Healthy Chicken Enchilada Soup

5 from 2 votes

This healthy chicken enchilada soup recipe is a winner! It’s low calorie, thick, creamy, loaded with delicious flavors and packed with protein. Everything you love about enchiladas in a bowl of soup!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie

Servings: servings

Author: Megan Olson

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb Chicken Breast shredded and pre-cooked
1 cup White Onion diced
3 tablespoons Garlic minced
2 Bell Peppers diced
2 tablespoons Arrowroot Powder or corn startch
1 ¼ cups Red Enchilada Sauce
3 cups Chicken Broth no sodium
14 oz Diced Tomatoes with juices
4 oz Green Chiles canned
1 teaspoon Cumin
2 teaspoons Lime Juice or lemon juice
12 oz Cauliflower Rice frozen (optional add)
Salt to taste
Optional Avocado, cilantro, Greek yogurt to garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Stovetop Enchilada Soup Instructions

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and bell peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until the veggies are fragrant 3-5 minutes.
Add the arrowroot powder to coat the veggies. Slowly pour in the broth while whisking to prevent lumps until fully combined.
Add the enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, chiles and cumin. Stir the pot and turn the heat to high to bring the pot to a boil.
Once the pot is boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Add the shredded chicken, cauliflower rice and lime juice.
Simmer for another 5 minutes. Then serve garnished with avocado slices and cilantro.

Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup Instructions

Add all the ingredients, substituting raw chicken breasts for the cooked chicken, to the slow cooker except for the arrowroot powder.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours.
Remove chicken and use two forks to shred. Add it back to the slow cooker with the arrowroot powder or cornstarch and the cauliflower rice and stir to thicken. Serve with garnish!

Instant Pot Enchilada Soup Instructions

Cook the onions, garlic, and bell pepper using the saute setting of your Instant Pot.
Then add all the ingredients, using raw chicken breasts, in place of the cooked chicken, to the Instant Pot except for the arrowroot powder.
Cover the pot and set to seal. Pressure cook 30 minutes. Note, it will take time for the pot to come to pressure.
Once the pot is done cooking, manually release the pressure by moving the dial to release the pressure. After the steam has left, remove the lid and use two forks to shred the chicken breast. It will shred easily from being pressure cooked.
Stir in the arrowroot powder to thicken the sauce and add the cauliflower rice. Stir and serve with garnish!

Notes

1/4th of the recipe equals one serving or approximately 1 2/3 cups.
Feel free to skip the arrowroot powder if you want a more broth-like soup.
If you are adding uncooked rice, potatoes or quinoa to the soup, you will need to extend the cooking time to account for cooking them. For the stove, add about 20 minutes for white rice, 40 minutes for brown rice, 20 minutes for potatoes, and 10 minutes for quinoa. For the slow cooker, add it in the last 30 minutes of cooking, and in the Instant Pot you can add it at the start of cooking. You can also add cooked grains in the last few minutes and just cook to warm them up.
I recommend using raw chicken breasts if you are cooking this soup in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. You can also use raw chicken breasts on the stove. However, you will need to extend the cooking time to 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked to 165° F.
Garnish your bowl of soup with fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, a dollop of Greek yogurt, or even a bit of cheese if you want!

Nutrition