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a bowl of lightly thickened orange-red enchilada soup with small chicken pieces and a smooth cheese-enriched broth
Melissa Hart

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Masa harina gives the broth a gentle corn flavor and more body than a plain tomato soup. Whisk it in carefully so dry pockets don't hide at the bottom of the pot. The cheese goes in after the chicken has cooked through, over low heat. This is the creamy, spoon-coating bowl in the red-soup group, with the enchilada flavor built in the pot rather than borrowed from a jar of finished sauce.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 3 tbsp masa harina
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 4 oz medium cheddar cheese grated
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Method
 

  1. Heat oil in a large soup pot and cook onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder and cumin and stir for 1 minute.
  2. Sprinkle in masa harina and stir for 30 seconds, then gradually whisk in broth until smooth.
  3. Add chicken and salt and simmer gently for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken reaches 165°F and the broth lightly thickens.
  4. Lower the heat and stir in milk. Remove from the heat and add cheddar by handfuls, stirring until melted.
  5. Stir in lime juice and serve without returning the cheese-enriched soup to a hard boil.