try it! I made the Buffalo chicken and it turned out great. BTW, just notice you are a Buffalonian. Me too! Born and raised in West Seneca 🙂