Chicken Enchilada Soup

It’s soup season and I’m always looking for new recipes to try. This week, I made this delicious Chicken Enchilada Soup and it’s everything I love about chicken enchiladas all in a bowl.  Boneless, skinless chicken breast slowly simmers in a soup of enchilada sauce, chicken broth and milk. Joining in the mix are kidney beans, tomatoes, sweet corn, onions and bell pepper. This is a hearty soup of a Mexican favorite dish!

Making soup couldn’t be any easier with the use of a crockpot! This dish comes together quickly and easily by combining everything in a crockpot insert, turning the dial and letting it cook for hours. The star of this dish is the enchilada sauce. Originally, red enchilada sauce was used but I adapted the recipe to use green enchilada sauce instead. Also, to help thicken this soup, a roux of butter and flour was part of the original recipe. To make it slightly different and gluten free friendly, I used a slurry of cornstarch and water, which not only thickened the soup but gave it a nice sheen.

1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 can (15 ounce) dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 ounce) Rotel diced tomatoes and jalapenos
1 can (14.5 ounce) sweet corn, drained
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
1 bottle (16 ounce) green enchilada sauce
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

Garnish:
shredded cheese
sour cream
diced avocado
crushed tortilla chips

In a crockpot, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, green enchilada sauce, milk and chicken broth; stir to combine.

Place the 2 whole chicken breasts into the crockpot and cover. Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken back into the soup.

Combine the cornstarch and water to make a slurry; stir into the soup to thicken slightly.

To serve, top with your choice of garnishes.