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Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Creamy chicken enchilada soup with a rich red broth made from enchilada sauce, chicken broth, and melted cream cheese. Simmered until the shredded chicken is tender, then finished with your favorite loaded toppings like sour cream, cheddar, tortilla strips, cilantro, and lime.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

chicken breast
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast, cooked and shredded
black beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
corn
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
onion
  • 1 onion, diced
garlic
  • 3 clove garlic, minced
red enchilada sauce
  • 1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
chicken broth
  • 4 cup chicken broth
heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
cream cheese
  • 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
ground cumin
  • 2 tsp cumin
chili powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
sour cream
  • 0.25 cup sour cream (for serving)
cheddar
  • 0.75 cup cheddar (for serving)
tortilla strips
  • 1 cup tortilla strips (for serving)
cilantro
  • 0.25 cup cilantro (for serving)
lime
  • 1 lime (for serving)
salt and pepper
  • 0.25 tsp salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the aromatics
  1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and sauté the onion for 4 minutes until softened and fragrant, stirring as needed. Add the garlic, cumin, and chili powder and cook for 2 minutes until noticeably aromatic.
Build the soup
  1. Add the red enchilada sauce, chicken broth, black beans, and corn, then bring the mixture to a boil. Keep boiling briefly while everything is fully combined and hot.
Melt in the creaminess
  1. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, then stir in the cubed cream cheese until completely melted and smooth.
Finish and simmer
  1. Add the shredded chicken and heavy cream, then simmer for 10 minutes until the soup is thick, hot, and well blended. Stir occasionally so the chicken warms through.
Season and serve
  1. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve immediately with sour cream, cheddar, tortilla strips, cilantro, and lime on top for a loaded finish.

Notes

Pro tip: If the cream cheese doesn’t fully melt, keep the heat low and stir constantly until the soup turns silky. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of broth if it thickens. Freezing is not recommended because the dairy can separate when thawed. For a lighter option, use evaporated milk in place of some heavy cream and cream cheese.