Enchilada Soup

I don’t know why I’ve been in the mood for soup in the middle of summer, but I am and so I made a soup that at least feels a little summery.  Enchilada Soup with Chicken is light and vibrant.  Lots of summer favorites like grilled chicken, corn, tomatoes…  I once read that drinking something hot actually helps to cool you down because it makes you sweat, so maybe soup in the summer is a good thing.  Sweaty, but good.

Enchilada Soup - Plus 1 Tip that Will Improve All of Your Soups!

And I’m not just giving you the recipe here, people.  I’m giving you the one tip that is going to up the ante on all of your chicken based soups.  (Or any meat based soup, really).  Yes, it would be slightly easier to throw all of these ingredients into a slow cooker and let them go, but I propose that you take one extra step.  It might cost you an extra 7 minutes or so, but the flavor will be worth it, I promise.

So here it is.  The big tip.  Cook your chicken in the pot you are going to make your soup in BEFORE you add any of the soup of ingredients.  Just add a smidge of olive oil to the bottom of the pot and let it heat up.  Season your chicken with salt and pepper and anything else that works with your recipe (for this Enchilada Soup, I seasoned the chicken with Fajita seasoning!) and then add it to the olive oil and brown the chicken.  Not only do you now have properly seasoned chicken, you also have a soup pot that has delicious browned bits at the bottom of it that will work to flavor your soup in a way that your crock pot can’t. Once the chicken is browned, you can either shred it or chop it up into little bits and then assemble your soup.

Enchilada Soup

  • 1 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Tenderloins (You can also use Breasts)
  • 1 Box Chicken Stock
  • 1 Can Red Enchilada Sauce
  • 1 Can Black Beans
  • 1 Can Roasted, Diced Tomatoes
  • 1 Can Corn
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 T Fajita or Taco Seasoning (To season the chicken)
  • 1 T Olive Oil
  1. To your soup pot, add the olive oil and heat to medium. 

  2. Season your chicken with Fajita or Taco Seasoning.

  3. Add chicken to soup pot and cook until cooked through and outside is browned.

  4. Remove Chicken and shred using two forks to pull apart the meat.

  5. Add the chicken back to the soup pot and add remaining ingredients.

  6. Allow the soup to cook on low/medium for 2-4 hours to bring out the most flavor.  Or, let it cook for 15 minutes until everything is cooked through and enjoy a slightly less flavorful soup!

Yes, it is an extra step to make your soup this way.  And if you have little tiny children, I give you a dispensation and you may still make this in the crock pot.  But, if you’re looking to up your home chef game, give this a try!

Your turn!  What chef-y tips do you have for me??

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