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!
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.
The 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!
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!
Why 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
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!
More hearty, filling soups loaded with flavour!
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Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch – or a quick version!
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Browse all Soups
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White Chicken (or Turkey) Enchilada 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:
Oops, forgot the stars and to say that I used 2 1/2 cups cubed leftover Thanksgiving turkey breast.
Hi Nagi! I made your soup yesterday, and it was delicious. I used whole milk and some Greek yogurt for the sour cream (didn’t have any), a tad more cumin and canned chilis. Although it would have been lovely as it was, I wanted to have it a thicker consistency. I added about 3 tbs of plain old cornmeal which thickened it perfectly plus gave it more of a tortilla flavor. Three of us ate almost the whole pot! We topped it with fresh diced tomatoes, crumbled chips, and some Jack cheese. Since it was really cold last night, this really hit the spot!
This is one of my favorite Nagi dishes. Delicious!
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.
Nagi,
Curious what type of white bean you used: cannellini or great northern?
It was cannellini but either would work! N x
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!
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!
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!
I hoe you love it Meredith!!
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)
Hi Leanne, yes I buy them here too 🙂
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 >.<
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!!!
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!
Terrific to hear Liz!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback – N x
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.
It blows my mind that it’s still not stocked in Australia!!! N x
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
I love hearing that Nadika! So pleased you enjoyed it, thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x
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!!
So glad you were able to adjust it to your taste Tasha! N x
So yummy & filling. My mom even asked me for the recipe (a first for me).
HIGH PRAISE!!!! ❤️
Love a good soup and salad.But this can stand alone. ?
Agreed! N x
Cooked this last night and we all loved it. Thankyou
Oooh! Glad you enjoyed it Andy! Perfect for the colder months, isn’t it? 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
I made this tonight. It was very delicious. I used 4 cups of chicken broth with the 4 cups of milk. I was wondering though, what are what looks like noodles in the soup? I bought egg noodles but didn’t put them in. Thanks for the recipe.
David
Fantastic! I’m so glad to hear that David, thank you so much for coming back to let me know! N x
Hi Nagi,
I made the white ‘turkey’ enchilada soup last night. I halved the recipe as there are only two of us and I used my left over turkey from your slow cooker turkey recipe (which was delicious!!!). Only substitute I made was chopped up fresh haricot vert as my husband won’t eat corn. Very tasty and easy to make topped with an aged white cheddar made it perfect! Can’t wait to try another one of your recipes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Bari!! I adore this soup!! (PS Totally chuffed thinking about you making this with leftovers from my slow cooker turkey recipe! 😉 )
Nagi, I just now finished making this absolutely wonderful soup. As a Texan, who needs Mexican flavor, I omitted your spices, and subbed a half package of dry taco flavoring to taste. Also, I cooked my chicken in the broth with the tops of the green onion , and let this set in the frig overnite. All I had to do today, was fix the soup, and just add the chicken with its own broth. Since I added a little more liquid, I had to thicken the broth a little more, with corn starch. Bravo, you little Aussie, I’m going to make you an honorary ! Texan. Fondly. Bonnie crim
HURRAH!! I always feel nervous about Tex-Mex recipes, waiting in anticipation for feedback from my Texan readers! I am SO GLAD you approve of this, thank you! And I am wearing my honorary (virtual) Texan badge proudly!! N x