Slow Cooker Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup
on Nov 29, 2017, Updated Jan 18, 2026
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Slow Cooker Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup has all the wonderful flavor of the enchiladas without all the work! Hearty, creamy, full of green chiles and totally satisfying!
If you love green chiles, try my chicken enchilada dip and green chile chicken enchilada skillet.
Another Thanksgiving is in the books and now it’s time to move on to what for many is the busiest time of the year. Between holiday shopping, parties, school functions and out of town guests, it doesn’t leave a whole lot of time to think about what you’re going to make for dinner. Lucky for you, I thought of the recipe for this Slow Cooker Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup well before the holiday season started. Now all you have to do is make it!
Chicken – I like to use shredded chicken breasts, but chicken thighs are great too.
Garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, chili powder – The dried spices used to give the soup lots of southwest flavor.
Canned green chiles – Use mild or hot depending on how spicy you want the soup to be.
Green enchilada sauce – Store bought enchilada sauce works great for this recipe. I like the brands Hatch and Siete Foods.
Chicken broth – Stick to low sodium broth so the soup isn’t too salty.
Cannellini beans – I love the creamy texture of cannellini beans. You can also use great northern beans or pinto beans.
Frozen corn – For extra flavor, use frozen fire roasted corn.
Low fat cream cheese – You can also use full fat cream cheese. Make sure it’s at
Plain Greek yogurt – 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt work best.
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro and avocado slices – Optional, but recommended toppings.
There are two things about this soup that were a must when I decided to make it. First, green chiles. I’ve always been more partial to green chile over red chile, I blame it on my Southwest roots. Green chile chicken enchiladas are probably my favorite comfort food, but they do require a fair amount of time to make. Since this is a recipe to make when you’re short on time, the solution was to take all the flavors that I love about the enchiladas and put them in a slow cooker soup.
The second must have in this soup was the creamy factor. I love a creamy, hearty soup, which is evident if you make this cheeseburger soup or slow cooker chicken pot pie soup.
Creamy is usually a word that people assume means high in calories and fat, but not in this soup. Nope, to keep the calories in check I used a combination of low fat cream cheese and plain Greek yogurt, just like I did with my creamy chicken tortilla soup.. Both add richness, tang and of course the creamy consistency I wanted.
Not only was Greek yogurt a great way to lighten up this soup, but it’s also a way you can lighten up many of your holiday dishes, dips and desserts this season. It’s a great way to add extra protein, which will keep you full longer and it also packs in dairy’s 9 essential nutrients. Keep dinner easy, delicious and healthy during this busy time of the year and give this Slow Cooker Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup a try.
Slow Cooker Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder, green chile powder if possible
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 8 ounce diced diced green chiles
- 15 ounce can green enchilada sauce, I like the Hatch brand
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 4 ounces low fat cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt work best
- Shredded Monterey Jack cheese cilantro and avocado slices for toppings
Instructions
- Add the ingredients through the corn into the slow cooker, stir and cover with the lid. Set on low for approximately 6 hours, medium for 4 hours or high for 3 hours.
- When the time is up remove the chicken breasts and let them cool for several minutes before shredding. Once shredded add the chicken back in.
- Whisk in the cream cheese until it incorporated. Turn off the slow cooker and whisk in the Greek yogurt. Whisk immediately so that the yogurt doesn’t curdle. Serve the soup topped with shredded cheese, cilantro and avocado slices.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Danae,
I made this for a huge Christmas party on Saturday night, it was a HIT. I am wondering, can I freeze the leftovers? Thank you.
I don’t recommend freezing this one due to all the dairy in it. The texture may change after it defrosts.
This looks really good! Are the 8oz of green chilis canned or fresh?
How much is one serving? 1 cup? 1.5 cups? This recipe looks amazing, but it’s important your readers know how much is in a recipe, so it’s easier to plan ahead.
Does it thicken up? I doubled the recipe and it’s pretty thin. Great taste though!
It doesn’t get super thick. You can always add more cream cheese and/or Greek yogurt for a thicker consistency.
Hi can this be cooked in the instant pot?
Hi Kylie, I’ve never made this in the Instant Pot so I’m not sure. If you give it a try I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Instant Pot is actually the only way I’ve made this. 😊 Works great every time!
If I were to add uncooked rice, how much do you think would be a good amount to add? I usually use precooked rice, so I don’t have a good concept… Would you increase the broth, or do you think there’s enough in there? I haven’t made this all summer, so I can’t remember… thanks!!!
How large of a slow cooker do you need for this?
Hi Meagan, I used a 6 quart slow cooker for this recipe.
How do you get 6 servings out of approximately 16 cups of ingredients? I don’t have a pot big enough to make this.
How do you get to 16 cups? It looks to me like about 10-12 cups. The items given in oz are net weight, not liquid weight. The onions and garlic are going to reduce once sauted. 1 lb of chicken is about 1 or 1 1/2 cups. My slow cooker holds 4 quarts which is 16 cups and it’s not full to the top. Most slow cookers are 4-6 quarts. (which would be 16-24 cups).
Just had this for lunch today, it was as good as I had hoped it would be. I am looking forward to trying some more of your recipes. Thanks for this one!
Happy to hear you liked the soup! I hope you find some other recipes that you like!
I sautéed 1 onion, 1/2 cup chopped poblano peppers, and 2 cloves garlic; then added spices.
used 1 can of beans and added 2 cups of leftover cabbage noodles (thinly sliced cabbage boiled). I left out the corn. Used leftover shredded chicken and cooked on stove. Made the rest the same.
Would this work with frozen chicken?
Hi Krista,
I haven’t made this with frozen chicken. I suspect it will work fine, you’ll just need to cook it longer.
55g carbs per serving ? Is that correct ? Seems like a lot. The recipe doesn’t say how much 1 serving size is. I really like the Greek yogurt / cream cheese idea.