Homemade soup is something every home cook should know how to make, especially this time of year, but it might seem like a stretch to make TWO different soups for one meal. That is, in fact, what you need to do to make fun Christmas Enchilada Soup, but don’t fret.
Both versions, the red and green enchilada soup, use similar ingredients and both of the versions for my soup use some shortcuts to make it doable in under an hour.
The results are a really fun bowl of soup and both soups taste very different. The red enchilada soup is earthy and savory and the green version is bright, herbal, and spicy.
While of course you could just double either the red or green soup and be okay, they truly do complement each other perfectly and are a fun dinner.
What is Christmas Enchilada Soup?
Christmas enchilada soup is a soup version of a classic Mexican Enchilada version called Enchiladas divorciadas (or Christmas Enchiladas). The fun part about this recipe is it uses both red and green enchilada sauce for a fun color mix and also red enchiladas and green enchiladas have very different flavor profiles.
Rather than a classic enchilada version, I thought it would be fun to turn this into a soup recipe!
Do you have to make two different soups?
The short answer is yes. If you want to make this Christmas Enchilada Soup, you’ll need to make a green and red version. But, good news. Both recipes use similar ingredients and are both pretty straightforward to make.
You can also make them at the same time using a two different pots. When I made this version, I was still under an hour in cook time for this recipe, even with making two soups.
What kind of chicken to use for Christmas Enchilada soup?
Chicken is the main protein for this soup and I add it to both the green and red version of the soup. The good news is you can use any sort of chicken for this soup.
If you have leftover cooked chicken, use it!
If you want to snag a rotisserie chicken at the store, shred it and use it!
If you have a few chicken breasts in the fridge or freezer, poach them in lightly salted simmering water until they are cooked through and use those!
Ingredients for Red Enchilada Soup
You will notice some similarities between the red and green soups! Let’s do red first!
- Olive oil
- Onions (white is good)
- Garlic
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Spices like cumin, dried oregano, and chili powder
- Red enchilada soup (I like Hatch enchilada sauce)
- Chicken stock
Making the red enchilada soup
This is a pretty simple soup to make. Start in a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and onions and garlic and cook to soften the aromatics. You don’t want to brown these, just soften them. It should take a few minutes.
Then you can add the spices, like chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and the RED enchilada sauce. Transfer that all to a blender and blend until smooth. Then return to the stove and add chicken stock and shredded chicken.
You could add beans to the red version as well, but I wanted to keep it smoother.
Want a classic enchilada sauce, try my homemade chili enchilada sauce!
Ingredients for green enchilada soup
You’ll see some similarities here, but a few good change-ups for the green version of this Christmas Enchilada Soup!
- Olive oil
- Onions (white)
- Garlic
- Green Chiles (canned is fine)
- Green Enchilada Sauce
- Cilantro
- Chicken, Shredded
- Corn
- Chicken stock
Want a vegetarian enchilada version? Try these Sweet Potato Enchiladas!
Making the green enchilada soup
This green version of the soup is similar to the red! Sweat the onions and garlic in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then add canned green chiles and cook for a few minutes, being careful not to brown any of the ingredients.
Add green enchilada sauce and transfer to a blender to blend with fresh cilantro. Return to pot with chicken stock and shredded chicken and corn and simmer, seasoning with salt and pepper.
How to Serve Christmas Enchilada Soup
Once you have both of these soups simmering, you should have two pots on your stove with very different soups!
Serve these by ladling in some of the red soup in a deep bowl and then ladle the green soup to one side. It’s okay if they mix, but it looks good to keep them separate.
Garnish the Christmas Enchilada Soup with whatever toppings you like! For me, I like baked corn strips (or corn tortilla chips), sour cream thinned with a little lime juice, fresh cilantro, avocado, and diced red onion!
This is such a great bowl of soup!
Want a change-up on enchiladas? Try thse enchilada meatballs!
Leftovers
These soups keep well for 4-5 days in the fridge. You can store them separately to keep the colors from mixing or mix them up! Reheat the soups either in the microwave in short bursts or on the stovetop over gentle heat.
Christmas Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
Red Enchilada Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ small white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can red enchilada sauce, I like Hatch Brand
- ¾ pound shredded chicken
- 3 cups chicken stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Green Enchilada Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ small white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 4 ounce cans mild green chiles
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 15 ounce can green enchilada sauce
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ¾ cup shredded chicken
- 1 cup sweet corn, frozen or canned
Topping Ideas:
- Tortilla strips or chips
- Fresh cilantro
- Crema or sour cream
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Red onion, diced
- Limes
- Diced avocado
Instructions
- Note: You can make these at the same time to reduce cook time. They are both pretty easy!
Making Red Enchilada Soup
- In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil, onions, garlic, and cook for a few minutes until softened. Then add spices and diced tomato with the liquid. Continue to cook for a few minutes.
- Add Red enchilada sauce and remove from heat. Let cool briefly and then add to blender. Blend until smooth. Return to pot and add chicken stock. Use chicken stock to wash out the blender.
- Bring soup to a slight simmer and add shredded chicken. Keep warm until serving.
Making Green Enchilada Soup
- In a large pot, add olive oil, onions, garlic and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until aromatics soften. Add green chiles and green enchilada sauce. Remove from heat.
- Add cilantro and blend until smooth. Return to pot and bring to a simmer. Add chicken stock, using chicken stock to rinse out blender. Once simmering, add shredded chicken and corn. Keep warm until serving.
Serving the Christmas Soup:
- To serve this fun soup, ladle some of the red soup in a deep bowl and then add green soup to one side of the bowl to keep them separate.
- Top soup with your favorite toppings like corn strips, avocado, cilantro, crema or sour cream, diced onion, and any other soup toppings you like.
- Leftover soup can be stored separately (or you can mix them) for 4-5 days in the fridge and reheated in the microwave or on the stove over low heat.
