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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.
This soup was delicious, creamy and full of flavor. I love the addition of beans for added protein and fiber.
I had this at my daughter’s house last night. Oh my, the flavor is incredible
It made a lovely meal to serve.
Made this last night with the Instant Pot method and it was so, so GOOD! I just used one can of diced chiles and no poblano so that it wasn’t too spicy for my kiddos, and it still had a good kick with the jalapeño. Also, I used an orange bell pepper just because my family isn’t big fans of green peppers, but the green would definitely have looked better – haha!
Such a great recipe for a busy weeknight. Thank you, Alex!!
PS – I used regular cream cheese 🙂
Can you make this on the stove in Dutch oven?
Absolutely!! I think the chicken would need to simmer for about 30 minutes or so before being cooked/shredded or chopped. I would also saute up the veggies first.
What could I substitute the beans for to make this low carb? Thank you!
you could just omit them if you prefer
Love this! The spice, the flavors, that it’s made in a crockpot! Wondering if it freezes ok? Didn’t see that noted in the blog or recipe. Would assume so but I did use regular cream cheese and not sure if that matters… Big fan, definitely making many more times!
soups with dairy may turn grainy or become separated in the freezer. It’ll still taste good but just might not have the silky texture you want. I recommend if you can prepare it up until the point when the dairy is added, then freeze and add the dairy after reheating the soup!
Can you give us the nutritional information on this recipe please? I would love the breakdown of calories, protein, etc.
Hi Tracey- just added it at the bottom.
Loved this and thought it was even better reheated for lunch the next day (used the IP method). Can’t wait to make it again!
Would this be ok with the red siete enchilada sauce?
Yes you could definitely use red enchilada sauce instead!
Soup was delicious! Will definitely be making again, but are you able to add the nutritional information? Thanks!