Today’s Chicken Enchilada Soup is the perfect meal to have on hand for the playoffs and of course the Super Bowl on Feb 12th. It is a cinch to make in your Instant Pot or electric 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. 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 games, this would a great addition to your buffet table. They can choose whatever toppings they want to add to their bowls. 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.
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 or two 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 game day snack food!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments and leave a star rating, I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Chicken Enchilada Soup:
- Soup: chicken broth, chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- Red enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, corn, black beans
- Cumin, ancho chile powder, oregano, salt, chicken breasts
- Cornstarch dissolved in water, potatoes
- Optional Toppings: cheddar cheese, onions, cilantro
- Tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, tortilla strips or crushed chips
PRO Tip:
I added potatoes to add more bulk to the soup but you can leave them out. Sweet potatoes, rice, lentils, etc. would all be good additions.
How to make Chicken Enchilada Soup:
- Prep and boil the potatoes until cooked through; drain and keep warm
- Combine the chicken broth, chipotle chiles, and enchilada sauce in the inner pot of your Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, stirring to blend, then stir in the tomatoes, corn, beans, cumin, chile powder, oregano, and salt; nestle the chicken down into the liquid
- Secure the lid and set the valve to the sealing position and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, do a 10 minutes natural release (NPR) then quick release (QR) the remaining pressure; carefully open the lid away from you to avoid remaining steam
- Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot, discard the skin and bones, and shred or cube the meat; if you want a thicker soup, stir together the cornstarch and water and stir into the soup, start the sauté cycle, bring to a boil, and stir until it thickens
- Add the cooked and cubed potatoes, stirring to combine everything and add back the chicken to rewarm; taste and adjust seasonings as needed
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with your favorite toppings; serve immediately
PRO Tip:
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can make this in a Dutch oven. Just bring to a boil, reduce the heat to hold at a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C).
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Box grater
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker
- Instant read thermometer
- Stock pot (for potatoes)
- Ladle
- Soup bowls
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.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup (Gluten-Free)
This Chicken Enchilada Soup 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. Packed with flavor and healthy vegetables, this is a meal your whole family will love. Feel free to dial back the heat if you are serving littles or anyone who is sensitive to spicy foods.
Ingredients
Soup
- 3 cups (710ml) low sodium chicken broth
- 1 to 2 tsp chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (to taste)
- 1 (14 oz; 414ml) can red enchilada sauce, Hatch brand has a gluten-free version
- 1 (14.5 oz; 411g) can diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 1 (15 oz; 425g) 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; 170g) 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
Instructions
- 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 to sealing.
- Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Do a 10 minute natural pressure release (NPR) then quick release (QR) the remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid away from you to avoid being burned by any remaining steam. Be sure that the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165°F (74°C). Be sure your thermometer is not touching a bone!
- Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot, discard skin and bones, and shred or cube the meat. If you want a thicker soup, stir the cornstarch slurry into the soup, turn on the Sauté cycle, bring to a boil, and stir until it thickens. Add the cooked potatoes, stirring to combine everything. Add the chopped chicken back into the soup to rewarm and adjust seasonings to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and top with your choice of the suggested toppings. Serve immediately.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
Be sure the components of the soup are all gluten-free. Hatch makes a great gluten-free Red Enchilada Sauce that I love. If you have any questions about whether or not something is gluten-free, always check with the manufacturer.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to
consume.
Adapted from a recipe by Like Mother Like
Daughter
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 444Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 1129mgCarbohydrates: 78gFiber: 13gSugar: 14gProtein: 15g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to follow me on social media so you never miss a post:
Create a New Tradition Today!
Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. This page may contain affiliate links. This post was first shared in Feb 2018. The article was updated in 2023.
