This Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup is creamy, cheesy and the ultimate comfort food! Shredded chicken, black beans, sweet corn, bell peppers and tomatoes, cooked with warm spices and topped with fresh herbs. You will love this Instant Pot soup recipe!
Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
We love cooking Mexican-inspired recipes in the Instant Pot and this soup is a deconstructed version of the classic enchiladas – a delicious fiesta of flavors and textures in a bowl.
Many chicken enchilada soup recipes call for a store-bought enchilada sauce but we are using canned tomatoes, paste and spices to make it from scratch directly in the soup.
This recipe uses simple ingredients from the pantry, some fresh chicken, onions, garlic, and a few veggies. You can use pre-cooked leftover chicken as well, simply reduce the cooking time to 2 minutes.
To make this soup creamy and hearty, we stir in some cream cheese and grated regular cheese right at the end. Topped with fresh cilantro and scallions, this chicken enchilada soup is simply irresistible!
Chicken Enchilada Soup Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you will need to make this soup.
- Vegetables – every soup needs a hefty dose of veggies and we are using onions, celery, carrot and bell peppers – a classic combination for soups.
- For flavor – lots of lovely Tex-Mex spices like cumin, coriander seed and smoked paprika, a bit of chili and dried oregano and lots of garlic. You can also use a Tex-Mex spice blend for enchilada sauces or tacos.
- Chicken – you can use fresh chicken breast or thighs or shredded leftover cooked chicken.
- For the broth – chicken stock, diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Black beans & sweet corn – these will add extra bulk to the soup, plus fibre and lovely textures in every spoonful.
- To finish – cream cheese, grated Cheddar or Jack and some fresh cilantro and scallions.
You will find the full recipe with ingredients and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below.
There are two simple stages to making this stuffed pepper soup in the pressure cooker. The first stage is to saute the onions, celery, carrots and bell peppers. The second stage is to cook the soup with chicken and tomatoes. You then finish the soup with a little cream cheese and grated cheese or serve it with your favorite Tex-Mex toppings.
Let’s break it down with step-by-step photos and video. You can use a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot.
Step 1. Turn the Instant Pot on and turn the Saute function on. Add olive oil, onions, celery, carrots and bell peppers and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften.
Step 2. Add the garlic, all of the spices, oregano and chili and stir through for 20-30 seconds. Press Cancel to stop the Saute.
Step 3. Add the chicken pieces and pour in the stock, stir by scraping the bottom of the pot.
Step 4. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar.
Step 5. Secure and lock the lid. Set to Pressure Cook for 5 minutes on HIGH. When the cooking time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release.
Step 6. Remove the chicken pieces from the soup and dice or shred the meat. Return the chicken to the soup in the cooking pot.
Step 7. Stir in the black beans and corn. Select Saute and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the beans and corn are heated through.
Step 7. Add the cream cheese in chunks or cubes and stir through until melted. As soon as it starts melting, turn the Saute off. Finish by stirring in the cheese and once melted, stir in the fresh cilantro and half of the green onions. Then top with the remaining onions.
Serve in bowls topped with extra grated cheese, sliced or diced avocado, tortilla chips, and extra cilantro and green onions on top.
Recipe Tips
For a thicker soup, add extra beans and corn or you could cook more chicken (same cooking time). Another good way to bulk up this soup is with cooked rice or pasta.
If you want to use store-bought enchilada sauce, skip all of the spices and add stock and enchilada sauce equal to the amount of diced canned tomatoes. You can still add some tomato paste though.
For a dairy-free version, puree a can of white beans with some of the soup broth and stir into the soup.
How To Serve Chicken Enchilada Soup
The soup is served in bowls with a variety of toppings. These depend on what you like but are typically some or any of the following: sour cream, diced or sliced avocado, chopped raw onion, extra diced tomatoes, extra grated cheese, tortilla or corn chips, cilantro, scallions, lime juice, hot sauce.
You can serve enchilada soup as is or with a side of cornbread, regular bread or rolls, grilled cheese sandwiches and so on.
You can also add cooked rice or pasta to the soup to bulk it up and make it more satiating.
Storing Soup
Chicken enchilada soup will last for no more than 3-4 days in the fridge. Make sure to seal tightly in a container if there are leftovers or you are meal prepping. The soup will last up to a month in the freezer BUT add the cream cheese and grated cheese after defrosting the soup and reheating it on the stove or in the Instant Pot on Saute.
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Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medim onion chopped
- 1 celery rib diced
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 1 large bell pepper diced, green or red can be used
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander seed powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili flakes or 1/2 tsp powder, can be reduced
- 2 chicken breasts medium, cut into 3 pieces each
- 5 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes 14-15 oz can, or regular tinned tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp sugar
After Cooking
- 1 can black beans 15 oz, drained
- 1.5 cups sweet corn frozen, fresh or canned
- 5 oz cream cheese 150 grams
- 1 cup grated cheese Cheddar, Jack etc.
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 green onion chopped (scallion)
See notes for toppings below
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on and turn the Saute function on. Add olive oil, onions, celery, carrots and bell peppers and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften.
- Add the garlic, all of the spices, oregano and chili and stir through for 20-30 seconds. Press Cancel to stop the Saute.
- Add the chicken pieces and pour in the stock, stir by scraping the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar.
- Secure and lock the lid. Set to Pressure Cook for 5 minutes on HIGH. When the cooking time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release.
- Remove the chicken pieces from the soup and dice or shred the meat. Return the chicken to the soup in the cooking pot.
- Stir in the black beans and corn. Select Saute and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the beans and corn are heated through.
- Add the cream cheese in chunks or cubes and stir through until melted. As soon as it starts melting, turn the Saute off. Finish by stirring in the cheese and once melted, stir in the fresh cilantro and half of the green onions. Then top with the remaining onions.
- Serve in bowls topped with extra grated cheese, sliced or diced avocado, tortilla chips, and extra cilantro and green onions on top.
Notes
Nutrition
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Can I just not add chicken to make it vegetarian
Yes, absolutely! You can add mushrooms, extra beans, extra corn or peas and so on.
So good! My few modifications: 4 cups chicken broth instead of 5 (less soupy) double carrots and celery (want to use them up), 8 Oz cream cheese (I just want to use the whole thing & not have leftover). I used leftover pork shoulder. Love love love how it turned out.
Thanks for the feedback Shannon. Glad you customized it to your liking.
What would you do differently if using frozen chicken? How would you double the recipe?
Hey Marcia, for frozen chicken add 5 minutes to the cooking time. To double the recipe, you can pretty much double the ingredients, except for the spices, I would add half of each listed amount on top. It asks for 5 cups of stock, I would maybe add 9 cups instead of 10. Also, make sure the contents don’t go over the Max line inside the pot.