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.
Made this a few days ago and it was a big hit! This will probably go in the regular rotation as it was super easy (LOVE that there was no chopping involved…) and came out really well! My wife was a big fan 🙂
A couple notes: 1. the recipe is missing the step to add the chicken broth (I added 1 cup before setting the crock pot to cook; the soup was pretty “soupy” right after cooking, but after refrigerating it became quite thick. I might add 1 more cup next time, as the recipe suggests).
2. The cilantro is listed as optional in the cooking phase, but I think it really adds some depth and would definitely recommend it.
3.The recipe says sour cream is a highly recommended topping, but I think the cream cheese makes it super creamy as is. For me, lime was definitely the most necessary topping, followed by shredded cheese (we used the Mexican blend) and green Cholula hot sauce.
I will also say that this was good enough that both my mom and my mother in law wanted the recipe!
Thanks so much Lee! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
The BEST EVER!
Yay! So thrilled to hear that 🙂
Just made this dish, Literally eating as I type and wow this dish is amazing. It’s a bit spicy but my partner and I are loving every bite!! Thank you for this !!
I am so happy you guys loved this! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
Just had to say this is just the top winning soup in our lives. We make it year around. The only thing we do different is add a green vegetable (bag of frozen green beans, or tonight, 3 zucchini!) Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
You seriously have no idea how happy I am to hear this! What a compliment! Thank you so much and thanks for the tip on the green vegetable! Sounds awesome! 🙂
My husband and I loved this recipe. So delicious.
I’m so happy you guys enjoyed this! Thanks for your comment. 🙂
I’ve made this several times for a group of ladies who come for lunch. One is staying away from diary so I will be tying coconut milk rather than the cream cheese. This is a trustworthy, easy, visually pleasing soup.
Thanks so much Teresa! 🙂
One of the best soups I have ever made. Family and friends love it and keep begging me to make it again..
So happy to hear that! Thanks Ellen 🙂
This is so delicious! I can’t tell you how many time’s I’ve made this. I spice it up a little more with, hot enchilada sauce, fire roasted tomatoes and smoked paprika. Yummy
Sounds delicious! Thanks for the comment and review Elaine 🙂
I do mine in the pressure cooker OMG so fast and deicious
I was happy to discover that I had all of the ingredients for this on hand except the white beans. I used 2 cans of black beans instead. We fried tortillas to have on the side. I have to say this is the best soup I’ve tasted in a long time! My husband said it was better than a restaurant. I’m looking forward to trying other recipes from your site!
So thrilled to hear that!! Thank you so much for the kind comment and review 🙂 And fried tortillas on the side sounds amazing!
I have a vegetarian in the house so I cook the chicken in green salsa for four hours on high while coming the rest of the soup on low. The first time I I made it it was a little too spicy for me so the second time I took out one can of green Chile’s and added rice and corn (same flavoring heavier meal). I tried to freeze it – and I didn’t think it froze well but you can half the batch and get the same good food. Thanks for the recipe!
MMM sounds amazing!! Thanks for the tips and for your comment! 🙂