Crock Pot Green Enchilada Chicken Soup
Next time you’re craving green enchiladas, try this Crock Pot Green Enchilada Chicken Soup! It’s hearty, flavorful and perfect served with your favorite toppings. This is an easy set it and forget it recipe that’s great for meal prep!
It doesn’t get much better than a cozy bowl of chicken soup, which is probably why I have such a wide variety of recipes to choose from here!
My lemon chicken vegetable soup and chicken stew recipe are both hearty, comforting and cook up fairly quickly on the stove top.
When I want a more hands-off approach, I turn to my slow cooker. There’s nothing easier than dumping all of the ingredients for my slow cooker Greek lemon chicken soup into the slow cooker and forgetting about it for a few hours until it’s ready.
This Slow Cooker Green Chicken Enchilada Soup is just that simple too, and it gives me all the flavors of my favorite green enchiladas with a lot less effort.
I typically prepare my homemade green enchilada sauce a few days in advance so that I can just pop everything in the slow cooker when I’m ready to make the soup.
Like my slow cooker chicken tortilla soup, the fun part is loading on the toppings! It’s great with everything from cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, sliced jalapeños or even tortilla chips.
This soup is something the entire family will be on board with. 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Green chicken enchilada soup is packed with tender shredded chicken, veggies, beans and a tangy, flavorful green enchilada sauce, then you get to pile on the toppings.
- It’s an easy dump and go recipe. Just pop everything into the slow cooker and set it and forget it for 4-6 hours.
- The green enchilada sauce may be prepped in advance, or you can use your favorite store bought brand.
- It’s freezer friendly and great for meal prep.
Recipe ingredients
- Chicken. You’ll need 1 lb. or 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts. If you prefer dark meat, use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Green enchilada sauce. My homemade green enchilada sauce is where all the flavor comes from in this soup! It’s bright and tangy with a mild level of heat so it’s family friendly. You can prep it a few days in advance, or buy your favorite store bought brand.
- Aromatics. Onions and garlic are the building blocks of great flavor.
- Chicken broth. Use my homemade chicken stock, or your favorite store bought brand.
- Beans. The pinto or white beans may be substituted with your favorite variety.
- Chili pepper. Use poblano pepper for extra mild or jalapeño if you like a bit of heat. A 4 ounce can of diced green chilies works great as well!
- Lime juice. Adding a bit of fresh lime juice at the end really makes the flavors of the soup shine.
- Toppings. The toppings are where the fun comes in. Top this soup with anything from sour cream, cheese, diced avocado, freshly chopped cilantro, sliced jalapenos or tortilla chips.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to make green chicken enchilada soup
This is crock pot green enchilada chicken soup is an easy dump and go recipe that’s perfect for busy days or meal prep Sundays.
Simply pop everything into the slow cooker, then set it and forget it for 4-6 hours.
Pro tip: Prep the green enchilada sauce up to a few days in advance, or purchase your favorite store bought brand.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper.
- Place the onion, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, oregano and corn in the slow cooker.
- Add the green enchilada sauce and chicken broth to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Place the chicken breast in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the chicken registers 165 degrees.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred.
- Stir the shredded chicken and lime juice into the soup, taste and add the desired amount of salt and pepper.
Recipe FAQs
If you like it spicy, use a spicy green enchilada sauce instead of mild, and add additional jalapeño peppers or your favorite chili peppers.
You can certainly use rotisserie or leftover Instant pot shredded chicken for convenience. Cook the soup until the onions are almost tender, then add the cooked chicken to the slow cooker and cook for 20-30 minutes longer to allow the flavors to meld.
The best part about this soup is that you can top it any way you like! Sour cream and cheese add richness, tortilla chips are great for crunchy texture, and diced avocado, sliced chili peppers or freshly chopped cilantro add freshness.
You can also top it with diced onion, tomatoes, sliced radishes and so much more!
Serving suggestions
You can serve this chicken enchilada soup recipe with your favorite sides, and deciding which toppings to use is where the real fun comes in!
- Serve as-is with a variety of toppings including sour cream, diced tomato or avocado, chopped cilantro, sliced jalapenos, cheese or tortilla chips.
- It’s great with a fresh side of spring mix salad or butter lettuce salad.
- Honey cornbread muffins or beer bread are great for dunking! It also pairs perfectly with my Mexican sweet corn cake.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Prep the green enchilada sauce up to a few days in advance, or purchase your favorite store bought brand.
- Sub the chicken breasts with boneless skinless chicken thighs if desired.
- Top this chicken enchilada soup with anything from sour cream, cheese, diced avocado, freshly chopped cilantro, sliced jalapenos or tortilla chips.
- Store green chicken enchilada soup in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
More soup recipes you’ll love
- Slow cooker chicken tortilla soup
- Greek lemon chicken soup
- Italian sausage kale soup
- Vegetarian tortilla soup
- Turkey wild rice soup
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Crock Pot Green Enchilada Chicken Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 jalapeno seeded and finely chopped; sub with poblano pepper if desired
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 15 ounces homemade green enchilada sauce 1 1/4 cups; sub with your favorite store bought brand
- 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.1 lb. skinless chicken breasts
- Place the onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, oregano, green enchilada sauce, chicken stock, beans and corn in the slow cooker and stir well.1 medium onion, 1 jalapeno, 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 15 ounces homemade green enchilada sauce, 4 cups reduced sodium chicken stock, 15 ounces pinto or white beans, 1 cups corn
- Place the chicken in the liquid, then cover. Cook on low heat for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the chicken registers 165 degrees and it 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!2 tablespoons lime juice, salt and pepper, optional garnishes: chopped cilantro, sour cream or diced avocado
Notes
- Pro tip: Prep the homemade green enchilada sauce up to a few days in advance, or purchase your favorite store bought brand.
- Sub the chicken breasts with boneless skinless chicken thighs if desired.
- Top this soup with anything from sour cream, cheese, diced avocado, freshly chopped cilantro, sliced jalapenos or tortilla chips.
- Store green chicken enchilada soup in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
44 Comments on “Crock Pot Green Enchilada Chicken Soup”
How much enchilada sauce is called for this recipe?
One batch of my homemade green enchilada sauce, or about 1.5 cups
Was looking for ways to use up our abundance of tomatillos this year, and this is a winner! Followed the recipe to a tee but instead of the slow cooker, I made this in the INSTANT POT. Cooked on high pressure for 20 minutes, let it naturally release for 5 minutes and then quick released the remainder. Pulled the chicken to shred it and then added it back in. Turned out perfectly! Such a great, quick, weeknight dinner.
Served with shredded cheese, sliced green onions, sour cream and tortilla chips.
I’m glad you enjoyed this and thanks for sharing your Instant Pot method!
This sounds amazing!! I’ve only used tomatillos a couple times, but they are always a success so I need to try some new things with them!!
The tomatillos were so great here — I hope you try it Jess!
Salsa verde and tortilla soup are both favs of mine – never ever had them combined in one soup! This sounds incredible
Thank you, Shashi! It was a first for me and I can’t believe it took me so long to do. Looks like I need to make up for lost time!
This soup looks amazing, Marcie! Love how easy it is to prepare 😀
Thank you, Jess!
I love tomatillos! And I think that’s such a great point that your instructor brought up about using them in place of tomatoes during the winter months. I will have to remember that! The soup looks fantastic and so comforting- perfect for this chilly season!
Thank you, Allie, and I’m happily using more tomatillos right about now — they sure gave this soup a nice tart little zing!
Can I even describe how perfect this soup is looking to me right now?! This is like the best version of tortilla soup EVER! Can’t get enough of those tomatillos!
Thank you, Sarah, and I completely loved this green version! I hope you get to try it soon!
I’m a big soup lover myself, so I know where you’re coming from. I’m glad you approve, Carol! 🙂
I need to venture out and try tomatillos — this looks amazing!
They’re so good, Ashley — I hope you give them a try!
This is on for dinner tomorrow. Can’t wait
I hope you enjoy it, Kathy!