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Home Soups

White Chicken Enchilada Soup (or Turkey!)

By:Nagi
Published:25 Nov '15Updated:31 Jan '22
69 Comments
Recipe v

If you love Enchiladas and creamy soups, this is White Enchilada Soup is for you. It’s a  It tastes like this ever popular Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas….except its in soup form!

White Chicken Enchilada Soup being ladled out of a pale blue casserole pot.

Last Friday it was 40C/104F here in Sydney (which the newspapers labelled as “Fry-day” – ha ha). Then on Saturday it was 22C/72F and I was wearing a jumper to the beach.

Thanksgiving or Christmas MenuThe weather here at the moment is nuts. So I’m swinging between no-cook meals and winter comfort foods.

This soup clearly falls in the comfort food bucket! On Sunday I had friends over for an early Thanksgiving Dinner where a 5kg/10lb roast turkey took centre stage. (PS I made it using a GENIUS Dry Brining method – too late to start it for Thanksgiving now, but remember this recipe for Christmas!! Get it here. Oh, and get my full 2015 Thanksgiving / Christmas Menu and recipes here!).

As always, there was plenty of turkey leftover so I wanted to share a recipe today that is perfect for throwing leftover turkey into.

However, I made this recipe from scratch using chicken breast. But it’s very easy to adapt to use leftover turkey, and it means you’ll have this on the table in around 20 minutes!

White Chicken Enchilada Soup - tastes like White Enchiladas, but in soup form! Creamy with a tiny touch of tang, so luscious and satisfying. #leftoverturkey #thanksgivingleftovers #turkey

White Chicken Enchilada Soup in a bowl, ready to be eaten

But there’s a second reason I decided to share this Enchilada Soup with you today. It’s because I was in LA last week and canned green chilies were at the top of my shopping list. That probably sounds nuts to those of you in America, but it drives me nuts that it isn’t available here in Australia!

Canned Green Chilies_300pxWhy oh why? Old El Paso, please start sending canned green chilies here so I don’t need to bring back 20 cans every time I go to America!

YES I did! I had a whole second suitcase to bring back food from my travels. Most people go crazy shopping for clothes when they go to the US. I picked up a few essentials (I emphasise the word essentials! I had to have those earrings, the scarf, yet another black top!), but mostly, it was food. 🙂

Want to know what I brought back? Those of you in the US will think I’m so weird!! OK, so I brought: Lots of canned green chilis, plenty of chili powder (in Australia, chili powder is pure ground chili, much spicier), creole seasoning (proper stuff not available here), Old Bay Seasoning (very difficult to track down!), about 15 packets of Chex Mix (I’m officially obsessed, doesn’t exist here), Muddy Buddies (OMG, shoot me, I only brought 1 packet back, very distressed at the thought of it being empty), corn husks (to make tamales! Yay!), light corn syrup (suspiciously difficult to track down here) and a bunch of other “only in America” things like Salted Caramel Pringles (so wrong and yet so right) and Twinkies.

One very happy traveller, hunkered down back at home in Sydney with a pantry stockpiled with American goodies to sustain me until my next trip. 🙂

OH! Long winded way to say I wanted to use canned green chilis in a recipe which is why I’m sharing this White Enchilada Soup today! But to all non US readers, never fear! Simply substitute with either roasted green capsicum (bell peppers) or jalapeño. Easy! – Nagi x

Soup Dippers

Quick Cheesy Garlic Bread • Better-Than-Dominos Garlic Bread • Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls

Bread Soup Dippers - Cheesy Garlic Bread, Garlic Bread better than Dominos and Soft NO KNEAD Dinner Rolls

Close up of White Chicken Enchilada Soup in a pale blue French cast iron pot.

PS In all the ramblings about the crazy food I brought back from America, I forgot to describe this soup! It’s creamy like a chowder but it tastes like White Enchiladas because there’s a teeny tang from the additional of sour cream plus the ingredients in this are pretty much what I put in Enchiladas. It is so good. SO so good. My friends’ picky teenage son is obsessed with this. That’s high praise! 🙂

PPS Toppings are not optional! Must have as many topping options as possible!


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White Chicken Enchilada Soup being ladled out of a pale blue casserole pot.

White Chicken (or Turkey) Enchilada Soup

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Soup
4.93 from 14 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 299
I tried making this various ways, including poaching the chicken in the liquid. I found this to be the best way - maximum flavour AND as white as possible! This recipe is also perfect for using up leftover turkey. Just skip the chicken cooking step and toss in chopped or shredded turkey straight into the soup!

Ingredients

  • 400 g chicken breast
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Soup

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 garlic cloves , crushed
  • 1 onion , diced (brown, white, yellow)
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth / stock
  • 4 cups milk (I used low fat)
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander power
  • 2 to 4 tbsp canned jalapeños , finely chopped OR 1 x 4.5oz / 127g canned chopped peeled green chili
  • 1/4 cup sour cream (I used light)
  • 1 1/2 cups corn (frozen or canned)
  • 21 oz / 600g canned white beans (1 1/2 cans), drained
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp salt
  • Black pepper

Instructions

Chicken

  • Slice the chicken breast into 1cm / 1/3" thick steaks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken breast (in 2 batches if necessary) and cook each side for 2 minutes each or until golden and just cooked through.
  • Transfer to a plate. Once cool enough to handle, shred with a fork or your hands (I do this while the soup is cooking), or chop it.

Soup

  • Turn the heat down to medium and add butter into the same pot. When the butter is melted, add onion and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent and soft.
  • Add flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and cook, scraping the bottom of the pot to stir the brown bits into the liquid (extra flavour!).
  • Add the milk, cumin powder, coriander and jalapeños. Turn the heat up to medium high and cook, whisking occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly - about 5 minutes.
  • Whisk the sour cream in. Then add the corn, beans and shredded chicken. Cook for 1 minute or so until everything is heated through.
  • Adjust salt to taste.
  • Serve piping hot with all the trimmings!

Recipe Notes:

1. Topping options: corn chips / fritos, cilantro/coriander, grated cheese, sour cream, diced avocados / guacamole, pico de gallo.
2. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings (toppings not included). To reduce calories, reduce the amount of beans and substitute with diced vegetables. The beans account for around 150 calories in this.
White Chicken Enchilada Soup Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 590gCalories: 633cal (32%)Carbohydrates: 60.8g (20%)Protein: 54.9g (110%)Fat: 19.9g (31%)Saturated Fat: 7.8g (49%)Cholesterol: 117mg (39%)Sodium: 1055mg (46%)Potassium: 1029mg (29%)Fiber: 12.6g (53%)Sugar: 17.9g (20%)Vitamin A: 900IU (18%)Vitamin C: 23.9mg (29%)Calcium: 410mg (41%)Iron: 5.9mg (33%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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69 Comments

  1. Ann says

    June 24, 2022 at 9:49 pm

    5 stars
    We had this tonight but I couldn’t find canned green chillies (of course) so subbed 1 large green hot chilli which made it seriously spicy but we loved it. So tasty. Next time I’d use chicken thigh fillet.

    Reply
  2. Guinevere says

    October 10, 2021 at 11:56 pm

    Nagi,
    Curious what type of white bean you used: cannellini or great northern?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 11, 2021 at 12:02 pm

      It was cannellini but either would work! N x

      Reply
  3. J L says

    October 19, 2020 at 10:23 am

    5 stars
    I omitted the sour cream and the milk because of my family’s lactose intolerance. I was worried it would be lacking but it wasn’t at all, it was a hit. Another homerun right here. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
  4. Paula says

    September 11, 2020 at 10:23 am

    5 stars
    This is hands-down the tastiest soup I have had in a LONG time! Seriously delicious! My mother has a digestive problem & I made this for her when my parents visited for fathers day – mum took all the left overs for herself. It was fresh, comforting & super super moreish – I am counting down the days to the weekend so that I can make it again! Thank you for a wonderful recipe Nagi – once again!

    Reply
  5. Meredith says

    December 1, 2019 at 1:12 am

    Making this tonight with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Nagi, every recipe I’ve tried has been a winner, even with my picky kiddos! You’re a food rockstar!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 2, 2019 at 7:47 am

      I hoe you love it Meredith!!

      Reply
  6. Leanne J Curran says

    September 30, 2019 at 2:58 pm

    I realise that this was written ages ago, and you might have sourced some of the US based foods that you were missing in the meantime, but USAFoods stocks things like tinned green chilies (and they’ve got a branch in Sydney now as well as an online store). I’m not affiliated with them at all, I just shop from there when I can afford a little US treat! (The prices are a little steep, but worth it occasionally)

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 30, 2019 at 5:39 pm

      Hi Leanne, yes I buy them here too 🙂

      Reply
  7. Asako says

    October 31, 2018 at 8:04 pm

    Hey Nagi, here is a great recipe for chili powder if you run out 🙂

    http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/homemade-chili-powder-410093

    I learnt the hard way about the chili powder difference here in Aus, and once I did I sourced that recipe >.<

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 31, 2018 at 10:46 pm

      Thanks Asako!! PS I did that too…. at the WORST possible time, it was for a baby shower! I fed a whole group of women fiery hot food because I used Australia chilli powder instead of American Chili Powder!!!

      Reply
  8. Liz says

    October 22, 2018 at 5:28 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious! Whole family loved it. I made my chicken using boneless skinless thighs with garlic salt, onion salt & cumin in my IP. Fantastic!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 22, 2018 at 8:56 pm

      Terrific to hear Liz!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback – N x

      Reply
  9. nora says

    February 28, 2018 at 12:43 am

    5 stars
    I’m so happy someone is as obsessed with these green chilies as I am. I’ve moved to the UK from the states and I can’t find them anywhere! I also brought back a bunch when I visited a few months ago.

    I was excited to be able to use them in a recipe! I did add a few more garlic cloves, because my love for garlic transcends all things lol. Amazing recipe and I took leftovers for a fantastic warm lunch.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 28, 2018 at 8:36 am

      It blows my mind that it’s still not stocked in Australia!!! N x

      Reply
  10. Nadika says

    February 6, 2018 at 2:46 pm

    5 stars
    Another delicious recipe, tastes better the second day. Goes really well with a dried scotch bonnet pepper and sea salt mix that I have. Such simple ingredients… thank you

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 7, 2018 at 10:22 am

      I love hearing that Nadika! So pleased you enjoyed it, thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x

      Reply
  11. Tasha says

    November 14, 2017 at 12:17 pm

    Needs a little more cumin and coriander than the recipe asked and I did half jalapenos and half green chili along with 1/6 cream cheese it was delicious!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 15, 2017 at 6:54 pm

      So glad you were able to adjust it to your taste Tasha! N x

      Reply
  12. Alaine says

    April 28, 2017 at 9:24 am

    5 stars
    So yummy & filling. My mom even asked me for the recipe (a first for me).

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 30, 2017 at 6:37 am

      HIGH PRAISE!!!! ❤️

      Reply
  13. Betty says

    October 18, 2016 at 1:07 pm

    5 stars
    Love a good soup and salad.But this can stand alone. ?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 19, 2016 at 7:42 pm

      Agreed! N x

      Reply
  14. Andy says

    July 15, 2016 at 10:58 pm

    5 stars
    Cooked this last night and we all loved it. Thankyou

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 18, 2016 at 11:12 pm

      Oooh! Glad you enjoyed it Andy! Perfect for the colder months, isn’t it? 🙂 N x

      Reply
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