Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Soup
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Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Soup is made with roasted chilies, tomatillos, fresh herbs & chicken for an incredibly flavorful recipe!
It’s healthy, gluten free, low calorie, keto-friendly and easy to make in under an hour. I guarantee this will be your new favorite soup recipe!
There’s nothing quite like warming up to a big bowl of flavorful, spicy soup on a cold winter day!
The idea for this Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe came from a craving I’d been having for my Dad’s Chicken Enchiladas. The only thing I remember him using in the enchiladas was a can of diced green chilies, which I had, the rest I came up with as I went along.
The result was a soup with a little bit of spice and so much flavor! It’s made with delicious, fresh ingredients, creating a recipe that’s both healthy and super tasty. The entire recipe can be easily prepared in under an hour, so why not make it for dinner tonight?!
Table of contents
Ingredients you’ll need
- Tomatillos
- Serrano chilies
- Jalapeno peppers
- Olive oil
- Red onion
- Garlic cloves
- Diced green chilies – you’ll find these in a can in the hispanic section at American grocery stores.
- Chicken broth
- Milk – I used 2% for this recipe, but soy milk or almond milk can be used in place of dairy milk to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Lime juice
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Cilantro
- Cooked, shredded chicken – you can pressure cook and shred chicken at home, or pull chicken from a rotisserie chicken and shred it for this recipe.
Step by step instructions
- Roast the peppers. Place the tomatillos, jalapeños and serrano peppers on a baking sheet and into the oven under the broiler on high. Broil for 5 minutes or until the tomatillos and peppers begin to blacken on the outside. Remove and allow to cool.
- Sauté the onions and tomatillos. In the meantime, add the olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, cook 3-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Roughly chop the broiled tomatillos and add them to the pot.
- Add in the other ingredients. Peel the black skins from the jalapeños and serranos, remove the seeds and roughly chop the peppers, then add them to the pot with the green chilies. Stir in the chicken broth, milk, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and cilantro.
- Finish the base. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, then use an immersion blender to puree the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, pour the soup from the pot into a blender, puree, then return the soup to the pot.
- Toss in the protein. Add the chicken to the soup. Stir everything together, cover and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a tomatillo a tomato or pepper? Tomatillos are their own fruit! Like tomatoes, they are part of the nightshade family. Tomatillos taste slightly similar to unripe tomatoes, but are a bit more acidic and not as flavorful.
- What can I add to my chicken soup to give it flavor? Blending in roasted peppers, and extra herbs and spices is a great way to liven up chicken soup.
- What kind of peppers are green chilies? More often than not, diced green chilies that come in a can are Anaheim, Poblano, or Pasilla chilies. They are all mild in spice.
- Should roasted peppers be peeled? While the peels are edible, most people prefer to peel the skins off of roasted peppers to improve the texture.
What to serve with it
Top this comforting soup with all sorts of tasty toppings! Here are some of my favorite options:
- Queso fresco
- Avocado
- Tortilla strips
- Lime wedges
- Fresh cilantro
- Sour Cream
You can also pair this chicken enchilada soup with the following dishes:
- Mexican Quinoa Salad
- Grilled Romaine Chopped Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
- Deconstructed Mexican Street Corn
- Slow Cooker Cornbread
More soup recipes to try
When the cool weather hits, warm up with these comforting soup recipes:
- One Pot Thai Noodle Soup with Peanut Sauce
- Tomato Basil Gnocchi Soup
- Creamy Corn Soup
- Gluten Free Pasta Fagioli Soup
- Slow Cooker French Onion Meatball Soup
- Slow Cooker Spicy Enchilada Soup
- Creamy Vegetarian Tortellini Soup
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tomatillos, husked
- 2 serrano chilies
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup red onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 oz can diced green chilies
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
Optional Toppings
- queso fresco
- avocado
- tortilla strips
- lime wedges
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Place the tomatillos, jalapeños and serrano peppers on a baking sheet and into the oven under the broiler on high.
- Broil for 5 minutes or until the tomatillos and peppers begin to blacken on the outside, remove and allow to cool.
- In the meantime, add the olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onions, cook 3-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Roughly chop the tomatillos and add to the pot.
- Peel the black skins from the jalapenos and serranos, remove the seeds and roughly chop the peppers, then add to the pot with the green chilies, chicken broth, milk, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and cilantro.
- Simmer for 3-5 minutes, then use an immersion blender to puree the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, pour the soup from the pot into a blender, puree, then return the soup to the pot.
- Add the chicken to the soup.
- Mix together, cover and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes.
- Top with the optional ingredients of your choice, such as sliced avocado, queso fresco and tortilla strips.
Notes
- Nutrition information provided does not include optional toppings.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, I recommend using plain unsweetened soy milk or almond milk instead of traditional milk. Omit the cheese as an optional topping.
Nutrition Facts
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7 Comments on “Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Soup”
Super awesome flavor but incredibly spicy, I am a big lover of spicy but next time I might cut the amount of peppers in half!!
Hi Taylor, sorry for the spiciness, I know that different peppers will produce different levels of spice. Definitely a good idea to cut down on them if it was too spicy for you and you can always add more spice at the end if you want!
Would it be okay to substitute coconut milk or almond milk for the soy milk?
Sure!
I made this tonight and it was fantastic!! Thanks for sharing your creation! I will definitely be making it again! 🙂
Yay, yay, yay! That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks Kayla! Did you end up going with coconut or almond milk?
I did end up going with the almond milk, and it was perfect! 🙂