Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
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Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup is easy to prep in only 10 minutes with a deliciously spicy kick! This healthy recipe is gluten free, low calorie and a simple crock pot meal, perfect for cold winter days.
Table of contents
When cold, rainy weather hits, it gives me the perfect excuse to stay inside and eat soup for every meal! Crock pot soups are great because they can serve as a complete meal, use minimal dishes, and are so easy to make.
This slow cooker chicken enchilada soup is perfect for rainy days, winter months, or anytime you want a really scrumptious soup recipe that takes only 10 minutes to prep and has a deliciously spicy kick to it!
But don’t worry, if you don’t like spicy, you can cut down on the spice and still end up with a super flavorful soup that’s on the mild side. Not only is this soup absolutely delicious and satisfying, it’s a healthy, low calorie and gluten free meal that everyone will love!
This is a favorite soup around our house. Everyone in the family loves it and I especially love it, because it’s so easy to make!
Ingredients
- Enchilada seasoning – click the link for my homemade blend of 8 spices that’s easy to mix up in less than 5 minutes! The combination of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and other herbs and spices is perfect for flavoring this soup recipe. You can also pick up a packet of enchilada sauce mix on the spice aisle at the grocery store, and use it in place of my homemade seasoning mix.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – or you could use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. But to keep it light and low calorie, I recommend the chicken breasts.
- Chicken broth – you can make your own at home with bouillon, or purchase a box of chicken broth at the grocery store. If using low-sodium chicken broth, I recommend tasting the soup before it’s served and adding salt to taste.
- Canned diced tomatoes with green chilies – if you live in the midwest, you might just call this Rotel. I use the “original” variety of Rotel for this recipe, but mild or hot Rotel can also be used, to tone up or down the spice level.
- Sriracha – or your favorite hot sauce.
- Tomato paste
- Diced onion
- Canned corn
- Kidney beans
- Black beans
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, recipe video and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Start loading the slow cooker. Place chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker and rub the chicken with the enchilada seasoning mix.
Cover the chicken. Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes with green chilies, sriracha, tomato paste, diced onions, corn, kidney beans and black beans to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
Cook the soup. Set the slow cooker to low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
Pull apart the chicken. Reach two forks in the slow cooker and shred the chicken directly in the soup, or remove the chicken from the soup, shred it and return it to the soup.
Serve! Ladle the chicken enchilada soup into bowls and serve with your favorite toppings.
Topping ideas
This soup is made even more amazing by adding some toppings! Garnish your bowl with any of the following additions.
- Shredded cheese – I like cheddar or pepper jack for this recipe!
- Sliced avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Tortilla strips
- Fresh or pickled sliced jalapenos
- Guacamole
- Hot sauce
- Sour cream
What to serve with it
While this chicken enchilada soup recipe is filling and nutritious enough to be a meal on its own, you can also pair it with a salad for a classic soup and salad combo!
It’s also delicious simply served with tortilla chips and salsa, or with these Jalapeno Popper Crescent Rolls, perfect for dipping right into this soup!
How to make it in an instant pot
Want to make chicken enchilada soup in under an hour? Try making it in an Instant Pot, or electric pressure cooker. Just follow these 4 simple steps!
- Turn the saute function on the Instant Pot on to “normal”, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion, saute 4-5 minutes. Rub the chicken breast with the seasoning mix and add it to the Instant Pot. Sear the chicken for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button on the pressure cooker. Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes with green chilies, sriracha, tomato paste, corn, kidney beans and black beans to the Instant Pot and stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker and make sure the steam release is set to “sealing”. Press the “manual” button and set the pressure cooker to high pressure, then use the +/- buttons to set the pressure cooker to 10 minutes. When the cooking time is up, wait 10-15 minutes, then release any remaining pressure before unlocking the lid.
- Remove the lid and either shred the chicken directly in the Instant Pot, or remove the cooked chicken from the soup, shred it and return the shredded chicken to the soup.
Optional additions
I love this soup just the way it is, but if you want to make it creamy, add more veggies, or make it even more spicy, try these optional additions!
- Add more veggies! Add a cup of diced bell peppers, or diced zucchini, with the onions, corn and beans.
- Make it creamy! After removing the chicken from the slow cooker to shred, add 8 ounces of cubed cream cheese to the soup. Cover the soup, and let the cheese melt into the soup, while you shred the chicken. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Wait until the cheese has completely melted into the soup before serving.
- Make it really spicy! This soup already has a nice kick to it from the 1/4 cup of hot sauce. If you want to make it really spicy, you can add 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper to the enchilada seasoning, add diced jalapenos with the onions, corn and beans, or add more hot sauce!
- Make it mild! Omit the hot sauce. For added flavor, include an extra tablespoon of enchilada seasoning. This will keep the spice level mild, but will replace the missing flavor from the hot sauce.
Storage and reheating
Leftover chicken enchilada soup will stay good in the fridge for up to 6 days stored in an airtight container. To reheat the soup, add it to a saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat and bring the soup to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for 5 minutes before serving.
You can also reheat the soup in the microwave. Transfer the soup to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.
Chicken enchilada soup can also be stored in the freezer. Let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight freezer-safe container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost for 24 hours in the refrigerator before reheating the soup in a slow cooker, on the stove or in the microwave.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you slow cook soup too long? Yes, you can. While slow cooking soup gives amazing flavor, it should not be cooked excessively. Meat and other ingredients can break down too much causing the texture to be unappealing. It is best to stick to the times listed in the recipe.
- Can you put raw chicken in a slow cooker? Yes, cooking raw chicken in a slow cooker is an excellent way to create tender meat that is easy to shred.
- Can you put frozen chicken in a slow cooker? This is not recommend, as it can take the internal temperature of the chicken too long to rise in the slow cooker, potentially causing bacteria to build up, which we definitely don’t want! To be on the safe side, I always recommend thawing chicken breasts before adding them into the slow cooker.
- Can I make this recipe on the stove? Yes! Instead of using raw chicken, I recommend using chicken pulled from a cooked rotisserie chicken. This way, you don’t have to slow cook the chicken. Instead, simply add all of the ingredients to a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 15-20 minutes before serving.
- How many calories are in chicken enchilada soup? This recipe offers up 6 generous portions of soup for only 329 calories per serving (without the additional toppings).
- Is this recipe keto? Made as-is, this recipe is not appropriate for a keto diet, but you can omit the beans and corn to make it low carb and perfect for an easy keto meal!
More slow cooker soup recipes
When the weather calls for soup, bust out the crock pot and make these easy, comforting, and delicious recipes!
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons enchilada seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 20 ounces diced tomatoes with green chilies, 2 (10 ounce) cans
- ¼ cup sriracha, or other hot sauce
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 1 cup diced onion
- 15 ounce can corn
- 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
Optional Toppings
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Avocado, sliced
- Cilantro, chopped
- Tortilla Strips
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a large slow cooker and rub the enchilada seasoning on the chicken.
- Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes with green chilies, sriracha, tomato paste, diced onions, corn, drained and rinsed kidney beans, and drained and rinsed black beans to the slow cooker.
- Stir to combine, then cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- Before serving, reach two forks in the slow cooker and shred the chicken directly in the soup, or remove the chicken from the soup, shred and return to the soup.
- Ladle the enchilada soup into bowls and serve topped with your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
- Refer to the blog post above for how to make this recipe in an Instant Pot or on the stove.
- To make this recipe mild in spice, omit the hot sauce. For added flavor, include an extra tablespoon of enchilada seasoning. This will keep the spice level mild, but will replace the missing flavor from the hot sauce.
- To make the soup creamy, add cream cheese. After removing the chicken from the slow cooker to shred, add 8 ounces of cubed cream cheese to the soup. Cover the soup, and let the cheese melt into the soup, while you shred the chicken. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Wait until the cheese has completely melted into the soup before serving.
- Leftover chicken enchilada soup will stay good in the fridge for up to 6 days stored in an airtight container.
- To reheat the soup, add it to a saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat and bring the soup to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for 5 minutes before serving.
- You can also reheat the soup in the microwave. Transfer the soup to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.
- Chicken enchilada soup can also be stored in the freezer. Let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight freezer-safe container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost for 24 hours in the refrigerator before reheating the soup in a slow cooker, on the stove or in the microwave.
Nutrition Facts
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