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+ servings
A bowl of chicken enchilada soup garnished with tortilla strips, lime, and cheese.
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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Enchilada Soup

A flavorful and spicy broth, packed with roasted chicken and vegetables. Top with crispy baked tortilla strips for the complete enchilada experience.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6 bowls
Calories: 417kcal

Ingredients

Soup

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 medium onion finely diced
  • 1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 6- ounce can tomato paste
  • 6 cups chicken stock (sub vegetable broth)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube (I use Rapunzel)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder*
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano** (sold in the Hispanic section of most grocery stores in plastic bags)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 carrot diced
  • 2 bell peppers (I used 1 green, 1 yellow)
  • 1 1/2 cups corn removed from cob, or frozen
  • 1 zucchini sliced and quartered
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken shredded (from roasted chicken, or shred 2 cooked chicken breasts or thighs)
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • cilantro (garnish, optional)
  • cheddar cheese (garnish, optional)

Tortilla Strips

  • 8 thin corn tortillas
  • olive oil spray
  • sea salt

Instructions

  • Add avocado oil to a large soup pot, and saute onion until it's translucent, about 7-10 minutes.
  • Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, water, and vegetable bouillon cube. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, and molasses sugar to the broth. Taste, and add sea salt, if necessary (will depend on your chicken stock).
  • Add the carrot, bell peppers, and chicken, and continue to cook for about 10 minutes.
  • Add the corn, zucchini, and lime juice. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, then remove soup from heat.
  • Serve the soup topped with cilantro, cheese, and tortilla strips.

Tortilla Strips

  • Slice tortillas in strips. Lay out on a cookie sheet, and spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 f for about 10 minutes, watching carefully to not burn. Turn oven off, and allow tortilla strips to sit in the heated oven to continue crisping.

Video

Notes

*The type of chili powder you use will strongly influence your soup base. If you're using one you're not familiar with, add it slowly. Some chili powders have more spice than others and can become overwhelming!
**Mexican oregano has a very unique flavor. If you can find it, it's worth seeking out. If not, sub regular oregano.
Freeze this Soup: Make this soup, but leave out the zucchini. It freezers wonderfully. When reheating, consider adding zucchini in it to give it a pop of crisp freshness.
Make this a Beef Enchilada Soup: Instead of chicken, and 1 1/2 pounds of browned (precooked) ground beef. It's wonderful like this!

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 930mg | Potassium: 1298mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 4971IU | Vitamin C: 79mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 5mg