Chicken Enchilada Soup {Paleo, Whole30}

This creamy paleo chicken enchilada soup is packed with flavor, healthy, and so hearty and filling.  It comes together in just 30 minutes and is perfect for weeknights.  Whole30 compliant, dairy-free, so comforting!

Who says you need dairy to make a creamy soup?!  Recreating comfort foods is something I’ve come to love to do on this blog!

Sure – we all know cheese tastes great.  BUT just because you’re avoiding it for health reasons doesn’t mean you have to feel deprived of all things delicious!  This chicken enchilada soup contains no dairy of any kind but is still packed with flavor, and yes – it’s actually creamy.

A Whole30 enchilada sauce from Siete Foods (which is coming soon and I will link it here as soon as it’s available!)  made this soup incredibly quick and easy to throw together since you don’t have to make your own enchilada sauce.

If you want to prepare your own paleo and Whole30 friendly enchilada sauce, I recommend using this recipe from Against All Grain.  Most store bought brands that I’ve found contain cornstarch and/or sugar unfortunately – but if you don’t mind cornstarch you can try this sauce from Whole Foods.

What You Need to Make Chicken Enchilada Soup:

I used chicken thighs for the cooked chicken, but you can use any chicken you want – breasts, thighs, rotisserie (Whole30 compliant if you need!) or anything else.

Note: If you’re making the enchilada sauce yourself, I recommend doing it the day before to save time!

• avocado oil
• onion
• garlic
• bell peppers
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Tapioca or arrowroot flour  
• chicken broth or bone broth
• red enchilada sauce, Siete Foods brand or homemade (for Whole30)
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, fire roasted 
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• ground cumin
• cooked, shredded chicken
• coconut cream 
• nutritional yeast 
• lime juice (or lemon juice) 
• Avocado, sliced for garnish 
• Cilantro, chopped, for garnish 

How to Make Paleo Chicken Enchilada Soup

First, make sure you have all our ingredients in front of you, prepped, and ready to go.  The soup will cook fast so it helps to be ready, have cans opened, spices measured, etc.

Heat the oil in a large stock over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, or until translucent and fragrant.  Add the garilc and peppers, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and saute for an additional 3-5 minutes until soft and fragrant.  

Sprinkle the mixture with the tapioca or arrowroot and stir to coat.  Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring, and stir well to completely combine. 

Stir in the enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, green chiles, and cumin, and stir until combined.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally (the soup will thicken as it cooks).  

Add the chicken and reduce heat to medium-low.  Let the soup simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.   

While the soup simmers, whisk together the coconut cream, nutritional yeast, and lime juice.  Stir the mixture into the simmering soup to combine well.  Taste the soup and season with salt as desired and allow to simmer 5 more minutes or longer, if desired.   Garnish and serve hot!

Can I Sub Something Else in For the Coconut Cream?

A question I receive again and again is if the coconut cream can be omitted or replaced with something.  Most of the time, it’s because the person isn’t a fan of coconut flavor and doesn’t want the whole recipe tasting like coconut!

First, I can assure you that a small amount of coconut cream, combined with all the other flavors, won’t overpower the taste of the soup.  That said, if you hate coconut, can’t have it, or don’t have it on hand, you can easily omit it from this soup.  You can replace it with plain nut pods, plain unsweetened almond milk, or any other dairy free milk you prefer.

Additionally, if you CAN have dairy, heavy cream would be the way to go here.  Along with cheese.  Yes, if you can eat dairy you’ll probably want to add cheese to this soup so go for it!

Toppings for Chicken Enchilada Soup

Now for the fun part – toppings!  Let’s start with Whole30 options first.  You’ll definitely want to add some cilantro and avocado, or even make some easy guac and put a big scoop of it on top 🙂

To keep it paleo you can also add some grain free tortilla chips (although this is not Whole30!)  The crunch and flavor will go perfectly with the creamy soup and avocado!  And once again if cheese is okay – some melty cheddar would be great stirred in.

I hope you’re ready for a totally DEEELISH creamy paleo chicken enchilada soup that’s quick, easy, and sure to become a new favorite!  Grab your ingredients and a soup pot and let’s go!

Chicken Enchilada Soup {Paleo, Whole30}

Chicken Enchilada Soup {Paleo, Dairy-Free, Whole30}

This creamy paleo chicken enchilada soup is packed with flavor, healthy, and so hearty and filling. It comes together in just 30 minutes and is perfect for weeknights. Whole30 compliant, dairy-free, so comforting!

Author: Michele

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: dairy-free, low carb, Paleo, Whole30

Keyword: chicken, dairy free, enchilada, soup, whole30

Servings: 6 servings

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4.67 from 124 votes

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 medium bell peppers diced
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp tapioca flour or arrowroot
• 3 cups chicken broth or bone broth
• 1 1/4 cups red enchilada sauce  siete brand or homemade
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, fire roasted
• 1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3 - 3 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken (about 1 1/2 lbs boneless breasts or thighs)
• 1/4 cup coconut cream
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp lime juice or lemon juice
• Sea salt to taste
• Avocado sliced for garnish
• Cilantro chopped, for garnish
• Grain free tortilla chips Siete brand if desired (not Whole30)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large stock over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes, or until translucent and fragrant. Add the garilc and peppers, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and saute for an additional 3-5 minutes until soft and fragrant.
3. Sprinkle the mixture with the arrowroot or tapioca and stir to coat. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring, and stir well to completely combine.
4. Stir in the enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, green chiles, and cumin, and stir until combined. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. The soup will thicken as it cooks.
5. Add the chicken, reduce heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. While the soup simmers, whisk together the coconut cream, nutritional yeast, and lime juice. Stir the mixture into the simmering soup to combine well. Taste the soup and season with salt as desired and allow to simmer 5 more minutes or longer, if desired. Serve hot garnished with avocado and cilantro if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 367kcal

Carbohydrates: 14g

Protein: 37g

Fat: 19g

Saturated Fat: 6g

Cholesterol: 118mg

Sodium: 1293mg

Potassium: 647mg

Fiber: 3g

Sugar: 6g

Vitamin A: 1626IU

Vitamin C: 62mg

Calcium: 37mg

Iron: 2mg

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Want More Whole30 Soup Recipes?  Try One of These!

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Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup

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Paleo Taco Soup

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