Slow Cooker Chicken Salsa Verde Tortilla Soup is classic chicken tortilla soup with a salsa verde twist.  Enjoy with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream and crunchy tortilla chips for a healthy, hearty meal!

Salsa verde chicken soup in white bowl with sour cream on top

We all love our Mexican food, yes?  Yes…or more appropriately, si!  Now that that’s out of the way, are you a red sauce or a green sauce kind of person?  I’d never ventured out and tried green sauce when I was younger — I knew I liked red and had no clear understanding of what green sauce really all about.  

It’s so sad it took me so long to find out how much I love salsa verde and those darling green little tomatillos that make it so special.  

Salsa verde chicken soup in white bowl with sour cream on top

It wasn’t until I was in cooking school and we had a demo on Mexican cuisine that I discovered tomatillos.  The chef told us that in the winter he never used tomatoes in his restaurant because they were horrible when they were out of season.  

I do agree on that — tomatoes are light red and very blah in flavor at this time of year.  He made us a salsa out of raw tomatillos.  I was shocked.  Would that even taste good?  

Turns out, that was one of the best salsas I’ve ever had…simply tomatillos, garlic, jalapeño, white onions, and lime juice.  I was a tomatillo lover from there on out.

Tomatillo with husk

I never realized how easy it was to make homemade salsa verde until last year.  It’s just onions, tomatillos, garlic, and jalapeños, broiled for about 10-15 minutes until charred.  Whir the charred veggies in the blender with lime juice, spices, and cilantro, and you’ve got a flavorful salsa verde.  Ole!

Normally I like to start slow cooker soups on the stove top for flavor, but with this one, it’s done under the broiler.  Once you whir it all together in the blender, all you have to do is dump everything into the slow cooker and let it do it’s thing. 🙂

Slow cooker chicken salsa verde soup in a bowl

I’ve never made a tortilla soup with salsa verde before, and I’ve had it on my list for a while now.  If you don’t want to make your own salsa verde, buy your favorite brand and combine it with some chicken stock.  If you do make your own, you can make it ahead and freeze it for essential soup-making days.

Let me tell you, this soup was all that and a bag of chips, too.  Because there were crunchy, delicious tortilla chips on the side, you know.  I topped my soup with a dollop of Greek yogurt and loved the creaminess of it with the delicious tang of the salsa verde broth.  This is the lighter way to enjoy a Mexican fiesta, and you won’t feel deprived.  No sirrree.  It’s easy to make, it’s hearty with tons of flavor, and boy are the leftovers nice. 🙂

Salsa verde chicken soup in a white bowl

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Salsa verde chicken soup in white bowl with sour cream on top

Slow Cooker Green Chicken Enchilada Soup

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Additional Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Slow Cooker Green Chicken Enchilada Soup is classic chicken tortilla soup with an enchilada twist! It's easy to make and it's great for meal prep!
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb. skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 jalapeno seeded and finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 15 ounces green enchilada sauce 1 1/4 cups; homemade or store bought
  • 4 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
  • 15 ounces pinto or white beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 cups corn fresh or frozen
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • optional garnishes: chopped cilantro, sour cream or diced avocado as desired

Instructions 

  • Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and set aside.
  • Place the onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, oregano, enchilada sauce, chicken stock, beans and corn in the slow cooker and stir well. Place the chicken in the liquid, then cover. Cook on low heat for 6 hours or high for 4 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the chicken registers 165 degrees and shreds easily.
  • Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred. Stir the shredded chicken and lime juice into the soup and season to taste with salt and pepepr. Ladle into bowls and serve with optional garnishes as desired. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Pro tip: Prep the green enchilada sauce up to a few days in advance, or purchase your favorite store bought brand.
  • Store green chicken enchilada soup in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 226kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 509mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 3g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Soups
Cuisine: Mexican
Author: Marcie
All recipes and images © Flavor the Moments.
Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!

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