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Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 to 3 cups (about 1 pound) shredded cooked chicken
- 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) enchilada sauce, homemade or store-bought
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup masa harina
- 8 ounces freshly-grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- optional toppings: tortilla chips/strips, diced avocado, extra shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, or pico de gallo
Instructions
- Sauté the veggies. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Simmer. Add the chicken stock, cooked chicken, enchilada sauce, black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, cumin and stir to combine. Continue cooking the soup until it reaches a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer.
- Mix in the masa harina. Ladle out 2 cups of the hot broth into a heatproof bowl or measuring cup. Add the masa harina and whisk until combined. Add the mixture back to the hot soup and stir until combined.
- Add the cheeses. Add the cheeses and stir until melted and evenly combined. Taste and season the soup with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve. Serve warm, garnished with lots of your favorite toppings.
Notes
Source: Recipe inspired by the amazing chicken enchilada soup from Chili's.
Update: Recipe updated slightly in 2022.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Trying to make this recipe for dinner tonight but I cannot find the corn flour anywhere, what can i use in place of it?
Hey Penny, you can use cornmeal, as that’s the closest substitute, and it will work really well!
I guess this is a fusion of some type and more Tex-Mex than Mexican. The black beans are a Caribbean addition.
I really object to using canned enchilada sauce especially when it is so easy to make it at home. Traditional enchilada sauce does not have tomato in it. It is just chile, spices & herbs, broth, a bit of flour and onion. We make a roux then add the broth, The recipe for homemade on this site is pretty good though. I am so happy tomatoes were not used. That stuff in the can is super Tex-Mex and the Mexicans in my town in Texas would not even use it. In our Mexican family we make our own although I do enjoy Tex-Mex sometimes because it means I don’t have to cook! : )
I plan on making this for a potluck tomorrow. Will it keep well in a crockpot, or will it burn? I saw your crockpot version, but I like the masa harina and cheese in this one.
Yeah, the Crock Pot might be difficult with this one with the masa and cheese. I would wait to add the cheese and masa until the very end. And for the masa, I would whisk it together in a separate bowl with equal parts chicken broth until it is dissolved, and THEN add it to the hot soup. Hope that helps!
This was scrumptious…a keeper…a definite make again! I used boneless chicken thighs (cause that’s what I had on hand), and cut them cut into strips for quick cooking. I did have homemade enchilada sauce in the freezer and think that added a lot in terms of flavor. Soup was topped the soup with blue tortilla chips and avocado.
We’re glad you enjoyed this Jen!
Just made this tonight and it was amazing!!!! I was on the fence about buying the corn flour because I don’t have anything else to use it for however it is a real necessity. When it cooks in it gives you this great aroma from the corn flour, if I had used all purpose flour I don’t think I would have liked this soup nearly as much.
Yes!! It’s definitely one of the key ingredients in the soup, and one of my favs. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this soup. I made the homemade enchilada sauce which was easy and delicious. This recipe is a keeper. Just wonderful. If there are any vegetarians that may want something like this, I tasted it before adding the chicken and it was really delicious. I also thought it was delicious before adding the cheese, if dairy is a problem for you. I can never make a recipe without adding my tweaks. I added a bit of tomato paste to the enchilada sauce and upped the spices a bit. I also threw in a can of corn because I love corn in mexican red saucy foods. I will probably add a bit of cayenne because I like it spicy.
Make this soup! Your family will love it and so will you.
Thanks so much for your sweet words Renee! We’re thrilled that you love this soup! Also, thanks for sharing your tweaks. :)
I rarely comment on blogs or recipes for that matter but this one was sooo good I had to! Everyone just loved it!
I got the corn flour at Whole Foods, it was labeled corn flour on the bag and only $2.99. I also got the black beans at Whole Foods and got the “Spicy Black Beans” which were ready to serve, not super liquidy but I drained a bit of the liquid that was excess anyway. I also cut the cheese to 5 oz. to save on fat and calories, not much I know but any bit helps, right?! I did make the shredded chicken ahead of time and used this method: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-to-simple-shredded-chicken-and-another-recipe-collage/ – super easy and chicken came out great! I reserved the rest in a bag for another dinner later in the week.
This recipe is amazing and will now be in regular rotation at my house! Thank you!
We’re so happy to hear that Aly, thank you for taking the time to comment! :)
Can you substitute for the corn flour if you don’t have any or do you really need that type of flour? All I have is all-purpose and whole wheat flour. Also, would it change the consistency if I blended up the diced tomatoes? My bf doesn’t like tomato chunks haha.
Hi Jennifer! If you can’t find masa harina, cornmeal is the closest substitute. And we don’t think the consistency would change if you blended the tomatoes. :) Enjoy!
This looks like an awesome thing to make for my roommates- is it spicy? One of my roommates has approximately zero tolerance for spicy food so if it is, I’ll have to figure out what to do to make it milder. Thanks!
Thanks Maggie! If your roommate likes no spice at all, we’d suggest buying a mild enchilada sauce, because the homemade recipe is easy to scale back on the heat, but difficult to take it out completely since the chili powder is the central ingredient. We think the canned green chillies should be fine though, as they don’t pack much heat, but if you want to play it really safe, you could leave them out. We hope this helps!
I’m so excited to try this! I didn’t see corn flour at the grocery store today…could I use corn starch instead?
If you can’t find masa harina, cornmeal is the best substitute. We hope you enjoy this Lindsey!