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Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Creamy chicken enchilada soup with a red enchilada broth and melted cream cheese for a thick, velvety texture. Shredded chicken, corn, and black beans simmer together, then serve loaded with tortilla strips, sour cream, cheddar, 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: 640
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 cloves 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
Cumin
  • 2 tsp cumin
Chili powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
Sour cream
  • 0.25 cup sour cream for serving
Cheddar
  • 0.5 cup cheddar for serving
Tortilla strips
  • 2 cup tortilla strips for serving
Cilantro
  • 0.25 cup cilantro for serving
Lime
  • 1 lime for serving
Salt
  • 1 tsp salt to taste
Black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the aromatics
  1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and sauté the diced onion for 4 minutes, until softened. Add the minced garlic, cumin, and chili powder and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until fragrant and darkened at the edges.
Build the soup base
  1. Stir in the red enchilada sauce, chicken broth, black beans, and corn, then bring to a boil. Keep boiling just until the mixture looks uniformly combined and steaming through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Make it creamy
  1. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cubed cream cheese until completely melted and smooth. Let it simmer gently, 2 to 3 minutes, so the broth thickens.
  2. Add the shredded chicken and the heavy cream, then simmer for 10 minutes. The soup should look glossy and creamy, with chicken pieces heated all the way through.
Season and serve
  1. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then stir well to evenly distribute the flavor. Turn off the heat once the seasoning is balanced.
  2. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with sour cream, cheddar, tortilla strips, cilantro, and lime to serve. Add the toppings right before eating so the tortilla strips keep their crunch.

Notes

Pro tip: reduce heat before adding cream cheese so it melts smoothly without lumps. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stovetop. Freezing is not recommended because dairy may separate during thawing. If you want a lighter version, swap heavy cream for half-and-half and use light cream cheese for a similar creamy texture.