This chicken enchilada soup is loaded with corn, black beans, chicken, and rice for a healthy, satisfying, and cozy meal
Back in 2014, I posted a recipe for chicken enchilada soup, which means it was one of the first recipes on my blog. Looking back at that post makes me laugh/cry/cover my eyes, so I figured it was time for a recipe redo. It’s still one of my favorite soup recipes and the post didn’t do it justice. Here’s one of the old pictures, just for fun. 
The pictures weren’t great and I was definitely still trying to figure out my blogging “voice” (i.e. I addressed my readers – all 5 of them at the time – as “man.” ????
This recipe came from my aunt and my family makes it all of the time. My mom and I actually made this soup this year for lunch on Christmas Day, which you may’ve seen if you follow my Instagram stories where I share some of my daily eats. We made a double batch for Christmas, and I was still bummed when the leftovers were gone, so I made another batch a few days later!
This chicken enchilada soup is really thick, almost more like a stew than a soup, which I love. You can also always add extra chicken broth if you’d prefer it to be less thick. It’s packed with corn, black beans, big pieces of chicken, and rice, which makes it hearty and filling.
This chicken enchilada soup is a great base recipe that you could easily adapt. For example, you could add cooked quinoa or even pearled barley instead of rice, or you could omit the grain altogether (although I think it adds something special!).
With Mexican meals like this, I think one of the best parts is serving it with a bunch of toppings and/or sides. Homemade guacamole + tortilla chips or cornbread are always amazing sides in my book.
For toppings, my family likes freshly shredded cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, and sliced green onions. Oh, and crushed tortilla chips. It’s a great way to conveniently use up the tortilla chip pieces always left at the bottom of the bag.
If you try out this chicken enchilada soup recipe, feel free to let me know in a comment or take a picture and tag me @livbane on Instagram. Hope you enjoy!
Hearty Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (approx. 2 lbs)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 10 ounce can tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
- 14 ounces salsa verde (I use Trader Joe's)
- 2 canned chipotle chilis in adobo, diced, with 1 teaspoon sauce from the can (find in the international aisle at the grocery store)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried cilantro or a small handful of fresh chopped cilantro
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 15 ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- Optional: 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice, cooked according to package directions
Optional Toppings
- Sliced green onion, avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips
Instructions
- Trim chicken breasts to approximately the same size and pound with a meat mallet, if needed, to ensure they're a uniform thickness throughout so they'll cook evenly.
- In a medium pot, sauté onion in olive oil over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Add the liquid ingredients (chicken broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomatoes and green chiles, salsa verde, and diced adobo chilis with their sauce), turn heat to high, and bring to a boil.
- Turn heat down to low and add cumin, oregano, cilantro, and uncooked chicken breasts. Cook on low heat (setting 3 out of 10 on my stovetop) for 1 1/2-2 hours.
- While soup is cooking, prepare rice according to package directions. Brown rice can take up to 45 minutes.
- Once chicken is cooked through, remove chicken from pot and let cool for 5 minutes, then shred using two forks. While chicken is cooling, add corn, black beans, and cooked rice to pot and stir. Return chicken to soup pot and serve.
I could eat this for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner – no joke!
Haha! You and me both. I actually did that exact thing over Christmas break 😉
This is some spicy soup and I love it! The salse verde sounds like a great ingredient. Thank-you!
Yes!! The salsa verde and canned adobe chile peppers add some really unique flavors!
YUM! It looks so hearty and comforting ♥
Thanks, Natalie! Hearty and comforting is exactly right 🙂
That sounds delicious, I love this style of soup a big warm and comforting meal in a bowl.
Yes! Love a warm, cozy meal of a hearty soup 🙂
Yum… this looks so so good. I want a big bowl right now!
You’ll have to let me know what you think if you try it!
Definitely one of my favorites 🙂
Meeeeeee, too!
I have the flu, and I would so appreciate a bowl right now.
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear you have the flu! I hope you recover ASAP 🙂 Sending love your way!
That looks mouth wateringly good! I know what I’ll be eating this weekend.
We have some fave tortilla chips too; I understand why your brother loves a certain kind; there truly are some superior chip brands. 🙂 And this soup looks THE BOMB DIGGITY! 🙂
For sure! We all have our favorite types 🙂 Thanks, Emily!!
Ooooh, this looks so good! The only thing I like about cold weather is delicious warm meals like this ????
So true! Cozy meals like this make the cold weather almost worth it 🙂
Great recipe. I was looking for something like this to make for a fun friend game night.It was a big success and I was the star of the night. All my friends loved it and I shared the recipe with them.
I’m so glad to hear you and your friends loved this recipe, Kelly!! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Made this tonight – it was delish! I actually made it in the crockpot, so I didn’t have to keep such a close eye on it. The whole family enjoyed it – glad we have leftovers!!!
So glad you and your family enjoyed this soup! 😀