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Perfectly spiced, creamy chicken enchilada soup is an easy slow cooker favorite, perfect for busy days!
Chicken enchilada soup has all the best flavors we love about Chicken Enchiladas compiled into an easy soup made in the crockpot. It’s a little different from our Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup but just as creamy and satisfying!
The perfect crockpot soup
I LOVE SOUPS!!! Seriously, there is something about warm, delicious soup recipes and the holidays that make me so incredibly giddy!
This chicken enchilada soup in a slow cooker has to be a new favorite. It was SOO easy to make and turned out fabulous!! We’ve always been suckers for green chiles and Enchiladas, so making a soup version of these things sounded wonderful.
Chicken Tortilla Soup is a Mexican food classic. It has some flavors in common with this chicken enchilada soup such as chicken and chiles, but tortilla soup is generally spicier and thinner. Whereas, chicken enchilada soup is creamier and tends to be milder.
The combination of chicken, green chiles, spices, corn, and cream cheese makes this recipe irresistible. You really can’t beat throwing everything in the slow cooker and having a delicious meal within a few hours. Pretty amazing!
Mix and Heat!
This chicken enchilada soup recipe takes minutes to put together, then the crock pot does the work!
COMBINE + COOK. Place chicken broth, enchilada sauce, green chiles, water, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and shredded chicken in a crock pot on HIGH. Cook for 3½ hours.
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS. After cooking for 3½ hours add corn, rice, and cubed cream cheese. Stir and cook for ½ hour.
SEASON + SERVE! Add salt and pepper to taste and top with Monterrey Jack Cheese.
Stovetop Instructions
If you’re in a pinch for time, make this green enchilada soup on the stovetop instead of in the crockpot.
- Add broth, enchilada sauce, diced green chilies, water, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and chicken to a large pot.
- Bring to a boil, and add rice and cream cheese.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Mix well so all cream cheese chunks are gone.
- Add salt and pepper and cheese right before serving.
Recipe Tips
The flavors of this green enchilada chicken soup really are phenomenal. It has all the ingredients similar to Enchiladas but in a soup form.
Flavor variations. Add more flavor with bell peppers, black beans, and other types of cheese. Swap out the cream cheese. It will change the flavor and texture a bit, but you can substitute the cream cheese with pureed cottage cheese or plain yogurt.
Best toppings. After dishing the soup into bowls, top the soup with a dollop of sour cream, avocado slices, tortilla strips, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, or a pinch of fresh cilantro. Place a lime wedge on the side of the bowl to squeeze over the soup.
Chicken. Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Cook Shredded Chicken, use precooked packaged chicken, or shred a rotisserie chicken. You can also follow our Slow Cooker Roast Chicken recipe. Once done, remove the bones and shred the chicken.
Thin out soup. If the crockpot chicken enchilada soup is too thick, add a little more chicken stock until you reach your desired texture.
Thicken soup. If the soup is too thin, add a little more cream cheese or rice. Add flour: In a separate bowl combine ¼ cup of soup and 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix until smooth then add back into the soup.
Storing Info + Side IDEAS
STORE. Place this creamy chicken enchilada soup recipe in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
FREEZE. Place the soup in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for 4-6 months. Let the soup thaw in the fridge. Slowly reheat in a pot over LOW heat. Stir constantly to keep the cream cheese combined with the soup.
Serving suggestions. Serve green chicken enchilada soup with some of our favorite bread and salads:
Recipe FAQ
Absolutely! Place the raw chicken (not frozen) in the pot along with the other ingredients in step 1. Cook the soup on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 5-7 hours. Remove the chicken and shred it with a fork. Add it back in and complete steps 2 and 3.
If you are not used to eating spicy food you might find this soup a little hot. To make it more mild you can reduce or omit the chili powder and cumin. Use a mild or medium enchilada sauce and green chiles instead of a hot one. Serve with toppings that provide a cooling effect, such as sour cream or avocado slices.
Absolutely! If you prefer a vegetarian or meat-free version of this soup, you can simply omit the chicken from the recipe and use a vegetable broth. You can add additional veggies like bell peppers, black beans, or even tofu for added texture and protein.
For More Slow Cooker Soups, Check Out:
- Crockpot Taco Soup
- Crockpot Hamburger Soup
- Crockpot Tortellini Soup
- Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup
- Crockpot Taco Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Green Chili Chicken Soup
Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans chicken broth
- 2 (15-ounce) cans mild green enchilada sauce
- 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles
- ⅔ cup water
- 1½ tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅔ cup corn, thawed if frozen
- ⅔ cup instant rice
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened and cubed
- salt and pepper to taste
- Toppings: Monterey Jack cheese fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Combine chicken, broth, enchilada sauce, green chiles, water, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3½ hours.
- Add corn, rice, and cream cheese. Stir and cook on high for 30 minutes more.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and top with Monterey Jack cheese and cilantro before serving.
Video
Notes
- In a large pot, combine chicken, broth, enchilada sauce, green chiles, water, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder, and bring to a boil.
- Add corn, rice, and cream cheese, reduce the heat, and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Mix well so all cream cheese chunks are gone, then add salt and pepper. Serve garnished with cheese and cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello, I saw this recipe and decided to make it today for my family. Everyone is super excited. I just had a question, I doubled up everything, and shredded the chicken, and when I started putting all the liquids in, I couldn’t fit all of it because my crock pot was big enough. Is there anyway I can cook what I could fit in there, and then when it comes to throwing in my corn, cream cheese, and rice, Can I finish it off on the stove top? Can’t wait to try this
I honestly haven’t tried that, but if they are cooked already, it should be ok. Hope that helps! Thank you!
I did that because I also made a double batch and it worked out just fine! It was also a lot easier to dissolve the cream cheese with it over the stove top!
The instructions on the crock pot tell you not to lock the lid while cooking. That is for transporting only
Yes 🙂 Thank you!
I thought the overall flavor of this was outstanding! I loved the cumin and the spices with the addition of the rice and corn. I used a shredded rotisserie chicken due time constraints and it was perfect. The only thing I would say is the entire block of cream cheese made it incredibly rich. It was almost like a chowder instead of a soup. If I were to make this again (which I definitely will) I would probably use 1/3 of the block of cream cheese so it is a bit lighter and more soup like. It was really tasty for sure! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing that!! I’m glad you liked it 🙂 Thanks for giving it a try!!
Is this by chance gluten free?
I’m not a pro on everything that gluten free need to avoid…take a look at the ingredients and hopefully, you can tell right away. I’m sorry, I wish I knew!! I need to study that more!!
Made this on a campfire in my dutch oven. Wonderful out here in the wilds of S.W. Utah, so good it will be a staple in all my camps from now on! Thanks so much and I will be looking forward to trying more of your recipes on every trip!
Thank you so much for letting me know that! That sounds so delish in a dutch oven! Glad to know it works great for camping!
I am making this tonight for a group, but now I am even more intrigued to take it camping with us and cook it in the dutch oven! What a wonderful treat that will be!
You should!! Let me know what you think! Thank you!!
any suggestions for substituting out the cream cheese? That’s the only thing putting me off from this recipe, everything else sounds delicious!
Thank you for mentioning green chile! We would love to send you a free box of our Hatch Green Chile to say thank you. If you’re interested, please send me an email with your heat preference and address.
Just wanted to share that I made this soup for a contest at work today and I WON! It’s soooo good. This was my first time making it but I will definitely be making it again!!!
Ohhh, I made this recipe tonight and it was fabulous! I put regular rice in from the start and cooked it on high for 4 hours. We’re also dairy free so I used Daiya cream cheese substitute (but only 4 oz) and it was delish! Thanks Krystin!
I’m so glad you liked it and were able to make a dairy free version! 😀
Have you tried the recipe without cumin? I am allergic to cumin, but the soup sounds wonderful. I know my family would love it.
I know the soup would be totally fine. I would just add any other seasonings that you like and are not allergic to. 😉