This Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup is a perfect copycat of the Chili’s version. It’s healthier and easy to make using pantry staples!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – any neutral oil can be used, such as avocado, vegetable, etc.
- Chicken breasts – you may also use your preferred type of protein, like ground turkey or chicken, beef, etc. This can be omitted or replaced with chopped potatoes or veggies for a vegetarian option.
- Frozen corn – fresh, canned or frozen corn can all be used.
- Yellow onion – red or white onions may be used instead. You can also use onion powder or flakes, if preferred.
- Garlic cloves – both hand minced and store-bought can be used. Granulated garlic or garlic flakes both work, too.
- Chili powder – paprika, cayenne and cumin are all great substitutions.
- Cumin – ground coriander, caraway seeds, garam masala or paprika would provide a similar flavour.
- Oregano – basil, thyme, Italian seasoning and marjoram (both dried or fresh) will work well.
- Sugar – honey or maple syrup can be used instead.
- Green chilis – other hot or mild peppers like jalapeños, habanero, poblano or cayenne would be good. Green chili powder can be used, too.
- Jar strained tomatoes or tomato sauce – any type of tomato sauce can be used, whether store-bought or homemade. Canned tomato puree works great as well.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth would be the next best thing.
Topping ideas
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- Sour cream – smooth cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt are great substitute options. You can also use dairy-free options.
- Grated cheddar cheese – hand grated or prepackaged grated cheese would both be delicious. Feel free to swap out for your favourite type of cheese like gouda, sharp cheddar or Colby.
- Lime juice – store-bought or fresh juice will do. Lemon juice, lime zest or even orange juice will work in a pinch.
- Red & green bell pepper – feel free to swap out for any colour bell pepper or use poblano peppers instead.
- Pico de gallo – I like using fresh pico de gallo but jarred pico de gallo or even salsa would be great substitutes here.
- Cilantro – parsley or basil are the next best thing.
- Avocado – use homemade or store-bought guacamole instead.
- Green onions – chives, leeks or shallots will all provide a similar flavour
- Tortilla strips – make your own by frying or baking tortilla strips.
How to make chicken enchilada soup
- Add everything but the sour cream, cheese, lime juice and bell peppers to the Instant Pot in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Prepare your toppings.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Shred the chicken then add back to the pot.
- Stir in the sour cream, cheese, lime juice and bell peppers.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Add your favourite toppings and dig in!
Making it in the slow cooker
This enchilada soup recipe will work for an Instant Pot or a slow cooker. To make slow cooker chicken enchilada soup:
- With the exception of toppings, place all of the soup ingredients into a slow cooker in order.
- Stir the ingredients to combine.
- Cook on low power for 8 hours or on high power for 4 to 6 hours.
Making it on the stovetop
If you don't have an Instant Pot or a slow cooker, you can easily make this soup on the stovetop:
- Sauté the onions over medium-high heat with oil and minced garlic.
- Once ready, add in all the remaining ingredients, except for the sour cream, lime juice, cheese and bell peppers.
- Simmer for 5-10 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Add in your remaining ingredients including any additional spices and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Enchilada soup is typically made of shredded chicken, tomatoes and corn with a cheesy enchilada-spiced broth. This version is made slightly healthier by using more of a broth base as opposed to a cream cheese base. It’s still just as delicious!
My recipe has 406 calories per serving, compared to Chili’s version which has 410 calories per serving. My version likely has a larger serving size and has less fat and sodium than the Chili’s version. You can get down on the calorie count even more by swapping out the sour cream for low-fat or non-fat sour cream and going easy on the toppings.
As written, my soup recipe is gluten-free. If you plan to use canned enchilada sauce, be sure to check the ingredients to assure that it is gluten-free.
This Instant Pot soup is pretty healthy, especially in comparison to other versions of the recipe. For instance, Chili’s chicken enchilada soup has cream cheese in it and my recipe doesn’t call for any cream cheese. On average, omitting cream cheese saves 100 calories and several grams of fat per serving. That being said, our recipe calls for 1/2 cup of sour cream. To keep the Instant Pot soup low in calories, you can use low-fat or non-fat sour cream.
Storing and reheating
To store, cook your soup then allow it to cool completely. Once it’s no longer hot, you can place it into an airtight container and seal it shut and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. When ready to be eaten, you can reheat the soup using any preferred method, including in the microwave, on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Heat for 2-3 minutes or until hot then add on your choice of toppings.
Can you freeze enchilada soup?
Without garnishes, this soup freezes beautifully and is a fantastic meal prep recipe! Before freezing the soup, be sure that it is completely cool then transfer the soup into freezable meal prep containers. Alternatively, you can freeze the soup in gallon-sized Ziploc storage bags.
It’ll last in the freezer for up to 3 months and all you have to do is reheat it from frozen in the microwave or let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the stovetop or microwave.
Important note: Do not completely fill the bags to the top with soup since soup expands as it freezes. To allow for expansion, leave a 1-inch space at the top of the bag.
More easy soup recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on making the enchilada soup for your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
Instant Pot Enchilada Soup {Chili's Copycat}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 can green chilis, diced
- 1 (796mL) jar strained tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 each red and green bell pepper, diced
Optional topping ideas
- Store-bought pico de gallo or tomatoes
- cilantro
- avocado
- green onions
- tortilla strips
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to Instant Pot in order that they appear listed above except for sour cream, cheddar cheese and bell peppers. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 5 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 10 to 15 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook the 5 minutes. Meanwhile, get toppings ready.
- Do a quick release of the pressure by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon, then open lid when pressure gauge has dropped and lid opens easily. Remove the chicken, shred it, then add it back to the pot and stir in sour cream, cheddar cheese, lime juice and bell peppers.
- Replace lid on Instant Pot and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve and add toppings of your choice. Enjoy!
Amber Robinson says
This was super yummy! Thank you!
Brooke says
What is the serving size on the nutrition
Taylor Stinson says
Unfortunately I can’t give out the actual serving size by specific measurement. Divide the recipe by number of servings listed and each portion is the serving.
Andrew says
Tried this on Friday, really liked it. I’m surprised at the low carb count. Just wondering the methodology for reaching the protein/carb/fat numbers? I count macros for diet and need to be accurate, sorry. Thank you for the recipe!
Taylor Stinson says
So glad you liked it! Unfortunately I can’t provide detailed macro counts – if you’d like more detailed nutritional info you can plug the ingredients in to a fitness/calorie counting app.