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Make this easy chicken enchilada soup in the Crock Pot or on the stovetop for a simple and flavorful meal that suits your busy life! It’s zesty, creamy, cozy, and delicious alongside chips, salsa, and guacamole.
Table of Contents
If you love creamy chicken soup recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this Crock Pot chicken corn soup, a bowl of creamy chicken noodle soup, and this chicken and wild rice soup, too!
Why You’ll Love this Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe
- Easy. The slow cooker (or Dutch oven) does all of the work here, so your job is simple: add the ingredients to the pot, set it, and forget it. No special cooking skills required!
- Convenient. You can run the Crock Pot on the high setting if you need it done sooner, or let it cook low and slow for up to 6 hours.
- Nourishing. Thanks to the creamy broth, this soup tastes decadent and satisfying — but it’s loaded with plenty of veggies, beans, and lean protein, too!
- Family-friendly. This soup is a cross between our favorite slow cooker white chicken chili recipe and this popular chicken tortilla soup. The enchilada sauce and taco seasoning give it a little bit of “zest,” while the taste is still classic and kid-friendly. Pair it with some chips for scooping and dipping, and everyone at the table will be happy!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pot of creamy chicken enchilada soup. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Chicken broth: use low-sodium broth if you’d like to control the salt in your soup, or start with a homemade chicken broth when available.
- Chicken: either boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs will work, so pick your favorite. We prefer the dark meat thighs in this recipe, which tend to stay juicier over the long cooking time.
- Corn: I use frozen corn, but canned corn is also fine.
- Onion and diced tomatoes: veggies that add flavor and nutrition to the soup and bulk up the meal.
- Black beans: feel free to sub with pinto beans, white beans, or just about any other beans that you like. You can also omit the beans altogether and just add extra corn.
- Diced green chiles: for extra flavor.
- Red enchilada sauce: we use a can of mild enchilada sauce so that the soup isn’t too spicy, but feel free to use any variety that you prefer.
- Taco seasoning: use a packet of taco seasoning mix for convenience, or try homemade taco seasoning. If you can find enchilada seasoning, that works too!
- Cumin and garlic powder: for even more flavor.
- Cream cheese: adding cream cheese at the end gives the broth a creamy, cheesy taste and a rich, smooth texture.
- Monterey Jack cheese and cheddar cheese: additional cheese that adds richer depth of flavor to the broth. You can omit these two cheeses and just use an entire 8-ounce block of cream cheese instead.
How to Make Chicken Enchilada Soup
I prefer the ease of the slow cooker for this recipe, but I’ve also included stovetop instructions. Pick whichever method works best for you! You’ll find the detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the short version:
- Combine all of the ingredients (except for the cheeses) in a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and return it to the pot.
- Stir in the cream cheese, Monterey Jack, and cheddar until smooth and creamy.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with toppings.
What to Serve with Enchilada Soup
Pair this crockpot chicken enchilada soup with any of these easy sides:
- Jalapeño Cheddar Mexican Cornbread, Moist Jiffy Pimento Cheese Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Honey Cornbread, Old-Fashioned Corn Sticks, Sweet Cornbread Muffins
- Tortilla Chips with Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, or Salsa
- Quesadillas
- Easy Spanish Rice
- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Easy Drop Biscuits
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- Honey Beer Bread or Cheddar Chive Beer Bread
- Overnight No-Knead Bread or No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread
- Jalapeno Cheddar Bread
- Wedge Salad, Kale Apple Salad with Bacon, Classic Caesar Salad, House Salad with Candied Pecans, Mandarin Orange Salad, or a Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: Leftover soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing the soup after you add the cream cheese. A dairy-based broth tends to “break” or separate when thawed, giving the soup an undesirable texture.
- Make Ahead: If you’d like to prepare the soup in advance to freeze for a later date, just omit the cheeses at the end. Let the soup cool completely, package in a large Ziploc bag or other airtight freezer safe container, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat over low heat, and stir the cream cheese, Monterey Jack, and cheddar into the pot during the final 5-10 minutes.
- How to Reheat: Place the soup in a saucepan. Cover and warm over low heat, just until heated through. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.
Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe Variations
- Omit the Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, and instead use an entire 8-ounce block of softened cream cheese.
- Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, depending on your preference. Chicken thighs tend to stay more moist and juicy in the slow cooker than the white meat chicken breast, but either option works fine!
- If you’d like to use leftover shredded chicken or the cooked meat from a grocery store rotisserie chicken, you’ll need about 4 cups of chicken total. You can stir this into the pot at the end (when you add the cream cheese).
- Stir in cooked rice or crushed tortilla chips at the end for a heartier, thicker, more filling soup.
- Add a diced red bell pepper (or other color bell peppers) to the pot, or make the soup spicy with a chopped jalapeno pepper or a dash of cayenne pepper. Add other spices for a zestier flavor, such as chili powder and paprika.
- Use a couple cloves of minced garlic in lieu of the garlic powder.
- Fresh sweet corn cut off the cob or canned corn kernels are a fine substitute for the frozen corn.
- For a zesty vegetarian dish, try this Crock Pot black bean soup recipe.
- Use enchilada seasoning instead of taco seasoning if you can find it.
Tips for the Best Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe
- Use homemade chicken broth, low-sodium chicken broth, reduced sodium taco seasoning, or homemade taco seasoning if you’d like to control the amount of salt in the finished soup.
- I use a mild enchilada sauce so that the soup isn’t too spicy, but any variety will work.
- All slow cookers run on slightly different temperatures, so the total time required will vary. My Crock Pot tends to cook dishes pretty quickly, so my soup is always done after 2-3 hours on HIGH. Just keep an eye on your chicken the first time that you prepare the dish, and get to know your individual slow cooker.
- Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature and dice into cubes before stirring it into the pot. This will help the cheese melt smoothly into the broth, giving the dish a delicious creamy texture.
- Use blocks of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese that you grate by hand for the smoothest texture.
- We prefer chicken thighs over white meat chicken breasts, since the dark meat thighs stay juicier, more tender, and more flavorful over the long cooking time.
More Favorite Chicken Soup Recipes to Try
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
45 minutes mins
Chicken Vegetable Soup
1 hour hr
Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 3 hours
Total: 3 hours 15 minutes
Prepare this creamy, easy chicken enchilada soup in the Crock Pot or on the stovetop!
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth (use low-sodium broth or homemade broth if you want to control the salt in the finished dish)
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup total)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
- 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened and diced into small cubes
- ½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping
- Optional garnish for serving: crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips, additional shredded cheese, sliced green onions, lime wedges, lime juice, cilantro, sliced avocado, diced red onion, sour cream
Instructions
SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine chicken broth, chicken, corn, onion, diced tomatoes, black beans, green chilies, enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, cumin, and garlic powder in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- Remove the chicken and shred with two forks or chop. Return the chicken to the slow cooker and give everything a good stir. Add the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and cheddar cheese to the slow cooker; stir, cover, and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese melts smoothly into the broth.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with optional toppings.
ALTERNATE STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS
- Dice the chicken into bite-size pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced chicken and cook, stirring regularly, just until chicken is browned (it doesn’t need to be cooked through).
- Add the chicken broth, corn, onion, diced tomatoes, black beans, green chilies, enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, cumin, and garlic powder to the pot with the chicken. Stir well.
- Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce heat to a low simmer. Let soup simmer for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and cheddar cheese. Stir or whisk until the cheese melts smoothly into the broth. Ladle into bowls and garnish with optional toppings.
Notes
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- Use homemade chicken broth, low-sodium chicken broth, reduced sodium taco seasoning, or homemade taco seasoning if you’d like to control the amount of salt in the finished soup.
-
- I use a mild enchilada sauce so that the soup isn’t too spicy, but any variety will work.
-
- All slow cookers run on slightly different temperatures, so the total time required will vary. My Crock Pot tends to cook dishes pretty quickly, so my soup is always done after 2-3 hours on HIGH. Just keep an eye on your chicken the first time that you prepare the dish, and get to know your individual slow cooker.
-
- Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature and dice into cubes before stirring it into the pot. This will help the cheese melt smoothly into the broth, giving the dish a delicious creamy texture.
-
- Use blocks of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese that you grate by hand for the smoothest texture.
-
- We prefer chicken thighs over white meat chicken breasts, since the dark meat thighs stay juicier, more tender, and more flavorful over the long cooking time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 328kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 29gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 1205mgPotassium: 649mgFiber: 6gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 629IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 153mgIron: 3mg
