This chicken enchilada soup is creamy, warm, and full of delicious Mexican flavors! One of my favorite ‘set it and forget it’ crockpot meals that are perfect for busy weeknights.
This has become one of my new favorite soup recipes. It’s so good like my famous taco soup recipe and creamy like my buffalo chicken soup recipe!
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Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
This chicken enchilada soup recipe is one of my favorites to make on a cold, winter day. It’s so easy and just simmers in the slow cooker all day long. A few of my other favorites are turkey chili, chicken tortilla soup, and chicken taco soup.
It’s no secret that my favorite Mexican dish is chicken enchiladas. So why not expand my love even more and make a crockpot chicken enchilada soup? Sounds like a dream to me!
Recipe Ingredients
Crockpot chicken enchilada soup is a dump-in-go slow cooker dinner perfect for busy weeknights!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts shred so easily and help make the chicken enchilada soup super hearty.
- Broth: Chicken broth just adds to the flavor and helps make this more of a soup than a stew.
- Enchilada sauce: You can use homemade or canned red enchilada sauce to give this soup its familiar flavor.
- Veggies: The soup is packed with black beans (or pinto beans), tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell peppers. Green bell pepper or red bell pepper can be used.
- Rotel tomatoes with green onions: I love using Rotel to add extra flavor to the tomatoes. The cans already have diced tomatoes mixed together for the perfect flavor and texture.
- Seasoning: Cumin and garlic powder add smokiness and depth to this dish.
- Cream cheese: I prefer to use cream cheese but have used cream of chicken soup in a pinch for great results.
- Cheese: A little bit melted into the soup helps thicken and add to the creaminess.
How to Make Chicken Enchilada Soup
This crockpot chicken enchilada soup is one of those easy recipes where the slow cooker does all the work!
- Add chicken to crockpot. Place chicken in the bottom of a 5-quart crockpot, then pour chicken broth and enchilada sauce on top.
- Combine. Add black beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell peppers to crockpot. Then add seasonings on top.
- Cook in the crockpot then shred chicken. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 5 to 7 hours. Remove chicken and shred (or cut into bite-sized pieces).
- Finish and serve. Add chicken back to soup with cream cheese. Add shredded cheese to the soup and stir. Ladle chicken enchilada soup into bowls and serve with desired toppings!
Toppings and Serving Suggestions
- Tortilla strips or tortilla chips: These add crunchy texture to slow cooker chicken enchilada soup similar to my my crockpot chicken tortilla soup!
- Homemade flour tortillas could also be dipped into the soup.
- Lime juice: Slice lime wedges and squeeze fresh limes over top for a delicious zest.
- Sour cream: Add a dollop of sour cream on top! It has a creamy texture that melts into the soup as it is stirred.
- Cheese: Try shredded cheese with cheddar, Monterey jack cheese, or cotija. All are great flavors and give you that cheesy pull you love!
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro sprinkled over top of the warm soup adds color and flavor.
- Avocados: Make homemade guacamole or slice avocados to enjoy in the enchilada chicken soup.
- Jalapeno: If you love spicy flavors with some heat add jalapenos to spice up the enchilada chicken soup.
- Onions: Chopped onions add a spicy crunch that tastes amazing in every bite!
Recipe FAQs
The base ingredients in this enchilada soup are chicken, broth, tomatoes, beans, corn, and seasonings. The cheese and cream cheese are added at the end to make it creamy.
Absolutely! To save time, I would swap the chicken breasts for shredded chicken. Heat all other ingredients in a large stockpot, except the chicken and the cheese. Simmer until onion and bell pepper are tender, and then add the cooked chicken, cream cheese and cheese until melted and warmed through.
I personally think the consistency of this crockpot enchilada soup is perfect. It’s creamy and has just the right amount of thickness.
But if you prefer an even thicker soup, try using less broth and adding in some additional cream cheese about 30 minutes prior to serving. The melted cream cheese acts as a great thickening agent and gives it a super creamy and delicious texture.
Store without any toppings in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 6 months.
Love easy crockpot recipes?! Try this crockpot crack chicken, crockpot Italian chicken, and crockpot chicken fajitas for your next dinner!
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Chicken Enchilada Soup
Video
Equipment
- 1 5-quart crockpot
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chicken broth , add an extra cup if you prefer a thinner soup
- 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce , or El Pato sauce
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans , rinsed and drained
- 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
- 1 cup corn
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin , more to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder , more to taste
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt , more to taste
- Ground black pepper , to taste
- 4-8 ounces cream cheese , at room temp (or can of cream of chicken soup)
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese , plus more if desired
For serving: Tortilla strips, Tortilla chips, Shredded cheese, Sour cream, Cilantro
Instructions
- Add to slow cooker: In the bottom of a 5-quart crockpot, add 3-4 chicken breasts. Pour 1 cup chicken broth and 1 can red enchilada sauce over the top. Add 2 cans black beans, 1 can Rotel tomatoes, 1 cup corn, 1/2 cup onion, and 1/2 cup red bell peppers. Stir in 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on high 3 to 4 hours or low 5 to 7 hours.
- Shred chicken, stir in cheese: Remove chicken and shred or cut into bite-sized pieces. Add in 4-8 ounces cream cheese or cream of chicken soup. Return the chicken to the crockpot. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Cook on low 30 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls. Top with tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips, extra cheese, sour cream, and cilantro, if desired. Serve while hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Chicken, Chicken, Cinco De Mayo, Crockpot, Crockpot, Crockpot, Dinner, Mexican, One Pot, One Pot, Soups
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I’m making this now using the rest of our homemade enchilada sauce we used in tamales for Christmas. The apartment has smelled amazing while it’s cooked. I just shredded the chicken and shredded down some cheese. Of course I snuck a taste and it’s yummy! We are doing without the creamy component because we like the heat with not adding it.
Yummy! So glad you made the chicken enchilada soup work for you!
Delicious with good flavor. Will definitely make again.
So glad you enjoyed the chicken enchilada soup!
My whole family loved this! So easy and delicious!
So happy to hear you love it as much as we do!
I love this soup
I do too, Eunice! So glad you enjoyed it :)
My family loves this soup! So easy and so yummy!! I used cream cheese instead of cream of chicken and it was perfect!
I made this in a 7 qt c/p and I needed the room. It is very good.
Watch the sodium by using lower salt canned goods when possible.
I served it with cilantro, shredded cheese, sliced avocado and broken tortilla chips. Very good!
That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing. I am so glad that you loved it.
Will changing from red enchilada sauce to Green enchilada sauce change the flavor of this soup too much? (canned)
I haven’t tried it with green enchilada sauce before but it will alter the taste. If you love the taste of green enchilada sauce, then this would be a great try! Let me know how it turns out!
This soup was just what we needed on this cold, rainy day! Packed with flavor and so comforting!
This is one of my go-to soups!! It’s hearty, tasty, & we all love it!! It’s great any night of the week!
One of our go-to’s as well! So glad you enjoyed the chicken enchilada soup!