Ready in under an hour, this creamy chicken enchilada soup brings your favorite Tex-Mex flavors right to the bowl. You'll love the rich, seasoned broth packed with tender chicken, black beans, and sweet corn. Swirling in cream cheese at the end makes every single bite completely irresistible.
Made with leftover chicken, this creamy enchilada soup is incredibly easy to whip together for busy weeknights. A simple can of red enchilada sauce adds a sweet, mildly spicy kick. Swirling in cream cheese right before serving gives the hearty broth a smooth, luxurious finish.
My kids will tell you though that the best part about enjoying this soup is the toppings. Just like with Easy Stove Top Chili, toppings make this chicken soup more zesty, flavorful and fun.
Whether you load it up with fresh jalapeños, sliced avocado, or extra shredded cheese, this creamy chicken enchilada soup is completely customizable. Set out your favorite garnishes and let everyone build their perfect bowl!
Jump to:
- 😍Why You'll Love This Chicken Enchilada Soup
- 🥘Just Basic Ingredients Needed
- 🔪How to Make Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- 🌿Healthy Ingredient Substitutions
- 📖Easy Recipe Variations
- 🍽Equipment
- 🍶Storing Creamy Enchilada Soup
- ✅Betty's Top Tip
- ❓Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup FAQ
- 🍲More Easy Soup Recipes
- 🍴What To Serve With Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- 📋Recipe With Step-By-Step Instructions
- 💬 Comments
😍Why You'll Love This Chicken Enchilada Soup
Great for chicken leftovers: Have leftover chicken in the fridge? This one-pot stovetop meal is a perfect way to use it up. Find more recipe ideas here: Easy Leftover Chicken Recipes.
Perfect for busy nights: This creamy enchilada soup is ready in less than one hour.
Simple ingredients: This recipe uses basic ingredients that you most likely already have on hand, including chicken broth, corn, black beans and cream cheese.
🥘Just Basic Ingredients Needed
- low sodium chicken broth- provides a nice hearty base
- red enchilada sauce- gives the broth a sweet, spicy kick
- precooked chicken, cut into small pieces- this soup is perfect for chicken leftovers or rotisserie chicken
- frozen corn- you can also use canned corn
- black beans- add a nice flavor, texture and added protein; feel free to add a can of pinto beans too
- reduced fat cream cheese- I use Philadelphia brand; you don't need the full fat version
- shredded Mexican cheese blend- most of this will be swirled into the soup to make it cheesy and creamy; be sure to save some to sprinkle on top!
- sour cream for topping- provides a nice tang; you'll likely use one cup or less
- tortilla strips- no enchilada soup is complete without that crispy crunch on top!
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪How to Make Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
Step 1: Soften cream cheese by cutting it into cubes and allowing it to rest on your counter while you make the soup.
Step 2: Heat the chicken broth and red enchilada sauce. Then add the beans, corn, and precooked chicken. Simmer until warmed through.
Step 3: Remove some of the warm broth (about ½ cup) to mix with the softened cream cheese. Whisk together and then slowly add this mixture back to the pot. Then stir in some of the shredded cheese.
Step 4: Serve warm and top with your favorite toppings.
Pro tip: It's very important that you soften the cream cheese before adding it to the soup to prevent curdling. Follow the steps on the recipe card. Also see the article How to add cream cheese to soup without curdling for more info.
🌿Healthy Ingredient Substitutions
- Greek Yogurt: Swap the cream cheese for plain Greek yogurt. It adds that same luxurious, creamy texture while giving the soup a fantastic protein boost. (Just be sure to temper it with warm broth first so it doesn't curdle!)
- Bone Broth: Use chicken bone broth instead of standard low-sodium chicken broth. It gives the soup a richer, deeper flavor and adds a healthy dose of collagen and extra protein.
- Veggie-Packed: Trade the frozen corn for diced zucchini, bell peppers, or a handful of spinach. It's an easy way to lower the carbs and sneak extra vitamins into a family meal.
📖Easy Recipe Variations
- White Chicken Enchilada Soup: Swap the red enchilada sauce for a can of mild green enchilada sauce (as found in our easy chicken enchiladas), and use cannellini beans instead of black beans. It gives the soup a tangy, bright twist!
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean: Skip the precooked chicken and add two cups of roasted sweet potato cubes. It transforms the dish into a hearty, fiber-packed vegetarian option that still feels incredibly filling.
- Enchilada Rice Stew: Stir a cup of cooked brown rice or quinoa into the pot during the last five minutes of simmering. The grains soak up that delicious seasoned broth, turning your soup into a thick, stick-to-your-ribs stew.
🍽Equipment
- cutting board & chef's knife
- large pot with lid, or 6 quart Dutch oven
- stirring spoon
- ladle
🍶Storing Creamy Enchilada Soup
Keep your leftover chicken enchilada soup fresh by storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To warm it back up, simply heat it over medium-low on the stovetop. Give it a good stir until it's evenly heated.
While you can technically freeze it, I highly suggest skipping the freezer. The cream cheese will separate once thawed and completely change that perfectly smooth texture!
✅Betty's Top Tip
Want to control the heat for picky eaters? The spice level of this soup entirely depends on your enchilada sauce. Choose a mild red sauce for a cozy, family-friendly dinner, or grab a hot version if you love that extra kick!
❓Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup FAQ
Simmering the soup uncovered allows excess liquid to evaporate naturally. Adding the cream cheese also thickens the broth beautifully. If you want it even thicker, try mashing some of the black beans before adding them to the pot!
While they share similar ingredients, enchilada soup uses red enchilada sauce as a rich flavor base and is often creamier. Tortilla soup usually relies strictly on a seasoned, thinner chicken broth base.
Technically yes, but because this is a leftover chicken recipe, I'd be concerned that the chicken might get rubbery, even if you add it towards the end. Instead, check out my slow cooker recipe, Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup. It's a delicious dump and go recipe!
I highly recommend skipping the freezer for this specific recipe. Because it uses cream cheese, the dairy will separate and become grainy once thawed. This completely ruins that perfectly smooth texture!
🍲More Easy Soup Recipes
Looking for other soup recipes like this? Try these, or head over to our Soups page:
Also check out our extensive leftover chicken recipe collection! Click HERE for Part 1 and HERE for Part 2!
🍴What To Serve With Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
These are my favorite dishes and toppings for Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup:
📋Recipe With Step-By-Step Instructions
Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup with Cream Cheese
Equipment
- cutting board
- serrated knife
- large pot with lid 4-5qt capacity
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Ingredients
Soup
- 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed; you can substitute 1 (12 ounce) can corn, drained
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (15 ounces) red enchilada sauce
- 2 cups pre-cooked chicken cut into small pieces
- 15 oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
Toppings
- 1 cup reduced fat sour cream
- ½ cup tortilla strips
- ½ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
Instructions
- Cut the cream cheese into small cubes and sit it on your counter while you make the soup. Also thaw frozen corn in a separate bowl.
- Pour chicken broth and enchilada sauce into a large pot or Dutch oven. Stir gently until blended. Partially cover and bring to a boil over medium to high heat, stirring occasionally. After it boils, turn heat down to lowest setting. Partially cover and allow the soup to simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add the pre-cooked chicken, corn and black beans. Stir occasionally while soup continues to simmer for an additional 12-15 minutes.
- Using a ladle, remove ½ warm broth from the pot and place in a small bowl. Mix the broth with the softened cream cheese. Then slowly add this mixture back to the pot, a few spoons at a time, stirring after each addition. Next add ¼ cup of the shredded cheese. Keep the heat on low and stir for the next 5 minutes or until cheeses blend smoothly into the soup.
- Remove pot from heat and allow to stand 5 minutes.
- Ladle soup into individual serving bowls. Dollop a generous tablespoon or more of reduced fat sour cream over each portion. Evenly divide the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese and sprinkle over each serving. Then top with tortilla strips.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional information is provided by a third party service and is intended for guidance purposes only. KitchenReadyBetty.com makes no claims to its accuracy.
Marie F. says
This is such a delicious soup! I never used enchilada sauce in a soup before and it was excellent in this. My husband says this is his favorite soup that I've made.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
The enchilada sauce really adds a pop of flavor. I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed it. Maybe he would like Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas too. It's another recipe that uses precooked chicken. Find it in the Main Dishes section on this blog, or search for it at the top!