Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is one of the best enchilada soups I have ever made.  It is so rich and creamy, but not because of a bunch of high-fat, high-calorie ingredients.  This is full of wonderful vegetables, cooked and pureed to a blissful creaminess.  I used the taco seasoning I made (see a few posts ago) a few days ago and served this with a green salad and baked tortilla chips with guacamole.

A note:  You have to serve this with homemade pico de gallo.....it makes all the difference!   Just mix some chopped tomato, freshly-squeezed lime juice, chopped cilantro, and small-dice sweet or red onion.  Also, I halved the recipe below and we'll be eating on this for days.  If you're cooking for a crowd, keep it as it is!

CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP 

2 quarts (8 cups) chicken broth
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts (3-4 breasts)...I used some leftover smoked chicken
1 (3.5 oz) can chopped green chiles
1 large sweet onion, peeled and quartered
4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks
3-4 cups butternut squash cubes (halving the recipe, I used one small squash)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 cup sour cream, light or regular
1 (8 oz) can, or more, tomato sauce (you could also use red enchilada sauce)
2 cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp taco seasoning

In a large pot, add the chicken broth, chicken breasts, green chiles, onion, potatoes, pepper, butternut squash, garlic, salt, and cumin.  Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.  If there doesn't seem to be enough liquid for the vegetables/chicken to boil in, try adding in 1-2 cups water but don't add too much extra liquid or the soup won't be as thick as it should.

Remove the chicken from the pot to a cutting board.  Let it cool slightly before shredding or dicing.  Ladle the remaining vegetables and broth into a blender (in several batches) and puree the broth and vegetables until smooth.  Take care not to overfill the blender.  Pour the pureed soup mixture back into the large pot.  Whisk in the sour cream and tomato sauce.  Stir in the taco seasoning, beans, and cooked chicken.  Cook until heated through.

Serve the soup with additional toppings: tortilla soup, sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, salsa, or pico de gallo!!!!