Creamy High Protein Chicken Enchilada Soup
Creamy chicken enchilada soup is one of my favorite soups to make when I want something flavorful, filling, and super comforting. It’s high in protein, loaded with flavors and is one the entire family can enjoy.
With hearty beans, tender chicken, sweet corn, and red enchilada sauce this soup packs a serious flavor punch. The cream cheese and Greek yogurt make a velvety, rich soup that’s impossible to put down. The best part is you can make it in the crock pot, instant pot or stovetop on busy nights. Use leftover chicken, easy shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken to make this recipe even easier.
For more high-protein soups, try Chicken Gnocchi Soup, Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup and Turkey Lasagna Soup.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Simple ingredients.
- 32g of protein and only 308 calories per serving.
- Add your favorite optional toppings.
- Classic enchiladas in soup form.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for creamy enchilada soup. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions.
- Chicken Breast: you can use chicken thighs, rotisserie chicken or even ground turkey, chicken and beef.
- Cream Cheese: use full fat if preferred, this helps add creaminess to to the soup.
- Greek Yogurt: use any fat percent or omit if you don’t want extra creaminess and little added protein.
- Chicken Broth: substitute with homemade broth, bone broth, vegetable broth or beef for a little added flavor.
- Corn: use fresh, leftover charred or frozen.
- Enchilada Sauce: both red and green are great options for this soup.
Dietary Modifications
- Gluten-free: make sure your enchilada sauce is gluten-free as many are thickened with flour.
- Dairy-free: use a dairy-free yogurt or full-fat coconut milk in place of cream cheese and yogurt.
How to make enchilada soup (a step-by-step visual guide):
Step 1: add everything except yogurt and cream cheese
Add the chicken the the base of the crockpot. Top with bell pepper, onions, corn, beans, tomatoes, chilies, enchilada sauce, seasonings, and chicken broth (image 1).
Step 2: set it and forget it
Stir to combine and set the crockpot to cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3 hours, or until the chicken is tender (image 2).
Step 3: shred the chicken
Remove the chicken from the crockpot and shred with forks. Return to the pot (image 3).
Step 4: make it creamy
Add the cream cheese and greek yogurt to the soup (image 4).
Stir until melted and combined (image 5).
Expert Tip!
Use bone broth for even higher protein!
Recipe FAQs
For extra flavor, serve your hot soup with your favorite toppings: cilantro, green onions, avocado, lime wedges, tortilla strips, cheddar cheese, hot sauce, or jalapeños.
Store your leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. You can also freeze your soup in a freezer-safe bag for up to three months.
Add all ingredients except the cream cheese and greek yogurt to the instant pot.
Set the instant pot on manual (pressure cook mode) for 20 minutes. Quick release the pressure when the timer in done. Remove the chicken and shred with forks. Add the chicken back to the instant pot. Add cream cheese and greek yogurt to the soup and stir until completely melted into the soup. Serve and enjoy with desired toppings.
In a large pot, sauté the chopped bell pepper and onion over medium heat until they begin to soften. Place the raw chicken breasts on top of the sautéed vegetables. Add the corn, black beans, diced tomatoes, green chilies, enchilada sauce, and all the seasonings. Pour the chicken broth over everything, ensuring the chicken is mostly submerged. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it cook for about 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Carefully remove the chicken breasts from the pot. Shred the chicken using forks and then return the shredded chicken to the pot. Stir in the cream cheese and Greek yogurt until they are fully melted and combined with the rest of the ingredients. Let the pot simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
You bet! Since there are no noodles this soup freezes terrific. Just place in a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy either let it defrost overnight in the fridge or, in warm water in a bowl in or go directly to a large pot on the stove. I like to add a little water to the bottom of the pot if cooking directly from frozen and covering with a lid to create steam to allow it to defrost without burning the bottom. Stir often!
Salad, pair with a small side salad with black beans and corn or tortilla chips for dipping. This also goes great with a margarita on Taco Tuesday or a Non-Alcoholic Moscow Mule Mocktail.
Check out our other high protein recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Chicken Enchilada Soup
📱 MyFitnessPal & MacrosFirst App Users
You can find this recipe and many others on MyFitnessPal and MacrosFirst by searching: Ohsnapmacros – Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, raw
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped 144g
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped 150g
- 15 oz. can Whole Kernel Corn (no salt added) drained
- 15 oz. can low sodium Black Beans Low Sodium drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. can petite diced Tomatoes (no salt added)
- 10 oz. can mild Red Enchilada Sauce
- 4 oz. can diced green chilies
- 4 cups low sodium Chicken Broth 32 oz.
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 1.5 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1.5 Tbsp. ground cumin
- 4 oz 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese
- 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt 56g
Instructions
Crock Pot Instaructions
- Add the chicken the the base of the crockpot. Top with bell pepper, onions, corn, beans, tomatoes, chilies, enchilada sauce, seasonings and chicken broth.
- Stir to combine and set the crockpot to cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3 hours, or until the chicken is tender.
- Remove the chicken from the crockpot and shred with forks. Return to the pot.
- Add the cream cheese and greek yogurt and stir until melted and combined. Serve and enjoy with desired toppings.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add all ingredients except the cream cheese and greek yogurt to the instant pot.
- Set the instant pot on manual (pressure cook mode) for 20 minutes. Quick release the pressure when the timer in done.
- Remove the chicken and shred with forks. Add the chicken back to the instant pot.
- Add cream cheese and greek yogurt to the soup and stir until completely melted into the soup. Serve and enjoy with desired toppings.
Stovetop Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté the chopped bell pepper and onion over medium heat until they begin to soften.
- Place the raw chicken breasts on top of the sautéed vegetables. Add the corn, black beans, diced tomatoes, green chilies, enchilada sauce, and all the seasonings. Pour the chicken broth over everything, ensuring the chicken is mostly submerged.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it cook for about 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Carefully remove the chicken breasts from the pot. Shred the chicken using forks and then return the shredded chicken to the pot.
- Stir in the cream cheese and Greek yogurt until they are fully melted and combined with the rest of the ingredients.
- Let the pot simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
Notes
- Nutrition facts are an estimate and will change with any substitutions.
- For mild heat lower chili powder to ½ Tbsp.
- You can adjust the heat by adding more Greek yogurt to the crockpot or individual servings. I mix in additional yogurt to the kids’ bowls to lower the heat for them and keep it spicy for adults.
Love the ease of this recipe! Such a good one to add to the cold weather soup rotation.
This soup was delicious! So much flavor, and very simple to throw together. Best part is my kids even devoured it!
This was an easy to prepare soup and it was so delicious! It was very flavorful and spicy (but not too hot for hubby.) It made quite a bit and I was able to share with my daughter and BF. They loved it as well. I will definitely make this again.
So glad you all loved it and could share with everyone!
How many servings does this make?
Is this like the Cafe Zupas Chicken Enchilada Chili ?
I’ve never tried that restaurant so I can’t say! Sorry!
This was very good!!
How big are the serving sizes?
Listed in the nutrition facts!
dont see it.. can you just tell us ?? 1 cup? , 1.5 cups?
It is listed in grams next to the calories. For macro tracking purposes that is how the site is laid out.
OMG SO GOOD! I used less chili powder and a smaller can of chopped green chilis. I used HEB’s “That Red Sauce” for the enchilada sauce. Otherwise made as written. I made this as a meal prep and it made 9 meals at 300g portion. I cannot wait to eat this for lunch tomorrow!
Has turned into a staple in our house!! If using cooked chicken (like rotisserie) how would you adjust cooking time?
Delicious! I didn’t have the bell pepper and the chilis but it still turned out so good! I used beef broth instead of chicken (because that’s what I had in hand) and it worked just fine! Will be a weekly meal for us!
MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!!!!! My entire family loves it– and craves it! It’s so amazingly delicious and super easy! I have also cooked this recipe on the stovetop (and chicken in the oven) and it turns out perfectly that way too!
Picky kids over here, but both the 5 and 7 year old ate this up, and my husband and I loved it!
Great news!! Thank you!
I made this in the crockpot and it did not turn out good at all. EXTREMEMLY runny. Did you drain all the juices out of the cans before dumping them in?
Yes, corn and beans are both drained prior to adding.
Do you think laughing cow cheese would taste just as good? Thanks!
You could definitely try it! Sometimes laughing cow doesn’t melt as good so just keep that in mind.
This looks great! How would you make this recipe without an instant pot? I would love stove top or slow cooker instructions, please. Thank you!
Crockpot instructions are listed in directions, thanks!
I wish your entries in my fitness pal included sodium content.
You can easily create a recipe in MFP and get your sodium.
Love, love, love this recipe and so did my entire farm family! Our teenage cowboy said it was chicken enchilada heaven in a bowl…..it must have been because he went back for another heaping bowl! I fixed it in the crackpot and slow cooked it for 6 hours♥️