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This Slow Cooker Green Enchilada Chicken Soup is sure to become a favorite! Bright, creamy, and dairy-free, there’s so much to love about this cold-weather dish.
Green enchiladas are an absolute favorite in my house (as you can see from the variety of recipes I have on my blog and in my cookbooks)! The brightness and creaminess is something I absolutely love so I wanted to reimagine the flavors in this simple soup.
And I already know what you are thinking, “Simple?! With this many ingredients?!” But y’all, I designed this recipe to use so many pantry staples and convenient condiments. Between the green enchilada sauce, canned green chiles, and a few other items, you don’t need to spend a whole lot of time prepping to create big flavor!
Oh, and if you want to make it in an Instant Pot, I’ve got you covered! The recipe at the bottom of this post has instructions for making this soup in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot, so take your pick!
ingredients:
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Yellow Onion
- Green Bell Pepper
- Poblano Pepper
- Jalapeño Pepper
- Garlic Cloves
- Diced Green Chiles
- Green Enchilada Sauce
- Chicken Broth
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Ground Cumin
- Dried Oregano
- Fresh Cilantro
- Bay Leaf
- Pinto or Cannellini Beans
- Dairy-Free Cream Cheese
- Freshly Squeezed Lime juice
- Monterey Jack Cheese (For Serving)
- Fresh Cilantro (For Serving)
- Radishes (For Serving)
- White Corn Tortilla Chips (For Serving)
- Lime Wedges (For Serving)
Step-by-Step (SLOW COOKER METHOD):
Step One: Add Ingredients to Slow Cooker
In a slow cooker, add the chicken, onions, bell pepper, poblano, jalapeño, garlic, green chiles, enchilada sauce, broth, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cilantro. Stir until well combined. Add the bay leaf, cover, and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, or preferably on low for 8 to 10 hours.
Step two: shred chicken and add the final ingredients
When the cooking time is complete and the chicken is tender, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with two forks. Transfer the chicken back to the soup. Add the beans and cream cheese and stir until well combined. Cover and cook on low until the beans are tender, about 10 minutes.
Step three: add lime juice, serve, and enjoy!
Before serving, stir in the lime juice. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish as desired!
Recipe FAQs:
If you can tolerate dairy, you can use regular cream cheese instead! But the Kite Hill brand dairy-free cream cheese is a wonderful option.
I love putting out lots of topping options so everyone can garnish their soups exactly how they want to! I’d recommend shredded Monterey jack cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, white corn tortilla chips, and lime wedges.
I hope y’all enjoy this Slow Cooker Green Enchilada Chicken Soup! Comment below once you try it!
looking for more Enchilada-inspired Recipes? try these!
Sour Cream and Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada Bake
Slow Cooker Green Enchilada Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion (from about 1/2 large onion)
- 1 cup finely diced green bell pepper (from about 1 small bell pepper)
- 1/2 cup finely diced poblano pepper (from about 1 small poblano pepper)
- 1/4 cup seeded and finely diced jalapeno pepper (from about 1 jalapeno pepper), optional
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles
- 1 (15-ounce) jar green enchilada sauce, such as Siete Foods
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces dairy-free cream cheese, such as Kite Hill
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Optional, for serving:
- shredded Monterey Jack cheese (omit for dairy-free)
- chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- sliced radishes
- white corn tortilla chips
- lime wedges
Instructions
SLOW COOKER METHOD:
- In a slow cooker, add the chicken, onions, bell pepper, poblano, jalapeño, garlic, green chiles, enchilada sauce, broth, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cilantro. Stir until well combined. Add the bay leaf, cover, and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, or preferably on low for 8 to 10 hours.
- When the cooking time is complete and the chicken is tender, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with two forks. Transfer the chicken back to the soup. Add the beans and cream cheese and stir until well combined. Cover and cook on low until the beans are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Before serving, stir in the lime juice. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish as desired!
INSTANT POT METHOD:
- In an Instant Pot, add the chicken, onion, bell pepper, poblano, jalapeno, garlic, green chiles, enchilada sauce, broth, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cilantro. Stir until well combined. Drop in the bay leaf and lock in the lid. Make sure the valve is sealed. Cook on Manual High Pressure for 20 minutes.
- When the cook time is complete, release the pressure manually by turning the valve. Once the pressure is released, carefully open the Instant Pot. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Transfer the chicken back to the soup. Add the beans and cream cheese and stir until well combined. Cover and keep on ‘warm’ until the beans are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Before serving, stir in the lime juice. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish as desired!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
Can you freeze this or no? I know dairy is youcslly not best to freeze but am wondering if it changes things if you use a dairy free alternative.
Yes you can freeze this one! I actually froze the leftovers for some friends.
Awesome! Thanks so much for the reply! I will try it out!!! All about the make extra and freeze it game with young kids 😉 Thanks again
Is there a way to make this in a dutch oven?
This was absolutely delicious. I pre chopped all the veggies and added them with the spices to a ziplock and stored in the fridge overnight. In the morning I dumped all the ingredients in the crock pot and went on my way. This turned out perfectly and my kids asked for seconds! Easy dinner for busy people!
This was amazing! My husband said it’s one of his favorite things I have ever made, and I make a lot of delicious Defined Dish recipes so that means a lot! It was very bright in flavor and very comforting during these cold winter months. I did 7.5 hours on low heat and my chicken was still well cooked (185-190F). I might try taking the chicken out at 6.5 hours on low and then just letting it sit on warm for a couple hours to keep the flavors melding without continuing to cook the chicken. Next time I might also cube the chicken instead of shredding it for an easier eating experiene and might do 1/2 chicken thighs and 1/2 breasts.
I used full dairy cream cheese and raw monterary jack cheese and it was amazing. Would highly recommend.
Can you sub the cream cheese for coconut milk for soy free alternative
Yes that should work- i would just whisk in 1 tbsp of arrowroot or tapioca with 1 cup of coconut milk to make a slurry so that it has a little bit of thickening power.
Easy and delicious!!
11/10! Such good flavor and so easy.
WOW! This soup is incredibly cozy and delicious! I bet the leftovers will be even better tomorrow.
This looks amazing! Where do you find Siete Foods enchilada sauce? I have checked HEB & Whole Foods. Look forward to trying this one!
Whole Foods typically has it!!!
Sprouts or Thrive market too!
I made this for dinner last night and it was a hit! The chicken stayed tender, the broth was creamy, and the peppers gave it just the right flavor. I will definitely be making this again!