Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup takes everything you love about chicken enchiladas and puts it in soup form. It’s especially easy because it’s a crock pot recipe!
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In my annual reader survey, the most requested recipe type was slow cooker meals and many of you asked for more soup recipes, so I’m killing two birds with one stone with this Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup!
I made this recipe on a Sunday – Rosie happened to sleep in and I was able to throw everything in the slow cooker before she even got up.
Add some cilantro lime rice into this chicken enchilada soup to turn it into a Mexican gumbo! And then finish it off with a “better than box mix” brownie because everything should end with a brownie.
INGREDIENTS
- Olive Oil – Pick a good quality EVOO. There are many types – I like to use an extra virgin for low acidity & good flavor.
- Yellow Onion – Yellow onions are the most popular because they give great flavor to soups and stews. Fun fact – it’s the high sulfur content in yellow onions that make your eyes water!
- Minced Garlic – You can use 4 cloves of fresh garlic or 2 teaspoons of store bought minced garlic (which I always have on hand).
- Chicken Breasts – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat.
- Chili Powder – Chili powder is often a blend of chilies, oregano, cumin, and salt.
- Cumin – Cumin has an earthy, nutty, and somewhat spicy flavor.
- Oregano – Use Mexican oregano if you have it. It pairs beautifully with cumin & chili powder.
- Chicken Stock – You can use low sodium, but I like to use regular.
- Green Enchilada Sauce – Generally a blend of onion, broth, cumin, chiles, and spices.
- Green Chiles – Canned green chiles are often Anaheim chiles, which are mild, unlike the jalapeno.
- Corn Tortillas – You’ll blend corn tortillas with enchilada sauce to thicken the soup. You also
canshould make tortilla strips for topping the soup – so good! - Cream Cheese – Cream cheese gives just the right amount of creaminess to the soup. Use room temperature cream cheese, cubed, so it melts evenly.
- Mexican Blend or Monterey Jack Shredded Cheese – I used a Mexican blend of shredded Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Asadero, & Queso Quesadilla cheeses.
HOW DO YOU MAKE BAKED TORTILLA STRIPS?
Making crunchy tortilla strips to top your soup is really easy & worth the effort! First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Next, line a baking sheet with foil and spray with a non-stick spray (I like to use olive oil spray). Then, cut corn tortillas into skinny strips (use a pizza cutter to make it easy!) and lay in a single layer on the baking sheet. Gently spray with more non-stick spray then sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 10 minutes or until crisp and you’re done!
TOOLS FOUND ON AMAZON TO HELP YOU:
- Slow Cooker – My slow cooker of choice switches itself to “warm” after the initial cooking time is up which is really handy when you’re going to be gone all day.
- Blender – You’ll need to blend some corn tortillas with some enchilada sauce to add to the soup.
- Ladle – For scooping out all the goodness. I’ve had this Rachael Ray set for years & love it.
MORE SLOW COOKER SOUP RECIPES
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Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano or Mexican oregano
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 8 oz green enchilada sauce divided
- ½ cup green chiles diced
- 2 cups water
- 4 small corn tortillas
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
For the tortilla strips
- 4 small corn tortillas
- cooking spray
- salt
Instructions
To make the soup
- Add the olive oil to your slow cooker bowl then add the chopped onion, chicken breasts, minced garlic, and all the seasonings (salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano).
- Next, pour in the chicken stock, green chiles, and half of the enchilada sauce.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3.5. hours.
- While the soup is cooking, add 4 torn corn tortillas to a blender with the remaining enchilada sauce and 2 cups of water. Blend until completely mixed. Set aside for later.
- After the cook time is up, use two forks to shred the chicken. It should shred very easily.
- Add the blended tortilla mixture to the slow cooker and mix well.
- Add in the cream cheese and half of the Monterey Jack cheese. Stir and cover. Turn the slow cooker to high and cook another 30 minutes (or 1 hour on low).
- Once done, give a good stir to distribute the cheeses.
- Ladle into bowls and top with any/all of the following: tortilla strips (recipe below), more shredded cheese, cilantro, diced tomatoes, sour cream.
To make the tortilla strips
- While your soup is cooking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Spray with non-stick spray.
- Cut the remaining 4 corn tortillas into strips and arrange into a single layer onto your prepared baking sheet. Gently spray the tops with non-stick spray and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 10 minutes until lightly brown and crisp.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Seems so easy to do and it also looks great. I need a slow cooker
It is an easy one! This one should pretty easily convert to being made on the stove top. I’d bring the stock to a boil in the first step to cook the chicken, then probably an hour to an hour & a half on medium low to let the flavors come together after you shred the chicken. Let me know if you try!
I followed your stovetop directions you posted in reply to someone’s comments and it was great. Wouldn’t change a thing (and I always tweak recipes). I’ve passed it along to my daughter and new daughter-in-law!
I love hearing that, thank you! I should probably add those directions to the post so they’re easier to find 🙂
This is some seriously good soup. I made this in my instant pot. I put the chicken broth in and added the frozen chicken… cooked that first. Then took the chicken out and cut it up..added back to the pot along with the rest of the ingredients….with the exception of the cream cheese and Monterey Jack cheese. Then I cooked it for about 2 minutes. Then added the cheeses and stirred till melted. So so good. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for reporting back & sharing the IP steps!
I’m giving this a 4 so far. It smells amazing but I’m worried it is going to be too watery and not very thick. I’ll add cornstarch once it’s almost done.
It thickens with the tortilla mixture you add at the end. I’d appreciate an updated review after you actually finished 🙂