Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup

Enchilada soup in hand-built clay bowl, garnished with corn, tortilla strips, and cilantro.

This rich, creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup is easy, economical, and so satisfying! Serve it as a soup course, or as the main event. Takes just one pot and 30 minutes, stove to table.

_{Chili's Copycat Recipe}

Course Lunch, Main, Soup

Cuisine American, Tex-Mex

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings cups

Calories 277kcal

Author Renee

Equipment

1 10-inch Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven or large, heavy saucepan)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion chopped; about 1 cup
2-3 cloves garlic minced
3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
15 ounces canned tomatoes
1 ½ cups mild enchilada sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
8 ounces processed American Cheese cut into ½ inch cubes
1 ½ ounces pepper-jack cheese about ½ cup
1 cup masa harina
2 cups cold water
8 ounces shredded or chopped roasted chicken about 2 cups
1 ½ cup frozen corn OPTIONAL; about 6 ounces (See Pan-Fried Corn in Ingredient Notes.)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat Dutch oven or heavy soup to over medium heat.
Add olive oil.
Add chopped onion and sauté until it starts to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté one minute more.
Reduce heat to medium-low.
To the sautéed onion mixture, add chicken stock, diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, cumin, and chili powder.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
OPTIONAL: For a smoother soup, use an immersion blender to puree larger chunks, until it reaches the desired consistency.
In a larger measuring cup, whisk together masa harina and water.
It is important incorporate in the masa harina into the water completely before adding it to the soup mixture. Adding it without fully mixing it into the water can result in lumpy soup.
Whisk masa mixture to soup, adding slowly and whisking thoroughly.
Simmer soup an additional 5 minutes.
If the soup is thicker than you would prefer, simply add a little extra chicken stock or water at this time.
Add American and Jack cheeses, and stir until they have completely melted into the soup.
Stir in chicken and (optional) corn.
Simmer an additional minute more to get everything up to heat.
Garnish with tortilla strips, grated cheese, cilantro, peppers, etc.

Notes

Vegetarian Option:

Despite the "chicken" element in this enchilada soup, it really couldn't be any easier to make it vegetarian-friendly.

To do so, simply substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock. Serve the soup in bowls, and offer warm shredded chicken on the side for those who want it.

Nutrition