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With over 600,000 page views and counting, since 2016, this chicken enchilada soup is packed full of flavor with hardly any work! It’s only 10 ingredients, and all made in the slow cooker!
Reader Kelly commented: “Three words…..make this soup!! It is easy and so very delicious. Made it last night and it is better than most restaurant soups!” ★★★★★
If the weather is cooling down where you are, you’re ready to bundle up with a sweater and a big bowl of soup! This slow cooker chicken enchilada soup is the perfect bowl of soup for a cool day!
Why to make this crockpot enchilada soup:
- Pantry Ingredients: This soup is made with ingredients you most likely have in your pantry or fridge/freezer at all times!
- Dump and Go Recipe: Dump everything in the pot and cook until your chicken reaches 165 F.
- Cook in the Slow Cooker or Stove Top: This is a flexible recipe and can be made in 30 minutes, or several hours depending what you need.
Enchilada Soup Ingredients:
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- raw chicken breasts – boneless, skinless chicken breasts will cook up and shred easily in this soup
- enchilada sauce – I like to use red enchilada sauce, but use your favorite, green enchilada sauce works great too, or make your favorite homemade recipe.
- black beans – rinsed and drained
- sweet corn – rinsed and drained
- diced green chiles – these add a nice flavor to the soup, leave them out if you’re worried about the spice level.
- diced tomatoes – I like to use fire roasted diced tomatoes, or a can of Rotel with Green Chiles for extra flavor
- chicken stock – this thins out the soup, and gives it nice flavor
- minced garlic – adds a nice flavor
- salt – adds flavor to the soup, add more to taste at the end of cooking
- cumin and chili powder – these add a nice smoky flavor to the soup
How to make Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup?
- Add all the ingredients to your crock pot and stir them together to combine. Let the mixture cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F for about 3 to 4 hours on high, or 5 to 6 hours on low.
- Shred the chicken with two forks straight in the slow cooker, or remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board and shred it, then return it to the soup. Stir it all together again.
- Top individual bowls of the soup with your favorite toppings.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can you make this soup on the stove top?
This crockpot chicken enchilada soup is the best kind of recipe, because it’s so flexible and customizable. This soup can be made in the slow cooker or on the stove top.
To make the soup on the stove pot, add all the ingredients to a large soup pot and heat it over medium high heat. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then lower the temperature to medium low. Let it keep simmering and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with two forks. Return the chicken to the soup and stir it all together. Taste the soup and add any additional seasonings as needed, then serve with your favorite toppings!
Tips and Tricks:
- Add an 8 oz block of cream cheese, cut into small blocks, to the soup for the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, and stir it into the soup to make the soup creamy. Similar to our creamy chicken enchilada soup recipe.
- Use rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken breast to speed up the cooking time for this soup, and use up some leftover chicken. The soup will only need about 1 hour in the slow cooker with already cooked shredded chicken, but can be stored in the crock pot to keep it warm.
- You can also use boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. The thighs will need to cook for about 3 hours on high, or 5 to 6 on low, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 F.
- Use your favorite red enchilada sauce from the store, or try a green enchilada sauce instead. You can also use a homemade enchilada sauce.
- Skip the diced green chilies if you can’t handle any spice, or make sure to get mild diced green chiles.
- Add a couple Tablespoons of chili powder or Taco Seasoning to add a little more flavor to the soup if desired.
- Add a dash of hot sauce to the soup, or individual servings for a nice kick.
Topping Ideas:
This soup is delicious, but it is taken to the next level with a few simple ingredients added on top. Here you’ll find some of my favorites:
- tortilla strips or tortilla chips
- shredded cheese
- sliced avocado or guacamole
- fresh cilantro
- diced green onions
- sour cream
- squeeze of lime
How to store leftovers?
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat the leftovers in a pot on the stove top, or in a bowl in the microwave until hot and steaming.
What is the difference between chicken enchilada soup and chicken tortilla soup?
These two soups are fairly similar, with a few subtle differences. Chicken tortilla soup usually has a thinner base that is more brothy, and often has hominy mixed in to the soup to give it a slight tortilla flavor in the soup. Where chicken enchilada soup has a thicker base with enchilada sauce in it.
This crockpot chicken enchilada soup recipe is the perfect easy weeknight meal! You can throw everything into your crockpot in the morning, and in the evening you have a delicious and hearty soup for your family to enjoy!
Looking for more easy soup recipes:
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Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts raw and thawed
- 1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
- 1 14 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 14 oz can corn drained
- 1 4-7 oz can diced green chiles
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice*
- 1 14 oz can chicken broth
- 1 TBS minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
Optional Toppings:
- chopped cilantro
- tortilla strips
- sour cream
- shredded cheese
- avocado
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours (or until chicken is cooked through)
- Use two forks to shred chicken.
- Serve hot with toppings, if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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- minced garlic
- salt
- canned black beans
- corn
- diced tomatoes
- diced green chiles
- chicken broth
- enchilada sauce
- pot
- slow cooker
- shredded cheese
- guacamole
- squeeze of lime
I have this programmable slow cooker that I love because I can have it turn to warm when the desired cook time or temperature is reached. Its the best!
I think you’ll also like these other slow cooker soup recipes!
You might also like these soup recipes:
DJ says
Garlic and salt were not enough. Yes, there was enchilada sauce and chili’s, but the soup was blah. I rescued it with some chili powder, cream cheese and Cumin. I would reccomend adding onions to it too, but it was too late for me to add it to mine.
Kelly Peters says
Three words…..make this soup!! It is easy and so very delicious. Made it last night and it is better than most restaurant soups!
Allison says
The whole family loved this! Thanks for sharing!
Taryn says
Enchilada soup is so great in the fall! We like to make a couple soups and have them with company along with paninis. Thanks for this recipe!
RuthAnn L. says
Has anyone had success freezing/ thawing this recipe? Looking for freezer recipe ideas for when baby arrives. Thanks!
Aimee says
I haven’t frozen it in a bag before making it, but I have frozen leftovers and they thawed great. I just let it thaw in the fridge until soft enough to add to a pot, then heated till hot. Hood luck with the baby!
Nancy says
What is the serving size for the slow cooker chicken enchilada soup? 1 cup or more?
Aimee says
About 1.5 cups.
Jennifer L Bixler says
How big is a serving size?
Aimee says
About 1.5 to 2 cups.
Alison says
My absolute favorite soup! So easy to put together in the morning and have a hot, delicious lunch waiting for you midday. Also love that it’s mostly pantry staples! I’ve made it so many times already, and I swear it gets better every time.
Aimee says
So glad you love it!!
Joanne Bruno says
Can you put leftover cooked chicken in this?
Aimee says
Yes! You don’t need to cook it as long if you are using already cooked chicken, I’d just add that the last hour or 30 minutes to get it hot in the slow cooker, so it doesn’t get tough!
LL says
I’ve made this so many times and of the opinion that you CANNOT mess it up.
Aimee says
The best kind of recipe! Thanks!
Maura says
I only have green enchilada sauce. Will that work?
Aimee says
Yep! It will work, no problem 😋
Maura says
It was great with the green enchilada sauce! Thanks!
Virginia Medina says
How can I make this recipe on instant pot?
Aimee says
I’m not sure, I haven’t tried it yet unfortunately. Let me know if you try it
MICHELLE SCHLECHT says
I’m using my Instant Pot right now for this! I’m using boneless skinless thighs, so I am browning those first in the instant pot, then take them out after browning. Add the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken back in along with everything else that is listed. Secure the lid and select high pressure and cook for 18 minutes. When done, remove chicken from pot, shred, then add back to the pot and serve!
Aimee says
Thanks for the instant pot instructions! I haven’t tried it in there yet.
Kat says
Do you cook the chicken thoroughly or let the chicken continue cooking during that 18 mins? And how long do you let it vent itself? Thanks in advance 🙂
Laura Phillips says
I never leave reviews, but this recipe was outstanding! I’ve made another version of this in the past with canned enchilada sauce and the results were so-so, this recipe is just as easy and is SO much better.
Aimee says
Thank you so much Laura! That makes me so happy!
Lizzie says
I don’t think I’ve ever written a recipe review before, but seeing as this is probably my 100th time making this soup, I figured it was time for a first. I send this link to everyone who asks for a tasty easy meal. For mine I try to choose lower-salt options for the broth/tomatoes and add a packet of taco seasoning, plus or minus chopped onion and jalapeño. But seriously, this is probably my favorite meal to make.
Aimee says
That makes me so happy Lizzie! Thanks for letting me know!
Nancy says
this is a great recipe and I’ve given it to a number of people who all love it….. and give you credit. I used to make it a lot but lost my recipe and this one is even better. I add a chopped jalapeno for some heat!
Larine Kwolek says
This was really, really good and super easy. Bonus! I added some chopped mini peppers and green onions that were going wonky in my fridge. And a little bit of homemade taco seasoning. Awesome! I let it cook for about 6 hours on low.
Charlie Bartz says
I’m a single guy, and stumbled across this recipe while looking for an “at home” equivalent to a soup my fiance and I love at a favorite restaurant.
Just followed the directions (apprx 1 hour in a stove-top pot), with a couple of variances…3 breasts instead of 2 (cubed before cooking), no garlic, drained the can juice and substituted water (a little better for KETO)…so easy, and what flavor! Was going to cook a steak with the soup, but 2 bowls were a meal!
The next day went back to this site and found the “creamy” recipe, so I got some cream cheese and shredded cheese, heated the previous night’s soup very slowly, and when hot, added the cream cheese and cheese…perfect!
To me, the tastes of the two soups are different enough that I feel as though i have cooked two different soups!
Ellen says
Wow, so glad this soup was a favorite for you. We appreciate the great review.
Caleb says
Can I boil the chicken before putting it in the crockpot or will that dry it out too quickly?
Aimee says
You’d just want to cook the soup for about an hour or less after the chicken is cooked to keep it from getting to dry.
Glen Hope says
I normally put whole tortilla chips in, but i tried doing strips and it was so much better, thanks.
Jocelyn says
Love, love, love this soup and soooo easy to make! I was wondering if the flavor would change much if I added
two cans of chicken broth instead of just 1?
Ellen says
I don’t think the flavor would change a whole lot, but it would be souper. Let me know what happens.
Amanda says
How many people does this soup feed?
Aimee says
It should feed about 6 people
Saundra says
This has become one of my all-time favorite soups! Literally throw everything in the crockpotand walk away. I use the rotel tomatoes instead of diced, as suggested. The perfect amount of spice. Make this soup! You won’t regret it.
Ellen says
We love know this, it is our hopes that our recipes become favorites. Thanks for letting us know.