Green Chicken Enchilada Soup is simple and delicious! With no veggie chopping and the crockpot doing the work, you can have this soup assembled in just minutes!
The Best Green Chicken Enchilada Soup
Two meals that are always a hit in my house are this chicken chili and these green chicken enchiladas. That’s where the inspiration for this Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup came from! I knew I needed to combine both flavors to create my kids’ dream dinner, and lets me honest, mine too!
It’s hearty, protein-rich, thick, and boasts the creamiest, most delicious consistency. It’s comfort in a bowl and a dinner your family is guaranteed to love.
Ingredients
- Beans (White Kidney and Black): Add heartiness, fiber, and protein.
- Chicken: I use thighs but breasts work as well. Trim any extra fat before adding.
- Fire-Roasted Green Chiles and Tomatoes: Offer smokiness and mild heat.
- Green Enchilada Sauce: Make your own or use store bought.
- Seasonings: Scale up or down for personal preferences.
- Fresh Cilantro: If you’re not a fan, leave it out!
- Chicken Broth: Use more for a thinner soup and less for thicker.
- Cream Cheese: Adds creaminess and a hint of tang.
- Toppings: I love sour cream, cheese, avocado, lime, and cilantro on top.
Quick Tip
You’ll only use 10 ounces (286 grams/1 and 1/4 cup) of green enchilada sauce for this soup. Utilize leftover sauce in enchiladas, over scrambled eggs, with rice and beans, or in a breakfast casserole.
How To Make Green Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Combine: In a slow cooker, add beans, chicken, chiles, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, spices, and broth.
- Cook: Set on low for 5-7 hours or high for 3-5 hours.
- Add Cream Cheese: Mix in softened cream cheese until smooth.
- Shred Chicken: Return shredded chicken to the soup.
- Serve: Garnish with toppings like sour cream, cheese, and avocado.
Storage
- Refrigerate: Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Warm on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
- Freeze: In an airtight container for 4-6 months. Thaw green chicken enchilada soup in the fridge.
- Reheat: Slowly on low heat, stirring constantly to maintain cream cheese consistency.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup
Quick and Easy Green Chicken Enchilada Soup: Assemble in minutes without chopping veggies. Let the slow cooker do the work for a creamy, hearty, and flavorful meal.
Equipment
- 6 quart slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 can (15.5 oz) white kidney (cannellini) beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cans (15.25 oz EACH) black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (~5 thighs) (or breasts)
- 2 cans (4 oz, EACH) fire-roasted diced green chiles
- 1 can (14.5 oz.) fire-roasted diced tomatoes optional
- 1 can (10 oz) green enchilada sauce
- 4 teaspoons ground chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro optional
- 1 cup chicken broth or stock (2 cups for thinner soup)
- 1 package (8 oz.) full-fat cream cheese softened (reduced fat doesn't melt well into the soup)
- Toppings: sour cream (lite or fat-free), freshly grated sharp pepper-jack or Monterey jack cheese, diced ripe avocado, fresh lime, and fresh cilantro (See Note 1)
Instructions
- ADD TO SLOW COOKER: Add the drained and rinsed white and black beans, fat-trimmed boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts; if using breasts cut each breast into 4 pieces), both cans of diced green chiles, fire-roasted diced tomatoes (undrained), and green enchilada sauce. Add all the seasonings: chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. If desired, add in the fresh cilantro. Pour in the chicken stock or broth (1 cup for a thicker chili and use 2 cups for a thinner soup-like consistency)
- COOK: Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-7 hours or high for 3-5 hours or until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F or easily shreds).
- CREAM CHEESE: Remove the chicken from the crockpot and set aside in another bowl. Add softened cream cheese (partially melt in the microwave first) into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for another 30 minutes or until the cream cheese melts and is easily stirred into the soup. Briskly whisk to get the cheese completely incorporated.
- CHICKEN: Meanwhile, shred the chicken with 2 forks. Once the cream cheese is incorporated, add the chicken into the soup and stir.
- SERVE: Ladle chili into bowls and serve with desired toppings. We love adding a big handful of pepper-jack cheese, fat-free sour cream, a wedge of lime and some cilantro!
- STORAGE: This soup stores well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop. Freeze in an air tight container for 4-6 months.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Don’t forget the toppings they add a lot! If I could only pick three toppings for this soup, they would be the cheese, sour cream, and lime juice. I highly recommend at least those 3 additions. As far as cheese, our favorite is pepper-jack cheese, but Monterey Jack cheese is another great topping. Even sharp cheddar works here. Lite sour cream works well in this soup.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 443kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 1413mg | Potassium: 1191mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1082IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 267mg | Iron: 7mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Have you worked out the nutritional information? If so, can you post? I’m following Weight Watchers and would like to calculate the point value. Thanks so much!
Hi Susan! I just added a nutrition label to this recipe for you 🙂 I put it right at the end of the post. Enjoy!
Can I use left over cooked shredded chicken?
Sure. I would just add it near the end so you don’t dry it out 🙂
How long in the crock pot before adding the cooked chicken! Trying not to waste a rotisserie chicken! Thanks
I’d add it just at the end! (After mixing through cream cheese) It doesn’t need to cook, just warm through so less time in the heat the better!
can i use fat free cream cheese?
I used reduced fat cream cheese, and it wouldn’t melt. I ended up fishing it out and using sour cream instead. Next time I’ll use regular cream cheese! It was still great with the sour cream; the whole family liked it!
Added tomatoes with green chiles for an extra kick. It was spicy delicious and soooo easy!
My computer wouldn’t let me 5 star it, but it definitely is.
🙂 Thank you so much!
So thrilled you enjoyed this so much Karen! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I am having trouble finding green enchilada sauce in my grocery stores to make this. Is there something I can sub in? Could I use red enchilada sauce instead? where have you been able to find the green stuff? Thanks!
I always find it with other Mexican foods or right by red enchilada sauce. Sorry you are having problems locating it! I wouldn’t substitute red for green in this recipe, but I do have a variation on this recipe; here’s the link to that: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/easy-crockpot-creamy-chicken-enchilada-chili/
I finally found the green enchilada sauce, thanks! Planning to make this tomorrow
Awesome! 🙂 I hope you love it!
Great recipe! My husband loved this, I never know what to do with extra chicken breasts and this makes it soo simple and its great leftovers if my hubby doesn’t eat it all first! Lol
Yay! thrilled you and your husband enjoyed this Stephanie! 🙂
Do you put your chicken in whole? I will be using chicken breasts. Or should I cut them up?
If you are using chicken breasts, I’d cut them in half if they are super big.
When you say “chilli powder” do you mean powdered ground chilis, or do you mean the spice mixture that has cumin and all the other seasonings in it?
I have both, and I’m not sure which you mean, so unsure which to use.
Thanks for the question! I mean the spice mixture 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Oh my gosh this is the best Mexican soup I’ve ever made or tasted! I described it to my friend as “award winning”! 🙂 thank you SO much for this awesome recipe. I omitted one can of black beans and added a teaspoon of garlic powder and a cup of cooked brown rice. Delicious!!
Yay!! Totally made my day with this comment, thank you so much! I’m so happy it was so well enjoyed 🙂 And the rice sounds like an amazing addition!!
I cooked this in the slow cooker but after 3 hours on low the chicken was already at 165 – are the additional hours needed if the chicken is cooked trough?
Nope 🙂 You must have a speedy slow cooker! It should be all good as soon as that chicken is done!