Nightshade-Free Green Chicken Enchilada Soup (AIP, Paleo, Whole30)

This hearty green chicken enchilada soup tastes like it has green chili but without the nightshades! It is basically a spin-off recipe from my AIP green enchilada casserole.

This recipe comes together in about an hour. It does take a little more effort than some of my other recipes but it's worth it. Plus, it makes a nice big batch so you may have leftovers for other meals during the week or to freeze for later.

If you're wanting more chicken recipe ideas, check out my AIP Chicken Recipes post which has over 130 recipes.

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Ingredients for AIP Green Chicken Enchilada Soup

• Yellow Onion- White or red onion is fine too. One onion will be used as part of the soup base and blended in the blender. The other one will be diced and added to the soup later.
• Green Onions- The green onions in combination with the roasted cucumbers, garlic, and onion really result in a very green chili-like soup base. It's pretty fantastic.
• Cucumber- I realize the idea of roasting cucumbers may seem strange but it works so well in this instance.
• Garlic Cloves
• Coconut Oil- I use coconut oil for this recipe because we are cooking the vegetables at a very high temperature and coconut oil has a high smoke point. That being said, you could use another oil or fat if needed. Lard or tallow would be decent choices as well.
• Chicken Breasts- Use boneless, skinless as it'll be easier to shred them. I've been getting chicken from ButcherBox and Misfits Market lately. Both have organic, free-range chicken and it's just really handy to have it shipped right to us.
• Chicken Broth- Use homemade or AIP compliant store-bought broth.
• White Sweet Potatoes- I know potatoes are not probably the first thing you think of when it comes to an enchilada soup recipe, but I use these just to add a hearty, filling component in the absence of beans, rice, corn, and other starchy things you'd normally see in this type of soup.

That being said, I know white sweet potatoes are not always easy to find. You really can use any vegetables you want in this soup. I think zucchini would be really good in this as well and would be a good low-carb option.

If you do happen to omit the sweet potatoes and go with something like zucchini, you may want to add a little bit less salt than the recipe calls for. Some of the salt in this recipe helps to counterbalance the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.

• Lime Juice
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Dried Oregano
• Sea salt
• Black Pepper (optional ingredient, omit for strict AIP)
• Cilantro (garnish)
• Grain-Free Tortilla Chips (stage 2 reintro) or Cassava Strips (garnish)
• Avocado (garnish)

How to Make Nightshade-Free Green Chicken Enchilada Soup

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Prep the vegetables and chicken for the oven (see next steps).
3. For the veggies (white onion, green onion, cucumber, and garlic)- Make sure they are cut into similar-sized pieces. 
4. Place all the vegetables together on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil over them and toss to coat. Roast for about 35-40 minutes or until they start to brown. Check every 15 minutes or so and stir to prevent burning.
5. Add the chicken breasts to a second baking sheet (parchment paper-lined or greased) and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Add it to the oven with the veggies. Bake for about 30 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit (cooking times will vary slightly depending on the size and thickness of your chicken breasts).
6. While the veggies and chicken are cooking. Heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil or oil of choice to a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and saute for 3-4 minutes or until translucent.
7. Add the broth and white sweet potatoes. Heat to a boil and continue cooking on medium-high for 10-15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. Turn heat to very low or off while you prep the chicken and veggies to add to the soup.
8. Take the veggies and chicken out of the oven once cooked. Add the veggies (onion, green onion, garlic, cucumbers) to a blender or food processor along with the lime juice. Blend until smooth. Add this to the soup pot.
9. Allow the chicken to cool a bit then shred it using two forks. Add this to the soup pot along with the remaining spices. Turn the heat back up/on to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes then remove from heat.

How to Serve AIP Enchilada Chicken Soup

The soup is delicious on its own but you can also top it with things like:

• Sliced green onions
• Diced avocado
• Cilantro
• Grain-Free Tortilla chips (Stage 2 reintro), cassava strips, or plantain chips
• Plain Coconut Yogurt

If you want to get really fancy, you could make some AIP tortillas to dip in it. Yum!

Variations For Nightshade-Free Green Chicken Enchilada Soup

• Add coconut milk or coconut cream for added creaminess
• Swap out the chicken for turkey or beef
• Omit white sweet potato for lower carb...could add something like zucchini in its place

Notes

• Add additional lime and salt to taste- I think the amount of salt in this recipe is about right but if you find the sweetness of the sweet potatoes stands out and you don't like it, you can add a little more lime juice and/or salt to balance it out. 
• You May Need to Use a Little Less Salt if You Omit the Sweet Potatoes- As mentioned above, some of the salt in this recipe counterbalances the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. If you decide to leave them out and go for a less sweet veggie, you will likely need less salt. 
• The tortilla chips would likely be a reintro as I don't know of any completely AIP brands. I use Siete which contains chia seeds making it a stage 2 reintro. You could use some cassava strips or plantain chips instead if you want something crunchy on top. 
• Watch the Veggies Closely in the Oven- When roasting the veggies for the soup, watch them closely and stir them occasionally to prevent them from burning. The green onions in particular burn pretty easily. We want them to get pretty crispy because it adds a lot of flavor to the soup but we don't want them to be black. 

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like: 

Moroccan Chicken Stew

Ground Turkey Stroganoff

Creamy Shrimp Vegetable Skillet

Korean Glass Noodle Recipe with Ground Beef

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Conclusion:

I hope you love this recipe. If you tried it, please leave a comment below and let me know what you thought!

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