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5 from 2 votes

Enchilada Chicken Tortilla Soup

Enchilada chicken tortilla soup is the ultimate cozy soup recipe! It's filled with juicy chicken, enchilada sauce, then garnished with crispy tortilla strips. It's quick and easy to make with minimal ingredients and after the chicken is cooked this soup only takes 20 minutes to put together. Load your bowl with toppings and serve with Hatch Chile Cornbread for dinner!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 6
Cost: 15

Equipment

  • 1 Baking Sheet lined with foil for easy clean up
  • 1 medium pot
  • blender
  • small saucepan

Ingredients

The Chicken:

  • 2 bone-in chicken breasts skin-on

Soup:

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
  • Salt
  • 3 cups chicken stock divided
  • 1 15-ounce can of enchilada sauce OR 15 ounces of homemade enchilada sauce

Crispy Tortilla Strips:

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 to 3 tortillas cut into 1-inch strips
  • Salt

Toppings (feel free to use what you have on hand or what you’re feeling!):

  • 1/2 avocado diced
  • Handful of cilantro
  • Sliced radishes
  • Crema
  • Cotija Cheese
  • Sliced green onions

Instructions

To Make the Chicken:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt. Place on a lined-baking sheet (I used foil for easy clean-up) and bake the chicken for 30 to 35 minutes. When done, allow to cool to room temperature until it’s cool enough to handle. Shred the chicken with two forks.

To Make the Soup:

  • To a medium pot, set over medium heat, add the olive oil. When warm, add the onion, garlic and a few pinches of salt. Cook slightly softened about 5 minutes. Add the onion mixture to the blender, along with 2 cups of chicken stock. Blend until smooth, about a minute.
  • Pour the onion/broth mixture back into the medium pot, along with the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth and enchilada sauce. Bring up to a gentle simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, until the flavors are all married together. Give it a taste and salt to your liking. I added about 1/2 teaspoon of extra salt. Add the shredded chicken to the soup and stir.

To Make the Crispy Tortillas:

  • Place a few sheets of paper towels on a plate. To a small saucepan, set over medium-high heat, add the oil. Frying them in batches, add the tortilla strips to the oil and allow to fry up for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

To Assemble:

  • Divide amongst bowls and top with whatever toppings you’d like to add. I added a bit of avocado, cilantro, sliced radishes, cotija cheese and green onions.

Notes

Tips and Tricks

In a hurry? Use leftover cooked chicken from a rotisserie chicken instead of baking it from scratch.
Optional ingredients. Add black beans, canned/ frozen corn or green chiles to the soup for a different flavor.
It's a great freezer-meal! Double this recipe and save the leftovers for freezer-meals. Once cooled, store in freezer-safe containers or Ziploc freezer bags for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 285mg | Potassium: 290mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg