Today’s Chicken Enchilada Soup is the perfect meal to have on hand for this weekend’s Super Bowl – a cinch to make in your Instant Pot or electronic pressure cooker. Rich, healthy, and packed with all the flavors of enchiladas, this is a dish your whole family will love.
This is great for lunch, as a starter for a meal, or as a light main course. Serve it with a hearty salad for the perfect mid-week meal. Thanks to the Instant Pot you will have dinner on the table in about an hour.
When you use a pressure cooker to cook chicken, it comes out incredibly tender and moist. In this case, because it braises in the seasoned broth, it has a beautiful Mexican-inspired flavor too. And when you take it out, you can cut it into cubes or shred it so easily. It will literally fall off the bone!
If you are hosting a crowd this weekend for the big game, this would a great addition to your buffet table. Your guests can help themselves while you sit back and relax after all the work of getting ready.
If you want to use your Instant Pot to keep the soup warm, just use the Keep Warm cycle and cover it with either the regular lid or a glass lid to contain the heat. Leave a ladle in the pot and a pile of soup bowls nearby so your guests can serve themselves. And if you make up bowls of toppings, everyone can add exactly what they want.
If you have little ones or folks who do not like spicy foods, you can customize the flavors and dial back the heat elements … buy mild enchilada sauce, leave out the chipotles or use just a little, and adding an extra cup of stock will all help reduce the spiciness of your soup.
I knew this Chicken Enchilada Soup was going to be a big hit when The Artist came downstairs to find out what I was making because it smelled so good! Amazingly full flavored and packs a punch for the perfect Super Bowl snack food!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Jane’s Tips and Hints:
I added the potatoes to bulk up the soup but you can leave them out. Sweet potatoes, rice, lentils, etc. would all be good additions.
Gluten-Free Tips:
Be sure the components of the soup are all gluten-free. Hatch makes a great Red Enchilada Sauce that I love. If you have any questions about whether or not something is gluten-free, always check with the manufacturer.


- Soup
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 to 2 tsp chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (to taste)
- 1 (14 oz) can red enchilada sauce, Hatch brand has a gluten-free version
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 to 2 tsp ancho chile powder, or to taste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp kosher or fine sea salt
- 2 large (16 oz) chicken breasts
- 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water for thickening, optional
- 3 to 4 large Russet potatoes, peeled, cubed, and boiled until tender
- Optional Toppings
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sliced green or red onions
- Chopped cilantro
- Chopped tomatoes
- Diced avocado
- Sour cream
- Tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
- In the inner pot of your Instant Pot, combine the chicken broth, chipotle chiles, and enchilada sauce. Stir to combine. Stir in the tomatoes, corn, beans, cumin, ancho chile powder, oregano, and salt. Add the chicken, submerging it in the liquid. Secure the lid and set the valve to seal.
- Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Do a 10 minute natural release then quick release the remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid away from you to avoid being burned by any remaining steam.
- Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot, discard skin and bones, and shred or cube. If you want a thicker soup, stir the cornstarch slurry into the soup, start the Saute cycle, and stir until it thickens. Add the cooked potatoes, stirring to combine everything. Add the chopped chicken back into the soup and adjust seasonings to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and top with your choice of the suggested toppings. Serve immediately.
- Yield: 6 servings
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